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| Me with my dogs Remi and Noelle |
It all started several years ago. I married a guy who liked dogs. He wanted us to get a dog of our own. I had no interest in having a dog, but eventually he wore me down and we got a dog.
It could have ended there. My husband was happy with one dog. But since I had been doing research on dogs before adopting Remi, I learned about how volunteers were needed to foster dogs. Remi had a lot of energy, so I decided that a foster friend would be perfect for him. No vet bills to worry about, my dog gets a friend to play with, and I get to do something helpful. It was a win-win situation. I didn't expect what happened next.
I discovered that I love fostering. Really love it. So less than four years later I am no longer living in a fancy house in the suburbs of St. Louis. I still work full-time as a Systems Analyst, but my commute to work is longer because I now live in a log cabin in the country. I no longer have one dog and one foster dog - the menagerie has grown to include a deaf pit bull and an orange cat and many foster pets. I've fostered over two hundred animals in the past four years. Some of them stay only a week or two, while others are here for months. I went back to school and got a diploma of Dog Training from CASI so I could work with my foster dogs to make them more adoptable. I spend my free time caring for dogs and cats, cleaning up after dogs and cats, taking pictures of dogs and cats, and taking dogs and cats to vet appointments and adoption events. There are a few things in life that I've worked hard to accomplish - graduating college, running a marathon, earning my MBA - but none of those even slightly compare to what I've worked hardest at - saving homeless pets. And the feeling of accomplishment when seeing each new pet go to be a part of a family - that is what makes it all worthwhile.
It could have ended there. My husband was happy with one dog. But since I had been doing research on dogs before adopting Remi, I learned about how volunteers were needed to foster dogs. Remi had a lot of energy, so I decided that a foster friend would be perfect for him. No vet bills to worry about, my dog gets a friend to play with, and I get to do something helpful. It was a win-win situation. I didn't expect what happened next.
I discovered that I love fostering. Really love it. So less than four years later I am no longer living in a fancy house in the suburbs of St. Louis. I still work full-time as a Systems Analyst, but my commute to work is longer because I now live in a log cabin in the country. I no longer have one dog and one foster dog - the menagerie has grown to include a deaf pit bull and an orange cat and many foster pets. I've fostered over two hundred animals in the past four years. Some of them stay only a week or two, while others are here for months. I went back to school and got a diploma of Dog Training from CASI so I could work with my foster dogs to make them more adoptable. I spend my free time caring for dogs and cats, cleaning up after dogs and cats, taking pictures of dogs and cats, and taking dogs and cats to vet appointments and adoption events. There are a few things in life that I've worked hard to accomplish - graduating college, running a marathon, earning my MBA - but none of those even slightly compare to what I've worked hardest at - saving homeless pets. And the feeling of accomplishment when seeing each new pet go to be a part of a family - that is what makes it all worthwhile.
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| Me and Ziggy, my deaf pit bull foster dog |
My weakness is for deaf dogs, and pit bulls (and especially deaf pit bulls!) I know that deaf dogs are often overlooked for adoption and sometimes euthanized just for being deaf. And pit bulls, in spite of being some of the sweetest, most wonderful dogs I've ever met, seldom make it out of a shelter alive. So I usually have at least one foster dog that is a pit bull, or that is deaf.
The numbers of animals I foster at one time can vary from just two or three dogs to eight or ten dogs, depending on several factors. In spite of being a dog foster mom, I also usually have two or three foster cats at a time as well. I started this blog as a way to keep track of the foster pets that have come into my life. I love to hear from readers, so please leave a comment or e-mail me at dogfostermom@aol.com.
The numbers of animals I foster at one time can vary from just two or three dogs to eight or ten dogs, depending on several factors. In spite of being a dog foster mom, I also usually have two or three foster cats at a time as well. I started this blog as a way to keep track of the foster pets that have come into my life. I love to hear from readers, so please leave a comment or e-mail me at dogfostermom@aol.com.
