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

Inspirational Gabriel!

One of the greatest things about fostering is the constant exposure to positive energy. Other fosters, vets, volunteers at Town Lake, adopters - all the people you encounter when involved in fostering make the job tremendously rewarding. To be inspired directly by an animal, however, was unusual for me – but here is the story:

A little black kitten, only about a pound and a half, was found under a Dumpster by a TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) volunteer friend of mine. He had something wrong with his back legs so he couldn’t run away like his Mama and siblings. When he opened his mouth to meow – no sound came out! Such a vulnerable little guy – my friend just couldn’t leave him behind. She scooped him up and took him home. After watching him eat like a horse and purr like a tiger, she knew that despite his injury, he had a tremendous spirit – she just had to get him off the street.

I happened to be fostering a singleton kitten (“Margarita”) from Town Lake. She’d had a cold but her sniffles had finally cleared up – and she was becoming the little ball of energy that every healthy young kitten becomes. My adult cats couldn’t keep up with her wishes to play 24/7 so she was glued to my side every minute of the day. She needed a kitten friend!  But what was wrong with the Dumpster kitten? Did he have something contagious? I made a call to Town Lake’s awesome Foster Coordinator to explain the situation. Knowing that I’d foster him as long as it took to find him an indoor-only home, she arranged for him to be examined by the wonderful Town Lake vets. Instead of an injury, they discovered that he had a rare neurological disorder called Cerebeller Hyperplaysia. He’d never walk normally, but he was otherwise perfectly healthy - and Town Lake was happy to accept him into their foster program. He needed a name though – and I’m not good with names. Without knowing much about him, I called him “Wobbles”.

Introducing Wobbles to his fellow foster kitten was so fun. They sniffed each other for about 10 seconds and then immediately started wrestling. Even though Wobbles often stumbled and couldn’t run as fast as Margarita, he’d patiently wait for her to come close enough and then he’d pounce on her. She loved it! She’d follow him around, taunting him – neither one of them had any idea that he was any different than any other kitten. And he was also such a snuggly guy – he just loved cuddling. Watching him overcome obstacles on a daily basis, and with such joy, I just knew he’d find a home if someone special would take the time to meet him.

In order to help explain his condition, I found a news story on YouTube about a kitten named Noodle who had a similar condition: 

I posted the video and pictures of Wobbles on Craigslist, and a few days later I got an email from a woman who’d recently lost a beloved cat to a coyote, so she was very committed to keeping her family’s cats indoors forever more. And since it was an animal-loving family of four school-aged children who had other friendly pets, I knew Wobbles would get a lot of attention – what a match! The family was so excited that they drove to Town Lake immediately and got their application approved. Then they visited Wobbles and it was instant love!

The son in the family thought the name “Gabriel” suited Wobbles as it means “God’s able-bodied one”.  Joyful little Gabriel went to a home that sees him just as he sees himself!

Soul Puppy

A soul puppy is what I call a dog that touches my heart and soul and will never be forgotten. After over a decade of fostering hundreds of puppies, dogs, cats and kittens, I have had four soul puppies and one soul kitty. I cherish these bonds as I heartbreakingly wish them well in their new homes. That is not to say that I don’t care for each and every animal that enters my home, whether it is for the night or for seven months in some cases, because I do, it’s just there is something more unique about a select few. 

When I offered to foster three 4-week old black lab puppies I was not expecting a soul puppy. I had already fostered several puppies this year and was trying my best to help out as much as I could with the overwhelmingly high number of puppies needing foster homes. These puppies had been dropped off in the TLAC night box at ten days old. There were five total, four black and one yellow. 

At ten days old these babies still needed to be bottle fed, something the TLAC foster program had not done in the past. When two amazing Animal Control officers stepped up and agreed to bottle raise these pups, a new era of the foster program began. The litter was divided into two groups, two pups went with one foster mom and the other three went with another. These pups thrived in their foster homes, growing big, playing, sleeping, crying and pooping. I think it was the three pooping puppies that finally had the foster mom of the group of three pups scream mercy and ask for help. With two young children and pets of her own she had earned a well deserved break! 

This is where I stepped in. I volunteered to take all three pups into my home until they were old enough to find their permanent homes. Knowing that I was a huge black lab lover and had just recently had to put to sleep my 13 year old black lab everyone at the shelter was convinced that I was going to keep at least one of the pups. I, however, was sure I was never going to have a puppy of my own again. Only grown dogs for me! When I got the three pups home, one female and two males, I realized I had absolutely no way to determine which pup was which. They were all three solid black, and short of lifting them up to check their sex, the pups were indistinguishable. So, I headed to the pet store for different color collars. Too small yet for average dog collars, I had to purchase collars from the “purse-sized” dog collar section. Three colors were chosen…blue, green and pink. 

