Rollie 2015

I am a failure. 

Rollie was returned to ESGAO in January 2015.  Since prior to his adoption he was my foster dog, I took him back to foster until he could get adopted.

Bill took Rollie to many meets and greets, those are days when adoptable dogs go to stores or dog events to be seen and hopefully adopted. 

Around April, I started thinking we should just keep him.  He was such a good dog., friendly, happy, energetic and smart.  Bill said, logically, we can't keep him, we don't need four dogs.  I agreed. 

Rollie was advertised on the ESGAO website as the dog of the month several times. 

One couple fell in love with him and adopted him.  But, Rollie didn’t match their life style; he was returned, pretty quickly.  And since he had been my foster dog, I of course took him back…           to foster.

When the summer hit, and Rollie was able to get out in the yard and be the dog he knew he was, he would chase cars, from the safety of the fence.  He would expend so much energy and get so hot, he nearly collapsed from heat exhaustion.  Fortunately, by then we had the kiddy pool full for the dogs, and he knew to get into the water, to revive himself.

I told Bill that no one else would understand that he has to have a kiddy pool in the summer.  He could die without one.  Bill said, we will tell whoever adopts him that he has to have a pool in the summer.  And we will explain he gets heat exhaustion. 

When Rollie gets  nervous, his tummy gets upset and he gets diarrhea, which hits around 3 am.  Since he is such a sweet dog, he doesn’t wake anyone up when this hits.  So, many mornings, I came downstairs to find diarrhea all over the kitchen floor and often he had gone number 1 too.  A great

 way to start the morning.

I told Bill that no one will tolerate months of diarrhea on the floor every morning.  Bill said that the new adopters will love him and be willing to clean up after him.

So on Facebook and on the ESGAO website, I posted, that Rollie needs a home that has another greyhound to play with, a patient owner, a loving owner, and preferably a doggie door, so he can go outside at 3 am.  He also needs a fence so he can run, and a pool to recover in.  A Facebook friend who lives outside of Ohio and specializes in taking care of "problem dogs" wanted to adopt him.  But he is too far.

It is now September and no one wants to adopt him.

A friend in the group has always loved Rollie (really, who doesn’t?) and was contemplating taking care of him while we are out of town soon.  I thought, they would be good parents for Rollie.  But alas, they are unable to take him at this time.

For 8 months Bill and I tried to get Rollie adopted.  We failed.  So I am again failing.  I am a failed foster parent.  Today, Bill and I officially adopted Rollie. We failed at fostering.  A phenomena that often occurs with foster parents, but very often with greyhounds. 

Macho was my first failure as a foster parent, and now Rollie is my second failure. 

Pat C. Roller became Pat C. Roller-South today.

Welcome my buddy!  I often call him Bubba. :)