The Joys and Pains of Fostering... You can save a life!

Sep 27, 2008

UPDATE...  Mouse found a home yesterday, 9/30.  Yeahhh!  Congratulations Mouse!  I will miss you but will hopefully see you again soon.


I am currently on my second foster and will be giving her up tomorrow.  I thought that I might be able to keep her but after giving some thought I made the very hard but ultimately right decision to not adopt her.  She will be going into the adoption program full-time but am hoping that she will find a home tomorrow to lessen the stress on her.  For anyone who has met Mouse, you know how scared and timid she is.

I have gone through this before and will do it again I am sure.  It is a very emotional thing to open your home and heart to one of these poor little babies.  You keep telling yourself that it is only temporary but that doesn't make it any easier.

I am writing this, actually, to encourage each and every one of you that have room and are able to, to open your home to an otherwise homeless pet.  It is absolutely worth the tears that you may shed.  You are saving a life. Don't assume that someone else will do it.  Guess what... they won't.  It is up to you.

What does help is knowing that you saved a life.  A person or a family will be fortunate to have all the memories and all the happiness that having a pet bring because of you! For all those wonderful people who adopted pets from rescue groups themselves, you are more than likely a benefit of someone saving your baby from the cold and scary pound and welcoming them into their home.  I know I am.  I cannot imagine my life with out Bug and Gus, my dog and cat who were both rescued from the Downey Shelter (a high-kill pound in Los Angeles) by "Cockers and Kitties" in Santa Monica, CA and "Underdog Rescue" in Trabuco Canyon, CA respectively.  I am so grateful to those kindhearted people... especially now that I am doing rescue and foster myself.

I read a quote on another rescue website "they never get old, they never die, they just live on in your memory and your scrapbook".  I have pictures of my former foster, Marky on my board with his new mom and dad and will do the same with Mouse.

Please consider fostering if you are able.  Don't let the fear of the pain of letting them go stop you.  Yes, they will leave you but that means you can save another. Email [email protected].

For those of you who live outside of the Austin area, contact a local rescue group or your city/ county shelter.  They need fosters too!

[caption id="attachment_634" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="my second foster Mouse on her way to SoCo"]