Jeri Smith-Ready: Foots, Part One of One

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Foots, Part One of One

I know someday you'll have a beautiful life.
I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky.
--Pearl Jam, "Black"

I've probably said somewhere on this blog that I don't believe in love at first sight, and that it doesn't upset me in the least when fosters leave.

That was before I met Foots. As I was driving him to our house Saturday night, I thought to myself, "If he's good with the cats, maybe we'll keep him."

Ah, that little If. Foots, alas, turned out to be cat-hungry. Not to mention huge and strong. Moving him from room to room without encountering the felines became a nail-biting event. This wasn't a little puppy going, "Whee! Wanna play with kitties!" This was an 85-pound boy with the jaw strength of a machinist's vise going, "Put kitty in mouth. Now."

He was perfect in every other way. Affectionate but not clingy. Fun-loving but not hyper. Scary-looking enough to deter muggers and terrorists, but gentle as a bunny with us ("us" not including the cats). Meadow loved him, too, as demonstrated by this silent movie (note the sweet Tae Kwon Do spinning side kick he gives her).

Foots found another foster home, where he's trying to settle in despite having had a really confusing week. I feel terrible, like I've failed him, but he truly was a danger to the cats. While he was here, we were six inches of leash-slack from a tragedy. So I don't feel guilty, just bad. And I miss the big lunkhead something fierce.