Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This blog will return on January 1st, 2010. 

Update on my fosters

Yep, it's time for another update.  Sort of like introducing the starting line-up of a sports team... or not. 

First up, the dogs. 

Zara - 16 week pit bull mix puppy, sister to Ziggy, very sweet, very friendly, extra-large ears, no manners whatsoever but listens well.  Cute brown spots on her back.  I'm hoping she turns out to be smart and learns quickly.  Time will tell.  Did I mention the giant ears?

Ziggy - 16 week old pit bull mix puppy, brother to Zara, deaf, full of energy and enthusiasm, loves attention, no manners whatsoever, eager to communicate.  That's a code term for either "barks a lot" or "very demanding".  Or maybe both - I'm not telling.  Has a short attention span and a love for his sister, all humans, and food.  Not necessarily in that order.

That's it for the dogs.  I still have a few on a "waiting list" but for one reason or another the time hasn't been right to bring them home just yet.  I'm hoping to not bring in any new dogs until at least sometime after Christmas.  Which is less than a week away.  Yikes - I really should start my Christmas shopping soon. 

Now for the cats...

Scribbles - Good news - Scribbles is improving!  I now can leave her door open all of the time, and she often comes into the other rooms when the dogs aren't around.  And if she sees them, she's not outright attacking them, unless they get too close.  This also means she's living with several other cats (who apparently like her room better than their own) and she is doing fine with them as well.  She still spends most of her time in her room, but she does come out for some extra petting and attention every day. 

Artemis - Unfortunately Artie has been moved temporarily to solitary confinement.  I am pretty sure he's the one who seems to have forgotten his litterbox manners lately.  I'm not sure if its because of the stress of meeting new cats, or something else.  But the first step is to segregate him and make sure he is the guilty party.  Figuring out which cat isn't using the litterbox and WHY is not easy. Someone please remind me of this next time I say "I'll foster that cat!" 

Orca - She is the sweetest little cat.  She is my almost-constant companion at home.  She likes to sleep under the covers, and she settles on my lap every night and just purrs even if I don't pet her.  She gets along with all the other dogs and cats - although occasionally she meets a cat she doesn't know and if she feels threatened she starts growling like a dog.  Her brother Penguin did the same thing - it's very cute coming from such a little cat.  I wonder if her sister Puffin ever does that.

Gandalf - This guy is settled right into the old routine.  He is buddies with my cat Merlin, and I'm constantly seeing an orange cat and calling him Merlin when its really Gandalf, or vice-versa.  I'll be putting him back on the website in the next few days and he'll be ready to once again try to find a forever home.

Simon and Sampson - The Salmon brothers are still happily hanging out in the sink, although they do come into the bedroom to sleep at night.  One of them, or maybe both, spends his day by carrying stuffed animals from a shelf in my bedroom to the bathroom.  So far I've found a stuffed dog in the cat crate, a stuffed monkey in the middle of the floor, a stuffed buffalo in the cat bed, and another stuffed dog in the shower.  Seriously, I've never had a cat do something like this before.  It's very intriguing. 

And that is it for cats!  Hopefully I will have no recent returns, and will be able to get a cat adopted eventually - it's been awhile.  Not that I'm complaining - I've had phenomenal success with dog adoptions lately, and I really like all of the cats I have right now.  Yes, even Artemis. 

Oh, in case you're wondering, Blitzen and Comet, my two adorable orange kittens, went back to the St. Charles Pet Adoption Center, who I was fostering them for, when they were old enough to be adopted.  They have a big adoption event today, so if they haven't been adopted yet, they probably will be very soon! 

Zara

I figured out who she reminds me of....

This dog. There's an uncanny resemblance there, don't you think? 

Fortunately Noelle grew into her big ears, so hopefully Zara will do the same! 

Oh, funny Noelle story.  For any new readers, this is Noelle, my deaf pit bull mix. 

   This morning as she woke up, she realized that Simon and Sampson were also sharing the bed.  She immediately stood up and began giving them her best tough dog glare.  Which was quite impressive, for the half of a second before she got a horrible case of the hiccups.  She tried to keep up the pretense, but the hiccups pretty much ruined it.  Poor Noelle - Simon and Sampson were not intimidated in the least.  It's tough trying to assert your authority as top dog with a bad case of hiccups. 

Ziggy is home!!!

