My Man....and his Dog.

Two years ago Eric and I expanded our family by getting a puppy!  We got Brew at 8 weeks old after we had gone through my 4th pregnancy loss.  Our last miscarriage really brought me to my knees and I fell deep into grief.  Eric thought that getting a fur-baby would be the next best thing to our babies in heaven and help heal my broken heart.

This face could heal the world!  

Before Brew, I wasn't much of a dog person.  I preferred cats.  Cats are easier to take care of, have my attitude, and are no nonsense!  But, the older I got, and the older Isabelle got, I felt that maybe we should get a dog...?  A puppy couldn't possibly be more work than a human baby, and maybe Eric was right, a fur-baby would help me not be so sad anymore.  Besides, after the ordeal Eric and I had gone through trying to have a human baby, we figured there isn't much else on this planet we couldn't handle.  

So, Brewsky Merrick Schnell came into our lives!  

Brew was supposed to by my baby, but a few days after bringing him home, it was clear that he was Eric's baby, buddy, and best friend.  

So these past 4 months were torture for Brew.  Brew's entire world had stayed exactly the same, but his very best friend had vanished into thin air in January.  Very confusing for the poor guy.  
I'm Brew's "mommy" and we adore each other, but I'm not Eric.  Nothing I did made Brew happy.  He'd only play catch with me for so long, or only let me pet him for so long, then go back to laying by the front door waiting for Eric.  All I could do was just distract him for a little bit with a walk or by playing catch, but I couldn't make him happy, or make him understand that daddy would be back soon.  It broke my heart and added to my stress.  After a few weeks of Eric leaving, Isabelle and I just resigned to the fact that Brew wasn't going to be our happy furry guy again until Eric came home.  

And that made these last 4 months the longest ever!

But now, Eric is HOME!  After a little stress at the airport, a late flight, and running like the dickens to make his connecting flight, he is home!  And our furry-baby couldn't be happier!

Our family is complete.... but only for 2 weeks.  After lots and lots and lots of talking, thinking, praying, and researching, we have decided to foster Brew while we are in Germany.  We want to travel, we don't plan on sitting at home ever, and we didn't think this would be fair to Brew.  

Germany is very pet friendly!  From the research I've done, Germans will let well-behaved dogs into restaurants and most public places, even the trains.  But ultimately, the amount of traveling we want to do, and with as young as Brew is still, we felt that fostering him was the best option.

So, Brew will be going to live with a member of Eric's family who is a Veterinarian and has a girl Golden Retriever.  Her and her husband have fostered other pets before and were so gracious to offer to foster Brew!  We knew instantly that they were the answer to our prayers! 

We will get him back in a few years and will miss him like crazy, but Brew will be in the absolute best hands we could ever imagine.  We are totally at peace with Brew going to live with his foster parents and sister, they love him already!