by Hope
“We need a foster…two puppies, just for a couple of weeks.”
And me and my big mouth, sure, bring them on over.
So now we are up to 6 dogs, at least until the 18th. They are sisters, pointer mixes and they are calling them Thelma and Louise, completely fitting based on their circumstances and personality.
Evidently, this organization pulls certain dogs from the local shelters, get them vetted and then hold them in foster homes until transport takes them somewhere else where they stand a better chance of being adopted.
They pay for everything so there’s no financial strain. However, the energy level needed to deal with three
But man, I over-committed on this one. Three puppies, two completely wild with no house training or socialization at all. They are so sweet, but so wild.
I’ve told the kids and my boyfriend to remind me of how exhausted I am next time they ask me. (I wasn’t supposed to start until Princess/Beauty had moved out and school started, but they called desperate.)
Any one else has trouble saying no when people ask for this type of health?
On the good side, this will be a good thing to look back on if another dog/puppy pulls at my heart strings again. I think my 3 old dogs and 1 puppy are enough for me!
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
You need to focus on mental health as well as financial health (and physical health!). Being able to say No is sometimes hard to learn, but oh so important. You need to take care of you!
Yes, this experience if nothing else has taught me that. Even if it doesn’t cost me money, it definitely costs me time and effort, stress and frustration…all while I am kind of mourning the changes going on, natural changes, but still changes that I wish weren’t here quite yet. I appreciate your note on this, a good reminder.