Two days after being admitted to the animal hospital, Ziggy was doing much better and has been sent home with a lot of medicine. Three different kinds in fact. I think that no matter what is wrong with him, he's got some kind of medicine to fix him. And from the way he acts, you'd think he'd never felt bad. He's very energetic and happy to be home.

Ziggy is a special case. I believe he may be the most challenging dog I've ever fostered. He reminds me a lot of Noelle, and the challenges we faced with her. It's not just the fact that he's deaf, although that does make communication more difficult. It's that he is so determined and strong-willed. Plus he's a 16 week puppy that has never been taught any manners. Some are typical challenges we face with puppies like him - crate-training and teaching not to jump up or not to chew on people's hands and faces. Some are extra challenges. Like the fact that after I picked him up, he was supposed to leave on his bandage where the IV had been for one to two hours. And he got it off in 8 seconds on the drive home. Most puppies it would have taken at least a few minutes, thus giving me time to stop him in the act. Not him. He's something special... which means I'm sure I'll have many more Ziggy stories in the future.  Interesting for you, and scary for me. 



As for his vet bill, due to his amazing healing properties, and the great work of the e-clinic staff, Ziggy had a shorter stay than expected, so his vet bill is "only" $600.  And if you're able to donate anything to help pay for it, Ziggy will be eternally grateful (as will I). 

Introducing Zara and Ziggy

This is Zara. She and her brother Ziggy are my newest foster dogs. Zara looks familiar to me. Maybe once she grows into those ears, I'll realize who it is she reminds me of...

Zara is not deaf, but Ziggy is.  He's also currently breaking my heart.  He became sick a few days after I brought him home.  Right now he's at the animal hospital/emergency clinic, receiving around-the-clock care.  I took him in yesterday after the vet said he was ill enough to require going to the hospital.   So far he's doing okay, but he may be there for several more days, receiving IV fluids and antibiotics.  The bill to treat him is going to be somewhere between $800 and $1700.  I'm praying that he gets better, and that Zara doesn't get sick too.  I'm going to donate what I can to All Paws to help pay for his vet bill.  As a small rescue group, they can't easily afford to treat him, but they have been very supportive and told me to go ahead and do whatever he needed.  Even though donations have been down a lot because of the economy, they didn't hesitate to help him.  So please, if you are able to, make a donation to help treat Ziggy.  You can donate via credit card or by Paypal by clicking on the link below, or donations can be mailed to the following address: 

All Paws Rescue

c/o Ziggy

PO Box 1274

O'Fallon, MO 63366

I'll be posting updates on his condition throughout the next few days. 

Introducing Simon and Sampson

They are brothers.  I call them the Salmon brothers (silent "L"... like the fish).  Simon is the gray cat, and Sampson is orange.  We keep having contests to see which one is friendlier, but so far no clear winner has been determined.  Last night Simon slept on my pillow and Sampson was my foot-warmer.  These are ultra-friendly cats. 

And in case you are wondering, yes, they are hanging out in a sink.  Due to Simon's vision problems, I wanted to put them in a room without a lot of furniture.  I was told that Simon is blind.  So I didn't want him to be bumping into things more than necessary.  I thought the master bathroom, with its bright, open space and large window to let in a lot of light, would be a great place for the Salmon brothers.  Especially since my husband wouldn't be home for a week, and it would give them time to settle in.  They pulled a towel into the bottom of the sink and found their favorite spot to sleep.  Nevermind the cat beds in there.  The sink is apparently more comfortable.  Fortunately we have dual sinks in there, and they made themselves comfortable in my husband's sink.  Don't tell him, and he'll never know.  I think by the time he comes home, the cats will be ready to move into the main part of the house.  I hope so, because otherwise I don't expect him to be very happy with me when he comes home and finds the Salmon brothers in his sink.

Before he left, my husband made me promise to not bring home any more cats.  He said that last time he left for military duty, he came home and the house was filled with cats.  I said okay, and told him I wouldn't bring home any except for the one special needs cat I had already offered to take.  I told him the cat was blind, but he came with his own seeing-eye cat.   Fortunately Simon's vision problems aren't as bad as I had feared, and he gets around my house just fine. Still, because he's been with his brother Sampson his whole life, and as you can see they are good friends, these will be two cats that are required to be adopted together. 

Bella was adopted!

