It was about 10 days before Xmas when Glenys rang me to ask if I could foster a dog for a few weeks until the New Year, as he was an old boy, and his owner was so distressed at having to give him up, and didn't want him to go into kennels (no matter how nice!).
I was really happy to help, and was looking forward to having a dog around over the festive season,'cos otherwise it would have been me with a turkey dinner for one. I went off to collect Sam from Derbyshire, and was completely clear in my mind that it was ONLY FOR A FEW WEEKS .....well you can guess what's coming!
All I knew about him was that he was 13 and a half years old, so I was expecting a very quiet, stately old gent, maybe a bit doddery on his paws......not Sam!!!
He turned out to be a real livewire, a bundle of energy, incredibly fit for his age, and so well trained, and looked after by his owners right since he was a pup - always well exercised and never allowed to get overweight at all.
I won't go into why his owner had to give him up, but it was very emotional for all concerned.
So Sam arrived back home with me, and it took me, oh, a whole 24 hours to decide that I'd have to join the ranks of 'failed fosterers'! He won me over completely with his sense of fun, his vitality, his affectionate and gentle nature and the way he settled in and coped with his totally different surroundings. I just knew I couldn't see him go to anyone else.
And nothing has changed since - he's such a wonderful companion, he runs round like a lunatic on walks, chasing after sticks and diving into streams. In fact several other Lab owners have thought he was a puppy, from seeing his antics, and only realised close up that he is in fact the oldest pup on the park!
He's really changed my life for the better, and I think he is happy with me. Also, I am close enough for his original owner to come over to take him out for a walk every now and then, which I think has helped her in coming to terms with the very difficult decision to give him up for adoption. Definitely fate stepping in when Glenys decided to give me a call!