Once the collars were on the pups they were finally distinguishable! Now came the difficult task of naming the pups. Names may seem insignificant since these pups were only to be in my house for six weeks, but it is a big deal to choose the right name for your foster pet. While the majority of the adopters change the pet’s name, a foster pup’s name can help him or her get adopted. While my family debated the value of each name we thought of, we continued to refer to each of the pups by the color of their collars. Within a couple of days the names stuck…”Blue” and “Green” for the boys and “Pink” for the girl, so much for meaning in a name . It was clear early on that Green LOVED water. 

He would dig in his dish nonstop, leaving himself and his siblings soaking wet all the time. Blue was the most self content puppy I had ever met, so comfortable with entertaining himself that he rarely demanded attention. And Pink was the timid one of the group, needing her brothers to lead the way and protect her, and was always the first to be picked up. 

Two weeks into our adventure together, I took the three pups to my pool for a swim. Green was in love! Blue and Pink were natural born swimmers that thought it was way cooler to be sunbathing than swimming. Overall, the pool was a huge success and we began to make trips to swim (and sunbathe) several times a week. We had play dates with other puppy friendly dogs, had plenty of kids and adults to socialize with, and there always seemed to be a new toy that just needed to be played with. 

As the weeks went on, and the piles of poop picked up multiplied, Green became increasing attached to me and my family, or maybe I to him. Anywhere I went, he followed. He was so willing to take on any adventure without fear. He loved to swim and fetch and had learned how to sit. I debated keeping him for weeks. I didn’t want another puppy, but I sure wanted him! 

There were plenty of inquires for adopting these beautiful fosters! At eight weeks of age the puppies were ready to find their forever homes. Pink was adopted by one of my coworkers and Blue was adopted by an amazing family through TLAC, and of course Green is still with me as he adopted me long before I adopted him. The litter is now four months old and Pink, now Maggie, is doing great in her new home. She loves the rain and trips to the dog park and is spoiled by her new family. Blue, still Blue (they liked the name!), is “so very smart” according to his new mom, loves the grandchildren and other pets in the house and takes daily walks. Green, now Diggs (yes, he still digs in every puddle or bowl of water he can find), is my pride and joy. Though he still isn’t completely housetrained, and wakes me up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom, he is so smart. He knows sit, down, leave it and wait. He goes to all the football practices and has quickly become the team mascot. Our next adventure is training to become a therapy dog and visit people that need a good old puppy kiss! 

So, I finally was able to keep one of my soul puppy fosters, and I am so very thankful to both TLAC for deciding to place them into foster care and for the ACOs that decided to take on the monstrous task of bottle feeding ten day old puppies, without you all I wouldn’t have Diggs! 

Top Ten Reasons to Foster!

What Being A Team Member Of "Project Starfish" means to me

10. Sarah Hammond is a Pioneer

9.  Empty a cage or kennel to save a precious loving life

8.  Remove a pet from a stressful environment

7.  Experience a pet's true personality

6.  Foster pet experiences a loving home

5.  My pet addiction is fulfilled

4.  Fills my life with joy, love and FUN

3.  A contributor to Keeping Austin No Kill

2.  Approve the pet's new family members

1.  Receive emails with pictures of pets living happily ever after

My 1st Litter of Fosters

My second litter of fosters

When it comes to saving an animal - it's never just one person

It takes a community of dedicated humans to save one little Black and Tan

Olivia

In the summer of 2006, we adopted our Black and Tan Coonhound, Olivia Rose,
from Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) and began our friendship with Jerry
Dunham.

Jerry Walking the Kennels at TLAC

Jerry lives in Austin and is a familiar face to the staff at Town Lake. As a
Placement Partner, he volunteers his time at TLAC looking for dogs that he
have not been claimed and ones that he can pull out of the center and place
in foster care. Walking the cages is an unenviable task; many dogs only had
a few days to find a home. Today¹s ³live out² rate for TLAC is stellar.

Our little B&T was pulled and fostered by Lynn McConnell who traditionally
fosters Malamutes but generously gave up some her precious space for our
skinny little girl. Lynn took the extra time to nurse Olivia back to health
after a scary infection set in.