Bella, my deaf Boxer puppy, was adopted on Saturday.  I was sad to see her go so soon. Even my husband was disappointed that we didn't get to keep her longer!  She is such a good puppy.  And she and Noelle just loved to play together.  But a family came to PetSmart on Saturday to have pictures with Santa for their two dogs, and they fell in love with Bella.  After talking with the family for awhile, I felt that they would be excellent pet owners for Bella.  And it was great to have my feelings confirmed, when after they left, the PetSmart trainer came over and told me what great people they were and how well they take care of their pets.  I am excited for Bella that she has such a great home.

Joys of Fostering

10. Adopting a pet.  I fostered over 50 cats before I adopted Merlin.   I can't properly put the reason why into words, but Merlin and I have a special connection.  If a friend or family member was looking for a cat, and I hadn't adopted him, I'd still probably recommend Orca or another cat over him.  Because he's not the best cat in the world.  It's just that he's the best cat in the world for me.  And I never would have known it if I didn't foster! 

9. Knowledge. I love to learn new things. Especially if it has to do with dogs and cats. And fostering gives me a great opportunity to learn. I can practice my dog-training skills that I'm learning from the Companion Animal Sciences Institute on my foster dogs. I get to learn about all sorts of dog breeds, and see their breed differences first-hand. I have access to many different experts, and take advantage of the opportunities I get to ask them a lot of questions. Because of fostering, I now feel comfortable reading a dog's body language and can communicate much more effectively with them. And I love that.

8 Diversion. I am never bored. I can't imagine ever being bored at home again. There is always something to do. A dog wanting to play fetch, or a cat wanting to cuddle, or a blog post to write, or a room to clean, or paperwork to be filled out, or countless other things to do. No matter if I'm in the mood to work or to play or to relax, there are many options available to keep me busy at all times - even if it's just busy cuddling with a pet while I relax on the couch.

7. Sprung from a Shelter. The joy of watching a dog feel grass again and have room to run, after being in a shelter that doesn't allow the dogs to go outdoors, is wonderful. If you haven't seen it, you can't imagine the pure joy they experience. Their joy just overflows to everyone around them, and people nearby can't help but to stop, watch and smile as the dog runs, then stops and rolls in the grass, then gets up and runs again, all with a giant grin on their face.

6. Blogging. I started this blog just as a way to record the various dogs and cats who came through my house. I don't do scrapbooking or photo albums, so blogging seemed like a good option. Now it's turned into something bigger, as there are actually people who look forward to reading this. And I really enjoy writing about my experiences with fostering. My blog would be pretty boring without any foster pets. I am always looking for interesting experiences to share with you. For example, I debated getting a live Christmas tree this year. I figured it was sure to get knocked over by the dogs or cats. But then I thought - well, it'd be something to write about! So I have a tree. Which I am amazed to report is still standing. So far.

5. Puppies and Kittens. Most kids can't resist adorable puppies or kittens. They see them, and they just HAVE to play with them. Some adults are like that too. I'm one of them. I want to pet and play with every puppy and kitten that I meet. So fostering is awesome! Because I can take the cute puppy or kitten, and play with it, and then adopt it out before it grows up, and go bring in some more! I always get the youngest, cutest model and never have any guilt for trading them in for the next youngest, cutest one to come along.

4. Faith in Humanity. As I said yesterday, doing rescue means a lot of dealing with the public. And one of the joys of fostering is learning how many people out there really do care about the animals. The people who adopt an older pet, or a black cat, or a special needs pet, just because they know those are the most needy. The people who stop and put a few dollars in the donation jar on their way inside PetSmart. The people who donate items for the pets in shelters or foster care. The people who attend fundraising events, or transport animals to foster care. There are so many ways we all work together to save animals, and fostering gives me the opportunity to meet many of those people.

3. Entertainment. Foster animals provide constant entertainment. Have you ever watched a cat chase a feather toy? Or play with a toy mouse? It's better than TV. And dogs playing together, or chasing a laser light, are hilarious as well. Not a day goes by that I don't laugh or smile at something that one of my foster pets does. And that makes each day a pretty good day.

2. New Friends. I have made so many new friends through fostering and volunteering. Real friends, that I do things with outside of adoption events - almost like having a social life! Many of them are fellow volunteers. A few are adopters that I've met at adoption events. They all love animals and don't mind listening to me talk about them constantly. As someone who used to be really shy, fostering and volunteering has helped me to make friends that I would never have met otherwise.

