Very recently, we decided to get a puppy for our family. A recent snowstorm sparked the idea because shelters were asking for foster families. The response was so successful that they actually ran out of dogs and puppies to foster. After that is when we came across Leo at the Greenville Humane Society. He was one of the sick puppies who needed fostering even during normal times. They had him listed as a retriever mix, and he looked so much like my old dog Zelda that I fell in love with him before I ever met him.

My wife Jessica and my stepdaughter Lily were the first to bring little Leo home, and he was very calm the first night. But after we started giving him antibiotics for his respiratory illness and he began to get comfortable, things became a little unexpected. I started to realize he probably was not a retriever mix but, as I feared, a Jack Russell Terrier. That scared me because he was able to escape from the crate they gave us, and even the pack and play, plus the baby gate system I had originally for my son Alex could not contain the little pup. We picked him up on Tuesday, but by Friday morning I had to give him back. He did not want to be contained, and I did not have the time to properly train him. I was afraid he might choke himself trying to get out of the crate or break his neck or leg trying to get out of the baby gate.

This was very hard for me. I cried a lot when I gave him up and ended our foster arrangement early. I had originally planned to adopt him, and we all wanted to keep him for life. I felt a lot of guilt, especially because I felt like I had failed my children. But after thinking it over and talking about it, I know this was the best thing for Leo. It helps knowing that we were able to give him a few days outside the shelter, where he could feel safe and loved.