Pass it on – it’s a pleasure, a blessing and a joy

By Kathy Sumpter, President of the West TN Animal Coalition

The photo is of four of my current foster pups. These 9 week old guys & girl are currently at the vet clinic to be spayed & neutered. Jazzy, the girl, is adopted so isn't listed on the rescue's Website – she’ll be going to her new loving, forever home in a week or so; the boys, Dusty, Drummer & Tanner are still available for adoption. Ohhhh.... so cute!

I hear so often from people, “I don’t know how you can foster only to give them up when they’re adopted. I couldn’t do it, I’m too softhearted”. I don’t think they mean to imply that people who foster are ‘hardhearted’, but isn’t that what it sounds like they’re saying? Well, truth is, someone who fosters animals until adopted is very softhearted, so softhearted they are unwilling to let their pain stand in the way of helping an animal left stranded because of another person’s irresponsibility.

Yes, it'll be bittersweet when these kids leave for their forever homes, but in the meantime, I am very lucky to have them here with me. When it’s time for them to go to their forever family, I will just blank out my mind, load the pups up in the car and drive them to their destination. I am not a crier, so for me the tears don’t pour... I wish they did, maybe that would help me to flush the pain out quicker. I feel drained afterward... I internalize it... my heart cracks, I can’t speak (or I’ll squeak), I won’t be able to write for awhile because my hands will shake, and I do a lot of starring off into space. But, a couple days later, when I get a message (hopefully with photos) from the adoptive family saying that they love their new family member, well... it’s difficult to describe the shear JOY I feel. And I let the rescue know my home is available to take in another foster, to help more animals and to add more joy to my life.

It’s a given, when we foster we save the lives of the kids we take in (this litter was abandoned on a secluded dirt road when they were only 6-7 weeks old – how could a person believe a puppy that age would not suffer a horrible fate???); but there’s more... we also put a dent in the overpopulation problem so other unwanted litters aren’t abandoned because these kids will not perpetuate the problem (they are spay/neutered prior to adoption). In addition to knowing that fostering has saved lives, ended their suffering and eliminated potential future suffering, I do it for very selfish reasons, they bring me immeasurable pleasure.

It doesn’t need to be a financial burden to foster, a well run rescue sets their adoption fee to cover the costs to get the pups ready for adoption (vaccinations & deworming at least X2 times and spay/neuter surgery) so the rescue should supply the basic medical care to get the animal ready for adoption and will provide food, if necessary (since the food costs are not usually calculated into the adoption fee and the rescue won’t be reimbursed otherwise, I pay for my foster’s food as a tax-deductable donation to the rescue).

Pass it on... tell your friends, families, co-workers and acquaintances what a blessing it is to foster; don’t consider the ‘softhearted’ factor, the benefits outweigh the pain. And for people you encounter who have unaltered females so they can experience having cute puppies/kittens in their home... show them that if they foster they have the best of both worlds... the miracle of puppies/kittens and they don't have to care for them for over ten years or bear the scar on their soul for abandoning the growing animals when they realize they can’t find homes for them.

When the foster area is set up efficiently there is no burden to fostering, only joy. I sit out on the park bench in my puppy pen and just soak in the wonder of it all. When I look back on all the animals I’ve fostered, I see their faces in my mind and smile – talk about warm and fuzzy feelings!

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