1. Saving a life. The number one joy of rescuing. Because the feeling you get from knowing YOU made a life possible that would otherwise have ended is just amazing. Each foster pet becomes a part of my life that I will never lose, no matter what. And sometimes, I get to see my fosters again at a later time, and when they remember me and greet me happily, I think the feeling is mutual. But even when they don't seem to remember me (darn cats), i still have that same joy from knowing that I made a difference in their life - I made their life better than it was before. And to me, that's what fostering is all about.

Challenges of Fostering

Okay, by popular demand, here are my top ten challenges of being a dog foster mom:

10. Damage. Such as a chewed up cell phone, half-eaten cowboy boots, damaged drywall and baseboards, de-stuffed pillows and comforters, countless torn socks, leaky chewed-on ink pens, spilled water vases, scratched up walls, and missing (and presumably eaten) loaves of bread, bags of chips, and occasionally hamburgers. This is mostly preventable with good supervision, but accidents do happen, and sometimes one of the foster pets (or Noelle) gets away with something while I'm not looking. And with a constant stream of new dogs and cats - many of whom are not familiar with good house manners - it's a constant challenge.

9. Compassion Fatigue. Compassion is not only having a feeling of sympathy and sorrow, but also having a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. But after seeing the need, day after day, and year after year, most people get burned out and just lose that desire. I've only been doing this for two years, and already it doesn't bother me as much to turn away a dog as it used to. I have to stay focused on the dogs that I can help, which can be a challenge in the midst of the many requests I receive that I am not able to help.

8. Cost. Pets are expensive. I'm sure most of you reading this have pets, and you already know that. Fortunately rescue groups are able to cover the big expenses - vet bills. Many rescue groups also provide dog and cat food. Which is great because I couldn't afford to foster so many pets otherwise - food is also expensive!! But there are many other expenses that come along with fostering. There are the crates, and the dog and cat beds... the dog toys and cat scratching posts and dog chew bones and cat litter. I could do without some of these (not the cat litter), and other things are donated, which is GREATLY appreciated. But it's amazing how much money I still manage to spend on my foster pets. Fortunately I have a good job and no social life, so I don't have a problem spoiling my fosters.  Or buying toys for them to get their heads stuck in.

7. Politics. When I first got into rescue I questioned why there were so many separate groups, and why they didn't all work together. I was naive, and had no idea how many differing opinions people had about a wide variety of subjects related to animal rescue. While I've been fortunate to work with two very good rescue groups, I've met many different people from many different rescues. And in the past two years I've been told more than once that I'm doing certain things wrong. And I've heard a lot of complaints about other rescue people and how they do things. I've even heard people say that people are doing rescue for the wrong reason. I still haven't figured out what the wrong reason would be. I can't imagine anyone going through all the challenges of rescue and still rescuing, for any reason other than they want to help save lives. Sometimes the politics of small organizations full of highly committed, emotional people can be a real challenge.

6. Unwanted Foster. Many times I offer to take a dog or a cat without ever meeting them, or even seeing a picture of them. This is always scary, because I don't know what I will end up with. A pet with long-term health issues? A foster that I just don't feel a connection with? It happens occasionally, as much as I hate to admit it. And when that same dog or cat is not very adoptable, I'm stuck with them. For months, or longer. Again, I've been fortunate to work with groups who are great about helping out in that situation. But there are never any easy answers for pets like that. So it's one more challenge to fostering.  And by the way, this photo is of Noelle, our long-term foster who we loved so much we finally adopted.

5. Mud and Worse. I bought a new carpet cleaner yesterday. My last one lasted less than a year. It got a lot of use because of my foster pets. I've learned that dog vomit has some amazing adhesive properties, and that if I could identify them, I could probably invent a new type of glue and make a ton of money.  Until then, it just adheres to my carpet and gives me a lot of opportunity to use my carpet cleaner.  Many dogs have a reaction to the anesthetic used during spay and neuter surgeries and they end up vomiting after the surgery.   So I see more dog vomit than most people.  I also clean up accidents from un-housetrained dogs on a regular basis.  And of course there's the occasional cat who forgets to use the litterbox.  All in all, I spend a lot of my time just cleaning up after my pets.  Which is the excuse I use on a regular basis to justify to my husband why I don't have time to cook dinner for him. 