We stayed in touch with Jerry and had a chance to visit TLAC a couple of
years later. There we met Kathryn Sharp, the Rescue Coordinator for TLAC. I
wanted her to get a chance to meet one of the dogs that had come through her
program full circle and was now a healthy family pet, living in her forever
home.

We are happy to see TLAC doing well and saving more dogs than ever and can¹t

Angela Faeth
CoonhoundCompanions.com

wait to visit again when the improvements are completed, and visit our

"forever friends" again!

Coonhound.

A rescue is born!

It was June, 1997, the day after a devastating F-5 tornado, when a dazed, bedraggled, and disoriented Rottweiler stumbled toward me out of the woods.  Having recently purchased a new house, my friends all encouraged me to take this wonderful girl home. Instead, however, I imagined some desperate child searching for his lost companion and contacted Town Lake to pick her up.

This sweet and trusting creature had quickly found a place in my heart and later the same day I submitted an application to our shelter to adopt her, should her owner not come forward. Every day I visited her, waiting until I would be able to take her home. On the last day before she would be available for adoption her owner did appear, and told the shelter staff her name, Katy, and promised to return with the funds to spring her from her kennel prison. Four more days the shelter staff and I waited anxiously for his return. He did not come; he did not return telephone calls. On the fifth day, I became the proud owner of my very first Rottweiler, and my first dog in 20 years.

I became involved with rescue shortly thereafter, realizing for the first time the plight of companion animals, particularly Rottweilers, in our society, the incredible perception of disposability of life and was appalled. In Katy's honor, Katy's Promise Rottweiler Rescue began, promising a future of love and uncompromising commitment to abandoned, neglected and abused Rottweilers.

Our rescue focuses on young dogs and puppies, often dumped in shelters and on the streets, unwanted by their indiscriminate breeders.  Often very ill, these new lives are nurtured in a home setting, provided extensive medical care and socialization with other animals and people of all ages.  Only when they are physically and emotionally prepared for their new lives, fully vaccinated and altered, are they offered for placement with exceptional families.

In Katy's name we give highly individualized care to a small number of Rottweilers in an effort to change lives and change public perception just one Rottweiler at a time.

Beloved Katy

In September, 2008, just a few months shy of her 15th birthday, Katy lost her battle with liver failure.  Rest easy my sweet Kate.  You changed my life and taught me how to be a better person.  You are forever in my heart.

--
Toni Liguori
KPRR
Austin, Texaswww.kprr.rescuegroups.org

Show me the Kittens!!!

I volunteered at TLAC to cuddle kittens.

That’s it, that is all I really wanted to do.  I was lucky at the time there was a program called In House Fostering (IHF) so with little training and not a lot of effort I got to spend time with kittens (and sometimes their moms) playing and cuddling in different staff offices at the shelter.

I managed to eke out the required 6 hours a month, but I rarely volunteered for more than 6.  Unfortunately, for me, there were not always kittens in IHF and since ‘kitten season’ was coming to an end I was left with no idea what I was going to do.  Should or could I find something else or just give up on volunteering at TLAC?

                                                                                                           

Enter a very dedicated and hard working volunteer named Maggie.  She let me (and everyone else) know that the cats in ISO-1 would love to have someone come and give them attention.  ISO-1 is where the cats with upper respiratory infections are - they have colds. So I slowly started going over to ISO-1.  I still didn’t have to work all that hard and there really wasn’t any special training for what I was doing.  I just had to love on the cats in ISO.

The more time I spent in ISO-1 and saw what the volunteers were doing the more I thought “I think I can do that. I think I want to do that.”  You see the volunteers that work in ISO-1 are called nebbers.  Twice a day a volunteer will put the cat/kitten (sometimes even a puppy) in a special box where they can breath in medicine that will help their congestion so they can get better.  They also make sure that they are eating and generally improving.

So I signed up and trained to be a ‘nebber.’  I worked with other nebbers before I took my own shift, but it didn’t take long. I have weighed, fed, nebbed and loved the ISO-1 cats. I have cleaned their kennels and even them.  I even learned how to special feed the ones that are so sick they have stopped eating.  I feel like I am making a difference in their lives and helping these wonderful cats make it to their forever homes.

After being a nebber for a while I started getting involved in other TLAC programs like Desperate House Cats .

There have been a few bumps in the road, but as my volunteer experience has grown so have I and that is the second best part of being a volunteer at TLAC.  The best part is helping these wonderful animals in whatever small way I can.

Of course I still love to cuddle kittens.