Foster Papa Charlie: Somehow They Know

As a couple that fosters animals until they can find a permanent home, Suze and I have learned even more than we knew before about animal behavior. Each doggy (or the one kitty so far) that we have fostered has taught us something about how animals adjust to new surroundings and the revolving door of temporary placements on the way to someplace (hopefully) permanent.  In particular, each of our failed fosters so far (those who we caved in to and adopted) have shown us more about how foster animals transition to a permanent home.

In the cases of our dog, Ruby, and our cat, Tic Tac, they seemed to be on exemplary behavior with nary a trace of excitability, rambunctiousness, or naughtiness, until after we adopted them.

Somehow they know.

Don’t ask me how. Ruby may know a smattering of English words, in addition to her name, but I can’t see how she could have known enough to understand us saying anything to each other like, “Yes, let’s go ahead and adopt her already.” And yet it seems the day after we did, the “first date” behavior was out the window and it was time to jump up on us, start hording shoes, socks, and bath mats in the living room while we were out, and claw at the recently painted inside of the door when we were unlocking it to come in.

At least she's not hording dead cats.

And Tic Tac. I’ve already written in another post that his “halo” came off after we decided to keep him. Mr. Sit Quietly in Your Arms and Purr became Parkour Cat, bouncing off the walls and furniture and declaring the kitchen counter open for strolling. Of course, in his case the period between bringing him home as a foster to adopting him was pitifully short – less than 48 hours. So he didn’t have to maintain a facade for long.

I iz sittin' in yer Easter Baskit, which I also bin eatin'. 

But of course none of this is intolerable, or even that bad. It’s just that it really seems like they were on best behavior until it was official – then they were ready to be themselves. Maybe that’s as it should be, though. It’s not so much matter of bait and switch (hey, this isn’t the dog I ordered!) so much as getting into that forever home. We should probably admire an animal “savvy enough” to present itself as well as possible to get adopted. Heaven knows they need everything they can get on their side.