4.  People.  People can be on the best and worst list of fostering challenges.  Because as much as we do this to save animals, this is truly a people-oriented job.  We can't save more animals until we adopt them out, which requires good people skills.  We can't function without donations, which come from people.  And we wouldn't be needed at all if people would care for their pets properly.  If we could teach everyone to spay/neuter their pets to prevent unwanted litters, and to make a lifelong committment to their pets, we would put ourselves out of a job - which is what every true rescue person wants.  But if we only save animals and don't want to deal with "the public", we hurt our own cause.  Still, dealing with people is one of the biggest challenges for many rescue people.  And its totally understandable when we hear things like "come get this dog today or i'm gonna shoot him".  And "my cat has kittens, can you take them again? Yes its her fourth litter, and we got the voucher for her spay surgery you sent us last time, but we haven't had time to get her spayed yet."  Many people still see animals as throw-away possessions, not living beings.  So we have to continue working to change that. 

3.  Saying Good-bye.  Did you expect that to be the number one challenge?  It's definitely one of the hardest parts of fostering.  My most recent temporary foster - the Min-Pin/Pug puppy - was adopted tonight.  And I miss her.  But I know she's in a wonderful home - one of those homes that I feel really good about - and I'm happy about that.  I take in each new foster knowing that I can't keep them, so that makes giving them up a bit easier.  But still it is never easy.

2. Returns.  Everyone who adopts from me signs an adoption agreement that requires them to return the pet to me if they ever can't keep it.  When I take in a foster pet, I am committed to that pet for life, and I always want them back if their adoptive family can't keep them.  But returns are also a challenge because they are one more pet that you weren't expecting right then.  They also sometimes come back due to a problem - perhaps the dog snapped at a child, or the cat stopped using the litterbox.  So that's one more thing to have to resolve in order to be able to place that pet up for adoption again.  Some returns are understandable, and I wouldn't hesitate to adopt to the same person again if their situation changed.  But others are very frustrating because the new owners didn't take the time to try to resolve an issue, or simply decided the pet was inconvenient and wanted to give it back. 

1.  Losing a Pet.  This doesn't mean losing them like they run away - although I worry that will happen!  But when you do rescue, you will eventually face this challenge.  I have not faced this with any of my own fosters yet, and I dread the day I do.  But I have faced this with a dog that another rescue volunteer fostered.  The dog was taken in as a puppy, and as he grew he showed more and more behavior issues.  At her request, I also evaluated the dog and agreed with her that he was unadoptable, and together, along with the vet's recommendation, we made the decision to have him euthanized.  And I still think of him often.  Because that is never a decision that is made lightly, and it is an awful decision to have to make.  I think for me its the greatest challenge of fostering. 

Wow - that was depressing.  So okay, I'm getting to work on the flip side - the top ten joys of fostering - coming tomorrow!

Re-Introducing Gandalf

Remember this cat? 

He's back. 

Apparently he missed me.  Which is okay, because I missed him too.  I am sad that his last adoptive home did not work out for him, but its nice to have him back.  It's like he never left - he is right back to shoving his face into mine to get my attention, and sitting on my keyboard anytime I try to type.  I will have to add that to my growing list of challenges I face as a foster parent.  Returns - and cats who refuse to sit anywhere except on top of the keyboard. 

I'm in love...

Yes, again. This is my eight-week-old baby. She weighs three pounds. I call her my teacup Rottweiler. But really she's not a Rottweiler at all. She's a Pug/Min-Pin mix. We're guessing she might weigh around 20 pounds full-grown. She and her five littermates came into rescue a couple of weeks ago, and the rest of the litter was adopted on Saturday. So I took this last puppy home, and I have hardly been able to put her down. I even went home on my lunch hour yesterday to carry her around the house for 10 minutes before I had to leave again. Okay fine, I also went home because my husband is gone on a two-week military trip to California, and I had to let the other dogs outside...and because I accidentally left my purse at home and didn't have any money to buy lunch. But getting to see my puppy again was the real clincher in my decision to drive 40 extra miles on my lunch hour.

I love this puppy.  Here she is with some of her littermates, while at her previous foster home.

