Today was the best day ever in a puppy foster mom’s life. I was at the Pet Parade, the Animal Placement Bureau adoption event, toting my two foster dogs, Cubby and Fineas along, hoping they made an impression on someone. I was on my way back from taking Finn to go to the bathroom, and I saw this dog…. he looked at me.. and his eyes… were familiar.. Now, I’ve seen a ton of dogs since i’ve volunteered with animal rescue.. but something about this one… just.. struck me.

All of the sudden, it hit me, I looked over at my friend Christine, and exclaimed. “Wow! That dog looks like Bandit!” She was like.. “no, it can’t be Bandit.” but I didn’t believe her. There was a little black poodle standing next to him. It HAD to be Bandit!!!

Bandit was my foster dog over two years ago…. Here’s what his description said on our website. I have to admit, I sobbed the entire time I wrote this.. and found several people doing the same when reading it..

Hello. My name is Bandit. I have a mom already. I don’t need a new one. I have a brother too. I don’t know why I’m here.

Was I naughty? Is that why these things are happening to me? Not long ago, my mom went away. They told me she got really sick and had “passed away”. I’m not sure what that means, but I have to make sure she knows where to find me when she gets back. I stuck by my mom and followed her everywhere. I’m a very loyal boy. I look for her all the time. I know she must be really worried about me.

My brother Blackie and I spent weeks at our house waiting for her. Our mom’s son gave us food and water, but we were pretty much on our own until a few days ago when he took us far away and left us with a lady we didn’t know. She was really nice though. She gave me to another lady and drove away with my brother.

I’m staying at a house with other dogs and a cat. I even played a little with them the other day. At my house, my brother and I have a doggy door, and were trusted to explore our property without a fence or a tie out. I’m ten years old but still act like a young dog. I’m not a “senior” dog in any way. I still like to run and jump and play, but I haven’t been feeling much like playing lately.

Right now, I’m really quiet and stick by my foster mom like glue. I love it when she pets me. I haven’t been petted in a long time. I’m a little afraid that she might go away too, so I don’t like her to be out of my sight.

It was very nice to meet you, and if you see my mom, will you tell her where I’m at?

Bandit was so terrified that he didn’t want to come out of his crate. He screamed when I wasn’t in his sight. A few weeks later, he and his “brother”, Blackie were reunited at Pet Parade. Blackie, the little black poodle, saw Bandit from about 20 feet away and starting to let out this howl that you would never ever expect from a poodle.

They were old. They were totally different breeds. No one would EVER adopt them together. It just about killed me. Then, the email came. A woman read his description online, and was inches away from adopting another dog from our rescue. Her email was short and to the point. “Where’s his brother?”

I told her that we had him too, in another foster home. A week later, the three of us, myself, Blackie’s foster mom, and this wonderful woman met in a parking lot in Mason. When Bandit and Blackie saw each other, their delight was unmistakable. I remember that when I loaded them into her car, Bandit gave me a short, panicked look, but then looked at his brother, and I KNEW this was perfect.

So, back to the present. I was holding Fineas, and went up to the woman, who looked vaguely familiar. I tried to ask if it was Bandit.. but all I could do was sputter. No words came out of my mouth. It LOOKED like my Bandit, but he seemed.. bigger, almost.. He was standing taller, his ears were up, and his tail was wagging…not the depressed little Bandit I remembered. Finally, the woman said, “Eve???” I started jumping up and down and said..”I have a dog.. give me a sec.” I flew through the crowd of people, putting Finn in his kennel, and went running back, yelling “Outta the way, Bandit is here!!!” I must admit i pushed a few…

My Bandit was there! When he saw me, I knew he recognized me because…umm… he hid behind is new mom’s legs, and gave me a look that clearly said, “Please don’t take me. I’m happy here.” It’s the best look a foster mom could ever receive! After he became confident that I wasn’t going to take him away, he came out and said hello. I still can’t stop smiling.

Branch District Library is up and running.  The project has also gotten some cool press!

Open-ILS press release

MLC press release

Librarian.net

MainIT Project

Now, I’m off to spend 5 whole days w/out Evergreen on my mind!  Time for a mini-vacation, even though the farthest I’ll be traveling is to the home improvement store project supplies.

The first library to “go live” on the Michigan Evergreen Project shared catalog will be up and running in under 24 hours! The migration is going wonderfully, with no major hurdles to speak of!

I’m can’t speak for everyone, but on my side, there has only been some moderate stomach and shoulder pain, and a mild feeling of unease associated with general stress, I feel great! LOL.

Here’s a peek at the new BDL Catalog!

I had big plans to write a post about the migration of our first pilot library for the Michigan Evergreen Project.  Things are going really well, but at this point, I’m just hoping to be alive through Monday.