Confessions of a "Foster-holic"

Hi. My name is Erin - and I am a "foster-aholic."

Yes, it's true. I'm addicted to saving animals. It's been a life-long addiction, really. But I've only just begun to realize how important fostering really is.

My love for animals started at a very young age - we often rescued animals that wandered up to our house, and my mom even saved smaller creatures like rabbits and birds- she even helped save a trapped owl once. I am thankful that she instilled in me a love and respect for animals. My early experiences of "saving" animals has impacted my life in a huge way, and I hope to impart the same love for animals to my children!

 

I got started with fostering after my Boxer, Sissy, passed away on October 1st, 2009. Sissy was a special girl - my first Boxer - and she left quite a legacy in our home! Sissy came to live with us back in 2002. She was found by a coworker of mine as a stray. When I met her, she was all bones, had obviously had many litters and was so sad and desperate for love. I think it was love at first sight for both of us! Sissy came home with me and, from the very first day, acted like she had always been with us. 

A couple of weeks after Sissy died, a friend of mine mentioned  Austin Boxer Rescue to me as a way to work through my grief. I had never even heard of ABR at the time, but I went ahead and filled out the foster application. We actually got our first foster dog within the same week, who we almost adopted! I wasn't ready for another dog though, so we kept fostering, and have had close to 100 different dogs in our home over the past two years! Some of them stayed a few days, some of them stayed for a few months, but ALL of them were amazing!

The thing about fostering is that it opens up a place in your heart that you might not have known was there. Once that "spot" is open, it never really closes. It took me awhile to realize WHY fostering was so important to me, but about six months into it, I figured it out: it was a way to for me to make a difference in this world, every day. A tangible difference. Not like donating cloths, or recycling (which I also think is important), but something I could really take ownership of. For me, it's a way to step in for these animals (who depended on their human to take care of them, forever) when they need us the most. They've been hurt, let down, sometimes abused, and we're able to help them heal and be loved again, forever. It's an amazing thing.

Just recently, we decided to check out other rescue organizations in the area, and brought home our very first foster kittens from Town Lake Animal Center: the Spice Boys (Sage and Basil). We had never fostered kittens before, but when the call came out for help, I thought, 'Hey, WHY NOT?' And how could I resist?

Lol, thankfully my husband has a sense of adventure and agreed to let me bring them home. Both of my children have always LOVED cats, and they have been so happy to have baby kitties to play with! My youngest is almost three, and he is learning to be "gentle" with the baby kittens. They are much more delicate than the puppies we have fostered in the past. He is so excited to see them everyday, and lovingly calls Sage (who is very tolerant!) his "Coco." It has been the coolest experience to see these little kittens blossom into "pets" - they both purr and call out for attention every time we come into the room. They are so fun to watch; it seems like they put on the antics just for our entertainment!

My background is in nursing - I worked with cardiology and ER patients for almost 15 years, and "retired" when my youngest was born. However, I feel like I have found my true calling in life by working with animals. There are so many that need our help, it's hard to look the other way. Plus, getting them back on their feet, and helping them find their forever home gives me a great feeling of accomplishment and happiness - one that I never had in all my years of working as a nurse. Animals never ask you for anything but love and kindness, and they give you back so much more in return. I look forward to many more years of working with area rescue groups, and I hope to spread the word about the importance of our cause to as many people as possible.

FOSTERING RULES!!

-Erin
*mama to skin-kids Kiahna (12 yrs) and Phoenix (2.5 yrs)
*mama to fur-babies Sissy (RIP 10/1/09), Jake (10 yrs), Finn (1 yr), Noble (6 months), and "step-sister" to fur brother Pete (7 yrs)

*foster mama to Sage and Basil