I begged her foster mom to let me take her on Saturday. The foster mom was getting in two new foster dogs that day. I could have offered to take one of them, if I really wanted to help her out. But I didn't. Didn't offer I mean, not that I didn't want to help her out. I didn't plan to take any new dogs since my husband was called out of town with his Army Reserve unit. I have a couple of dogs waiting to come in, but don't want to take them without him there since he is such a big help with them. We work different shifts so usually one of us is home all the time. And he is very good with them. So the plan was to not take any dogs until he came back. And then I saw this puppy. And that plan just went right out the window.

After all, Dave doesn't do puppies anyway. And she is so tiny that she isn't really much work. And she loves me - I know she does. So now she's here. Sitting on my lap as I type. And I'm in love.

How do I choose?

Right now, there are at least 100 dogs in various shelters that I could take home. There are probably a lot more than that, but it's a conservative estimate, based on only the shelters I usually get dogs from, and only on those dogs who are able to be pulled by rescue. If I don't take them, a small portion will be taken in by other rescue volunteers. A larger portion will remain at the shelters for another day, hoping to be adopted. And the remainder will be euthanized. And next week, the exact same situation will happen. And the week after that. It's a cycle thats been going on for many years, and unfortunately will continue for several more years.

Some people are working to end the cycle. They encourage people to spay/neuter their pets, and they offer low-cost spay/neuter options to people who can't otherwise afford it. They encourage people to adopt pets from shelters instead of buying from breeders. And they teach people to view their pets as living beings to be cared for, not material possessions to be thrown away. There has been some improvement, and hopefully someday we will not have the problem of pet overpopulation.

In the meantime, I have to decide which ones to save. And it's not an easy decision. There are so many options. Save the most adoptable, because then I can save more of them (i.e. Keisha, Trey, puppies). Save the ones who need me most, because no one else will help them, and their lives are worth saving too (i.e. Noelle, Jade, Reese). Save the ones who will be great pets with just a little work, but otherwise will probably be passed over at a shelter because of behavior issues (i.e. Selena, Emma, Lizzy). As you can see, at one time or another, I've chosen each option.

In addition to the pets I see at area shelters, I also am constantly receiving e-mails from people asking for help with their pets. Sometimes the stories are sad - the owner who just passed away and has no family to take in his two senior dogs. But more often, the stories are frustrating - the family who is moving and won't take their pets with them, or the family who just had a baby and doesn't have time for their dog anymore. Occasionally I want to take a dog simply because I want to help the person who asked. More often, I want to take the dog because I feel sorry for the dog, and not because I want to help out the family who made the request. Either way, I receive these requests almost every single day, and whether I want to help the people or the dogs, I almost always have to say no.

So this is what rescue people are faced with. The faces of hundreds of pets, just hoping to be rescued. And of course there is never enough time, space, or money to save them all. But for the one pet that is saved, the world becomes a better place. And I love making the world a better place, even if its just for one pet. So when I have a space to save a dog, here's how I choose. I pick the one that I fall in love with at first sight. Or I pick the one that someone else asks me to take. Or I pick the one that I know is highly adoptable. Or I pick the one that needs me the most. Or sometimes I give in and pick two. And then I try not to feel guilty for not picking the other 98.

This leads to the question of how many to save. Again, there are options. I could save one at a time. This is ideal for most dogs. They get the most one-on-one attention that way, and I can spend more time training them and making them more adoptable. My second option is to save two dogs at a time. This is what I usually aim for. I try to save one hard-to-place dog and one easy-to-place dog, with the idea that I'll be able to save and adopt out several of the easy-to-place dogs while I continue to foster and work with the hard-to-place dog.

Sometimes that doesn't work out like I planned. If I get a litter of puppies, or a previously adopted dog is returned, the number goes up. If I receive too many requests and don't say no, the number goes up. If someone tells me about a deaf pit bull puppy (my absolute favorite dog to rescue), the number goes up. Because if you're sitting face to face with a dog, and he's wagging his tail and licking you, and you know if you don't take him he will be killed, it's very hard to say no. 

So sometimes I get more than my ideal number of two foster dogs. But it is important to me that each of my fosters is treated just like they are my own pets. That means if they're house-trained, they get to sleep on the bed if they want to. And if I'm home, they're not in a crate or a separate room - they're just there with me all the time. It gives me the best opportunity to train them and get to know them. If I have too many fosters, I end up with what is basically a kennel, with all the dogs crated most of the time. That is the way some foster homes are run, and it is a great way to save the life of more dogs, but I've found that I'm not able to handle that. So I try to keep only two dogs so that I can treat them as my own. And so that my husband doesn't kill me.

