The joys of fostering pets
Over60 community member Jo-Anne Midgley, 60 from Logan, Queensland shares her heartfelt tale of how fostering 21 dogs (and counting) has not only been rewarding but brought great joy to her life.
During visits to the local dog park with my own dog, I had met a couple of people who fostered dogs. When I had to put my much loved dog to sleep I couldn't bring myself to get another pet and feel the heartache of losing it. But I also knew that my life would be empty without a dog and so when a good friend of mine started her own rescue Animal Angels Rescue Queensland and asked me if I could help out with looking after a beautiful white husky/malamute on Christmas Eve I took it as a sign. This dog had just been saved from being put down at the pound. He was dirty and smelly but he had the most beautiful eyes. I took "Balto" in for six months and though it was hard to give him up, I knew the people who adopted him and knew I would still be able to keep in contact. I knew my work had been done by loving him and he was ready for a family.
When you adopt from a rescue you are saving an animal’s life. Unfortunately, puppies from a pet shop or sold on sites are usually from backyard breeders out to make as much money they can from a poor animal or they are from horrendous puppy mills.
I have been fostering for three years now and during that time I have had 21 dogs spending time in my house (and sometimes on my bed). They have all left their paw prints on my heart. Sometimes it is really hard to say goodbye but you know they will have a better life elsewhere.
My most rewarding fostered dogs are the two forever fosters I have. Forever fosters or "Under the Angel Wing Program" is when an animal is sick or too old to be adopted so they stay with a carer for the rest of their life. I have had Sasha, a 13 year old husky/Samoyed and Porky, a 4 year old mastiff/Great Dane for two years. Sasha came to us with severely bad ear infections and is on continual treatment and operations. Porky has cardiomyopathy and in February last was given 6 months to live but he's still going strong. I love these pair to bits and will find it painful when their time comes, but I know I have done what I chose to do, and that is to show the unfortunate dogs what love is. I went into rescue because I didn't want heartbreak and now have one sick dog and one old companion, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, I will always take in the old or sick!
Fostering is so rewarding - you see a frightened, starved and unloved animal start coming to life before your own eyes just because it has someone to love him. Rescue groups are always looking out for carers for dogs and cats and any other animal that may have been surrendered. Vet bills are paid by the rescue and food and bedding is sometimes supplied depending on the rescue group.
If you are considering fostering, I say do it. You will not regret it. I do warn to look into the rescue group before you foster because, like everything else, there is always the good and the bad. The group I am with is a no kill rescue but there are some that aren't.
I feel this is one of the reasons I was put on this earth and I will be doing it for as long as I am capable.
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