For a long time I had toyed with the idea of being a Doggie Foster Mom. Of course, like many of you, I had a busy life and a long list of reasons why I would wait until just the right time. As you know, there really is never a right time to do anything that is at all inconvenient and the right time will never really come.
One day I was stuck in traffic and the photo and story of a little girl named Holiday popped up on my Facebook Feed. As her name states it was Holiday Season/ Christmas and my busiest time of year at work. None of that mattered when I saw her little face and read her story. She had been tossed out of a car into the road. All 10 pounds of her proceeded to chase that car with the people in it who had cruelly abandoned her. Thankfully, a woman witnessed what had happened and rescued Holiday before she was run over and brought her to a wonderful rescue group, 100 Plus Abandoned Dogs of the Everglades. They were looking for someone to foster this little Jack Russell Mix with skin issues and a chest with road rash. She was skinny, filthy, riddled with ticks and fleas and not fixed when she was brought to the rescue group.
This was not the right time for me to become a foster mom. I had two dogs and a cat at home, a busy schedule and was launching a new business. None of that mattered. Without thinking, I called the rescue group. I had already adopted from this group so they knew me. My call was a commitment. There was no getting out of it now. The first few days were a bit odd. This little dog was living in my house but she was not really mine. She attacked the vacuum and blow drier and tried to eat everyone’s food. After a few days things started to settle down. Holiday walked beautifully on a leash, she was house trained and after she was fixed she was so sick I just sat on the floor and cuddled her. That was it. I was in love and she was a member of my family for as long as it took to find her a new home. There really is no way to truly explain what it feels like to bring a damaged and hurt soul back to life. It really is life changing. The day that Holiday went to her new home I cried as hard as I had when my father died. When friends asked me if I would do it again, despite the pain, my answer was that I would not be doing my job as a Foster Mom if I just opened my home but not my heart. I am on my fifth Foster Dog in 6 months. It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am making a difference. If you are thinking about fostering and waiting for the right time… It will not come. Just dive in and do it. You will not regret being a part of the change and helping a life.
