F is for Fostering

 

 is for Fostering

 

     We would like to take a moment to talk about fostering. What is fostering? Why should you foster? What are the benefits of fostering? Who should you foster for? There are lots of questions out there and with this blog we hope to answer a few of them! So, sit back, and read on...

What is fostering?

To foster an animal simply means that it lives with you, interacts with you and your family/pets, until it finds a forever home.

Why should I foster?

Rescues (reputable ones anyway) can only pull animals from shelters if they have room for them. By fostering, you are opening a space for another animal in need. 

What are the benefits of fostering?

Fostering an animal makes room for more animals in need. Fostering also helps that dog/cat get used to living in a home environment, interacting with people, interacting with other pets, so that they are prepared when their permanent home comes along! 

Who should I foster for?

There are shelters and rescues all across the U.S. that are in need of good foster homes! Here are a few tips to finding an organization that is right for you...

1. Tour the facility, always.
2. Get to know the people already involved in the organization; fosters, board members, employees, volunteers.
3. Ask questions about the organization. Is it a 501c3 non-profit? (If so, foster dogs are tax deductible). Do they hold adoption events? Where? How often? What are there adoption requirements and procedures? 
4. What are the requirements of foster parents? Often times rescues will provide vet care and sometimes even food for the foster animal. Be sure to know up front what will be expected of you.
5. Spend some time getting to know the animals. Be sure to take in a foster that will fit well into your home and lifestyle. If you're a couch potato you may not want to take in a foster that is high energy and needs lots of exercise. Or hey, maybe you do, that could be motivation to be more active!

Why does WPEL care about fosters?

Okay, it's true, we are not a rescue. However, we partner with other rescues and shelters that do need fosters and volunteers. Many in WPEL foster for organizations now and would be glad to recommend an organization to contact about fostering or volunteering. 



My foster story...

Mila

I was pretty scared and hesitant about fostering once I got into rescue. I tend to get very emotionally attached to animals so I was nervous that it would be hard for me. And it totally was...but it was also totally worth it...as I'm sure you'll hear any foster say. 

My first foster was a bit unexpected. She was a small chihuahua that had been pulled from a high kill shelter with two broken front legs. On top of requiring several medications a day she was scared and wasn't afraid to bite. Truth is, she had emotional and social issues on top of her medical issues, reasonably so. 

 

  After four months with antibiotics and pain medication she was finally ready to get rid of her casts...which was a whole new chapter in her recovery. Once the casts were removed she had to learn to use and strengthen her leg muscles all over again.

Then, it was time for some socialization....

But...after months of working with her, she was still (and still is) terrified of new people. She will still bite if necessary to "protect herself" and after five months we decided that the best place for her was to stay with us. She was comfortable with us, though it took her months to warm up to my husband, she was finally coming out of her shell and we didn't want any chance of her to be unhappy. She was our first foster...she was our first foster failure...and that is totally okay!

Riggs aka Bubby
Later on, I saw this guys little face at the same high kill shelter and just had to have him.

 Riggs (after my late grandpa) was a 13 year old Chihuahua that had found himself in the shelter. He was a wild old man that was tiny...partially blind...and a picky eater. I, the vegetarian that I am, still grilled this little guy chicken everyday to eat. He was a snuggler though he didn't particularly care for the other dogs in the house. 

Strangely enough, someone saw his picture online and contacted me. This little guy had a family that had been searching for him for months. I'll never forget the first phone call with his momma, she cried so much that I could hardly understand her and then she said "Even if you don't let me have him back, thank you for taking care of him, and the only food he will eat is Moist & Meaty". She sent me photos of him from when he was a baby up to his current age and I knew that reuniting them was the right thing to do.

A week later, her and her husband made the four hour drive down to Kentucky to pick him up. Even after he was back with her, she updated me on him regularly, his story was even featured in Woman's World Magazine (including his sweet little photo).

Last summer, around the fourth of July, completely blind, losing his hearing, and at the ripe old age of 15 year old, Bubby or as I knew him, Riggs, crossed the rainbow bridge safe in the home with the family he had always known. He touched my heart and I gained a new friend as well. RIP little one...I am thankful to have known you.

 

 Every foster that I have ever had has touched my heart in some way. Whether I had them for a week or 6 months...they each leave an impression on you. Each of them take a tiny piece of your heart with them...but seeing updates of them in their new homes, happy, safe, and spoiled makes it all worth it. Each foster dog I have had either stayed with me or moved on to their new life with wonderful families that I still keep in touch with. You can't keep them all...because there is always another that needs you...but you can help them find the best life possible. Take pride and comfort in that. So now, as I wrap this up...I'll share more photos of wonderful fosters that have crossed through my door and through the homes of our WPEL members...some that will stay with us...and a few that have moved on to families that give them everything they deserve and more. 

Here are a few that touched the hearts of WPEL members...Enjoy the faces of these lives saved by fosters