Happy Tail

APR needs you! Become a foster parent! It's ridiculously rewarding. Take home a dog or cat that really needs a break, and watch it develop into something wonderful. Your heart may be breaking when your foster animal finds a new home, but what a great heartbreak to have! I'm one of the many volunteers who foster dogs for APR. People always say, "How do you give them up? I'd have to keep them all!" And twice, I have … my whippet came from APR. A couple of years and several other foster dogs later, I took home Aggie. And yes, she stayed permanently. I knew two was enough for me, yet I keep on fostering. It's addictive! And I know that if I kept another dog, I wouldn't be able to keep fostering. The photos are Sawyer, Kelsey and Joya, three of my all-time favorites who I'm proud to have had in my life.

Some of us end up with certain types. Claire takes all sorts, but she particularly adores her Pekingese; randy loves his weimeraners and Dobermans; I like the hyperactive crazy ones. Myra, bless her, takes the ultra-nervous ones. Another thing we hear is, "My dog wouldn't tolerate another dog in the house." Give your dog some credit! Most will tolerate each other quite well if introduced nicely. They often even learn to like it! Your beloved "Mr. Grumpy" might actually love having a companion.

And one of the greatest rewards? Seeing a loving update about one of your former fosters. I just checked the blog on Friday, January 8 and saw Jessie in her home. I LOVED that dog, and she looks as goofily charming now as she did two years ago during her time with me. Sure, it's hard to give up a friend who's been part of your life for a time, but realizing that you were part of re-writing that animal's future more than makes up for that. If you've been thinking about fostering but have never taken the step, it's a new year and now's the time! Come by the shelter and talk to the staff and some of the other foster parents. Chances are, there's an animal there whose life you can transform.
James