On Fostering and Letting Go

 Fostering Dogs Makes A Difference 

 As fosters, we hear it all the time…. “I don’t know how you do it [letting them go”.   Neither do I sometimes.  

I cry every single time.   The night before the big adoption, I sit and steal all the snuggles I can, thinking about how this will be the last night I get to do so.  I remember the fun and joy they had with me.  The challenges they overcame and the things they learned. The joy they bring my home.   They have no idea what the morning will bring.  In some cases, it may be the last time I ever see them in this life.

I wonder if they will remember me, and the dogs they have made friends with at my home and if my dogs will miss them.  I wonder if they will question why I have given them up; why I sent them away.   I wonder if I have done enough to give them the start they need.  To prepare them to stay safe from harm.   I wonder if anyone can possibly love them as much as I do.   I wonder…and I cry.

Vika is going for a trial run today.   After nearly 1 year with me.   Twister was adopted a year and 1/2 ago, and I still miss her.    And a two years ago, yesterday Gabi was adopted.   Like all my fosters, they take a big piece of my heart with them, and I keep a little piece of theirs with me.   I wish them a lifetime  of health and happiness, and the joy they can bring to their new families.

I hope they know that though they are loved by someone else now – I will forever hold a special place in my heart for them.

I’m honored when new adoptive parents keep in touch and share pictures and stories.  They will never know how much that means to those of us who love them too.  Who loved them first.   Who may have helped them overcome the demons of their past or just got them started along their path.

So yes, I cry.  I go to bed and feel like something is missing.   I put away their food bowl, wash their bedding, find a toy they loved, and I cry.    It takes me a few days to stop looking for them.

And then, another one needs me….

Please put foster homes out of business – spay & neuter your pets, commit to a lifetime of care with the dog you adopt, help stop animal abuse, educate people on the importance of training, safety management, etc.   There is not a rescuer out there who doesn’t wish we didn’t have to rescue another one tomorrow…. 

Everyone can do something to help.   Volunteer, Foster, Donate, Transport, Adopt -- DO SOMETHING

(Old Post from several years ago, brought to my new website)