Last Friday, the time came toadvanceone morefoster dog one step further on her journey toward a forever home. I’ve saidthis before: Letting go of a sweet dog you’ve helped nurture from straggly stray to healthy hound is tough.

Lucky Sasha the Maltese was acceptedby an excellent rescue group, and I couldn’t have been happier if mylittle girlhad gotten into Yale. All potential adopters would be thoroughly screened, and while she awaited her forever home, myLWD (Little White Dog)would enjoy lots of attention in foster care, plus daily outings to the park with two other Malteses.

Knowing that this move was the best thing for little Sasha didn’t make parting with herany easier, however.

I was already starting to see the wonderful effects thata supplemented diet can have on a senior dog. Her daily helping of Vigorate, the K9 version of the human supplement Juvenon, was already causingSasha’s reddish “age hairs” to diminish, around her face and on her little paws.

The sprinkling ofmilk thistle, hawthorn,and cinnamon I added to every meal worked together with the Vigorate supplement, contributingto the lively spring inSasha’s step.

Despite her age – Sasha is 13 – this LWD has the youthful energy of a pup. Nobody believes her age, because she’s 13 years young. I callSasha the Brave Little Toaster for her intrepid way of marching down the street at top speed.

It was at this breakneck pace that Sasha and I marched to meet her new foster Mom, stopping a few times for photo opps. Her newcaretaker gavemy LWDa warm greeting and gently bundled her into a large tote bag. I handed overthe full arsenal ofSasha’s supplements, including Vigorate and Neem, plus TheraNeem Pet Shampoo. I hugged and kissed Sasha goodbye, then turned to leave.

That’s when things became difficult.

Sasha vigorously wiggled out of the bag to follow me. I turned around and helped her new foster Mom re-settle the LWD. Then I tried walking away again.

Cue Sasha barking. Actually, it was more of a panicked shriek.

I felt terrible. Surely the LWD thought I was cruelly abandoning her, when what I was really doing was 1) enabling her to have her best life and 2) making room in my place for another foster dog. I was determined not to crumble and snatch her back. My letting go really was the best thing for her.

So I kissed Sasha’s tiny snout and told her that she was mere moments away from enjoying the wonderful life she deserved – the life of a little princess. Butshe couldn’t begin toenjoy that life if she didn’t let go. (There’s a lesson in there for all of us, I suspect.)

This time, I turned around and walked away without looking back. Happily, Sasha’s new foster Mom Pam is a Maltese specialist who has two LWDs of her own. From the updates I’ve received,my girl isdoing great.

On one call, Pam asked me, “Are you sure she’s 13? She seems younger.” That was music to my ears! As was this followup email:

“She’s energetic, her appetite is strong and she’s been using the WeeWee pads,” Pam wrote. “Thanks for taking such good care of Sasha. She’s a wonderful girl!”