Oh, and for those of you curious about the cats... there are even more cats than dogs waiting to be saved. And they're much harder to find homes for. On the plus side, they require a lot less work, so its easier to foster multiple cats. I greatly prefer to foster dogs over cats, so I am more of a token cat foster, taking in just a few at a time. I like the cats who I know are used to dogs, so I either pick those, or pick very young kittens, to make sure they'll do okay in my house. I'm afraid of ending up with another cat like Scribbles, who hates dogs. I feel so sorry for her - she is living alone in my daughter's bedroom, and she desparately needs to go to a foster home without dogs... anyone?? In the meantime, I have to stick to just picking foster cats that I know will be good with dogs, because the dogs have taken over the rest of the house! 

Why Rescue Groups are Needed

When I first got into rescue, I questioned the whole point of it. After all, if rescue groups are not convincing people to adopt instead of buy, then they aren't changing the number of animals being saved. If you have a surplus of animals in shelters, and you euthanized all of them and started over with zero, within a few weeks you'd once again have a surplus of animals, with or without rescue groups. And if people were willing to adopt a pet instead of buying one, then why not just let them go to the city shelters to get the exact same animal that they'd get from a rescue group? So here's what I found.

A) Rescue groups help by bringing the pets to people who may not want to go to a shelter environment. With offsite adoptions, people get the chance to see the animals in a more friendly environment than some of the underfunded city shelters, thus promoting adoptions.

B) Rescue groups help by increasing adoptions to people who aren't aware that there are animals who need them. If animals are kept in shelters, they are "out of sight, out of mind". By putting them out in public view in places like PetSmart and PetCo, they have a better chance of being adopted.

C) Rescue groups can help rural and city shelters that don't have funding to do adoptions. The people who are hired by the city to work at a shelter may have been hired to do several other jobs as well - animal control may only be a small part of their job, and they may not care about the animals they take in. When rescue groups come along and take some of those pets, they give those pets a chance for adoption that they would not have had otherwise.

D) Rescue groups who provide foster care to the pets in their care can help make certain pets more adoptable. Many animals such as the very young, or those who are sick or have physical handicaps cannot survive in a shelter environment. And some pets have behavior problems that make them unadoptable in a shelter environment. Foster homes can give these pets a second chance for finding an adoptive home. Foster homes also can learn more about the animals they're caring for, thus providing more information to prospective adopters and reducing the number of animals returned.

I'm sure there are more reasons that rescue groups are needed, but those are the biggest ones I think.  I believe that rescue groups DO increase pet adoptions, thus saving lives.  They also work within their community to reduce pet overpopulation, and help people resolve issues with their pets in order to keep them, instead of turning them into shelters. Most of the small rescue groups are 100% volunteer run. That means there are a lot of people like me out there, who spend every spare moment that they aren't at work caring for homeless animals and making their lives better, without any pay or benefits. Which leads me to the question of why I volunteer.

And that can be summed up in three words. I love it. I occasionally ask someone to volunteer with me, but most of the time, I don't. For the same reason I don't ask people to adopt one of my fosters, or to foster an animal (except for Scribbles - I'm desperate here!). Because if you don't love it, you won't enjoy it, and you won't keep doing it. I don't volunteer with children, or with horses. I like kids, but I don't think I could handle working with them all the time. And horses just scare me. So I understand people that can't imagine taking care of homeless dogs and cats. Because if I didn't love working with them, and making such a difference in their lives, I wouldn't be able to do it.

It's not easy - rushing home from work to take care of the animals, and giving up vacation days to take them to the vet, and giving up every Saturday to take them to adoption events. Sometimes I wonder why I'm giving up my time to take care of someone else's dog because that person couldn't be bothered to call a trainer, or visit a vet instead of just abandoning their dog.  I may find myself trying to remember how it went from "let's just foster one dog as a playmate for Remi" to this. But then I get an e-mail from a previous adopter, telling me how well their new pet is doing and how much they love him. And then one of my foster dogs looks at me like I'm their hero (which could be because I'm holding a treat in my hand, but I'll take what I can get). And one of my foster cats jumps in my lap and begins purring... and I remember again why I do this, and how much I love it. And at the end of the day, I can look back on my day and be satisfied that I did something worthwhile.