Rio needs his "happily ever after"...: HOME VISIT DAY!!!

Today Rio has a home visit!!! Which for anyone who doesn't know what that means, it means that someone has already come to the rescue or to an adoption event and met Rio, fallen in love with him and decided that they want to adopt him. They talk to Anita or Jennifer, fill out the required paperwork, have their application processed and are ready for a home visit. Then the rescue will bring Rio to their home, make sure he is OK with whatever other pets are in the home and make sure the home and the area are a good fit for the specific dog, in this case Rio, and if all goes well, they sometimes do the adoption right then and there. Well that is what has happened. A FABULOUS couple, Christine & Tyson, drove up from the shore last weekend to meet Rio at Petco. They were originally looking at him and another dog but they have a cat, so Rio was the only choice since he absolutely LOVES cats. They met him, they spent over an hour with him, and they were ready to take him home then! So they set up to do the home visit today, a week is a long time, but people have to work and its a distance to drive and the rescue likes to make sure that everyone REALLY wants this to happen. That the people/family REALLY want to adopt a dog, THIS dog, so that no one changes their minds, where the dog has already been placed in their home and now has to be shuffled around again, could lose their foster home and have to go into boarding. If that happens...ONLY THE DOG SUFFERS.
I respect that the dog's best interest is what truly matters.

Well nobody has changed their minds! Rio is getting picked up by Auntie AZITA at 9am to go to a Lilo's Promise event and then Auntie ANITA will take him to his home visit at noon. I know that he is going to shine like a rock star when he gets there...also because I gave him a sparkling bath yesterday so he is so soft, smells so good, and is actually very shiny!! LOL. All kidding aside....I am so happy that they are ready to love Rio forever, make him the spoiled and loved boy he has always dreamed of being. Of course he is spoiled here but he will be even MORE spoiled as an only doggie...

I did not imagine at all that it would be THIS hard to say goodbye to him, and I did not ever imagine that I could love him THIS much. I cried last night when I thought about him not being asleep on my couch tonight, I am really going to miss the Little Monster but I know that (if all goes well & I know it will) he is going to have a fabulous life and one I could only have dreamed for him! He gets to be the only dog and get all of the attention, he will have a kitty cat brother named Billy, which he is going to LOVE LOVE LOVE! He sleeps with Bianca (my cat) here every night....these are all great things.
When Rio first came back to the rescue and to me as a foster, he was very um....nutty....he had no manners, he had no clue how to play with a dog since he was not socialized OR trained by his former owners, was extremely jumpy, mouthy, loud, just plain crazy. In the two months that he has been here with us, Savannah has taught him very well how to behave, how to play and how to NOT go crazy ALL THE TIME. He now sits for a treat & meals, he sits at the door because he knows I won't open it until he does, jumping will only delay getting out the door, he is calm when he needs to be and plays with both Savannah & Bianca (almost always) appropriately now. He is a FANTASTIC dog and they are very lucky to be adopting him. He will be loved forever here and missed very much!!! But we will keep in touch and Savannah & I will visit him and report back!

Everyone keeps your paws crossed for Rio today!!!