Mike and I have been fostering dogs from local shelters and rescue groups since we have been together. It is part of what we do to volunteer and to help dogs who might have a tough time being adopted at the shelter, especially those who have been abused, neglected or who are older.
And yes, we have had what they call a failed foster. Shadow, our beloved 18 year old cockapoo who passed away last year started out as a foster. Of course at 14, no one was seriously interested in adopting her so we did. That was one of the best decisions we ever made!
Last weekend we went to MaxFund to see if they needed any of the dogs to be fostered. A few minutes later we met Chico, an 8 year old Pekingese (mix?) who has one eye and is just the cutest. A few days later I went and picked him up and he became our latest foster dog.
He is laying on a doggie bed at my feet while I write this post. I am kind of surprised as he is filled with fear, as most of our fosters are when they arrive. But this morning he went outside and came back in without encouragement (or force!) from us and he even ate breakfast. Last night he jumped out of bed with me and instead of staying cowered under the kitchen table he jumped up on the couch and went back to sleep.
The process for a foster dog who is that frightened is a long one. And it is wonderful watching them get more and more comfortable in the home, and eventually be so comfortable that we can begin having people over who are interested in adopting them.
I have written many times about volunteering at a local shelter as part of taking small actions to make the world a better place for all living beings. Fostering an animal from your local shelter is a great thing to do that will definitely change the life of an animal who could really use your help.
Oh, and Chico needs a forever home! If you live in the Denver metro area and are interested in him please let me know!
Thank you for reading!
Foster families are a HUGE step in the process of animals finding new homes. Thank you for doing this.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a nice thing that you two are doing and admire you both!
ReplyDeleteI love all animals so I'd find it a little hard to take care of them and later on let them go off to new homes. However, if I didn't live in a "no pets allowed" apartment, I'd want to try it out anyway.
Do you ever find it hard to let some of the foster dogs go after a while?
P.S: Chico looks like a very big sweetheart!