Monday, September 10, 2012

K9 Angels ~ Fostering Our Furry Friends

I mentioned in a recent post that our family has taken on a new charity of love by fostering homeless dogs through a local no kill adoption center in our hometown. K9 Angels Dog Rescue saves dogs from being euthanized at county shelters and cares for them until their forever families show up. My youngest daughter and I began working as dog walkers for the adoption center a few months ago and quickly fell in love with each little sweet, stinky, stray dog in the place. Each one has a story, most of which we may never know. Some have been abused, some abandoned because their humans moved or had a baby and no longer wanted them. They were found on the sides of roads hungry and desperate. K9 gives them a second chance at finding humans who will take them in and love them as they should be.
The adoption center is open on Saturdays and Sundays but Mon -Fri the animals need a home to hang at or they go to a kennel. This is where fostering comes in. Foster families take home a dog just for the week and love on them, play with them, get to know their mannerisms, and try to restore their faith in humans so they will show well on the weekends.
We were blessed this summer with 3 precious dogs~~none of which would ever had been a breed we would have looked at for adopting but ultimately fell in love with as we cared for them.
The first was Brenda the Pit Bull Puppy. I've always heard scary hings about Pits but this little brindle girl was an angel. All kisses and goofy frolicking in the monkey grass. She found a family and is happily now with them and we hope to visit her soon!!
Next came little fragile Karrie. Karrie is two years old and came to us so depressed and sick that it took several days of love and nurturing to get her to eat. Within a week she sounded off her first bark as she played with my daughter in the backyard. We got it on video!
Then there was Smudge. Smudge is a Sharpei/German Shepherd mix who breaks hearts everywhere he goes. Smudge is now the family pet of some of our friends who adopted him after losing their own beloved family dog a few weeks before they responded to my outcry for a home for Smudge on my Facebook page. We're going to visit him later today!
And just this morning Karrie found her forever family! A sweet family saw that video we took of her running in our yard on Petfinder and fell in love with her. They'll be getting her on Monday!!
So on goes the story of how fostering can be such a gift~~not only to the dogs in need of shelter but also to the people who are able to open their homes to them.
If you're interested in fostering, I'm sure there are many dog adoption centers near you. Call them and see if they have any dogs who need a place to hang their collars while they wait.
Karrie
Brenda
Brenda with my daughter
Brenda with my daughter in our backyard

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