Saying goodbye to Charlie

I hate to post this, but we released Charlie to an Australian shepherd rescue yesterday. Theo had stopped coming inside, was disappearing for days at a time, the other 2 cats were hiding upstairs and never coming down, and Aidan was just a shadow of himself and was becoming fearful. I learned that if Charlie ever killed a cat or bit someone, he would not be adoptable and I was terrified of something like that happening. Rather than trying multiple techniques that weren't reliably working for us, I begged and pleaded for Lyn to let the breed rescue take him so he could have a chance for a better fit than us and so we could salvage our relationship with our other animals. Rescue was able to take him within minutes of my request and I'm relieved, albeit sad too as Charlie was a gorgeous dog, loyal, smart and friendly and had a lot of potential. I struggle with a feeling of failure, but am trying to look on our releasing him as an act of love. Sometimes adoption just doesn't work. Thank heavens for rescue groups. There's nothing like adopting from people who understand the breed of dog they're placing. We may continue to work with the group for a placement for us, but we're waiting for awhile as it's going to take some time for humans and animals to recover from this last experience.

I'm busy checking out new swap buddies at Ravelry - three swaps in all. Two are organized swaps, one is an informal with a woman from Finland. I love the idea of just swapping with individual people and may pursue this some more in the future. I'm afraid swaps are just a part of my life now. I really enjoy getting to know people this way. One of my swappees is from Vancouver and we're already making plans to have coffee. My third swappee is a medical student in Richmond. I promise I will not complain about doctor dictations! The theme of that swap is relaxation, and boy does she need to find some time to relax, probably the idea is a source of amusement for medical students.