Love Transforms! Rescue, Foster and Adopt Pets

Cute puppies and kittens of gorgeous breeds are often the first candidates to bring home as a new beloved family member, while the ones who are a little more rough around the edges, a bit older, or even just have a more ordinary breed or coloring, can easily get passed over. They stay in kennels for weeks and months, and slowly get more heartbroken, sick, anxious, worn down, and in turn, get even less "desirable". It's a downward spiral I have seen over and over again in working with a shelter.

My girl and her brother came to me as poo-crusted foster puppies, their bellies swollen with worms. They are pitbulls, one of the most feared breeds...and yet, they were really the greatest little puppies I ever had the pleasure of caring for! Sweet and gentle, and so funny it melted my heart.

Some people understandably can't take a risk and adopt a pet who is not a thoroughly genetically tested pure breed from a reputable breeder. Pups who are a mix of breeds can feel like a mystery, and those who have some past trauma can make it difficult to integrate into new homes. They may end up taking up more time to train, to warm up, may cost a bit more in vet bills.

If you are worried about health issues...

When pets can't even be adopted due to health issues, they need fosters the most!

Did you know, when animals have health issues, even something as minor as anxiety-induced upset stomach, shelters and rescues won't even allow them to be adopted! Some shelter or rescue pets may be recovering from heartworm, have a deformity, or just be dangerously underweight. In this case, fostering is a wonderful and generous option. It can be difficult to even look at them suffering, but it is very unlikely that they will ever get better in a shelter environment...and until they do heal up, they are not even going to be put up for adoption!

This is Sulli, our foster who came to us with angular limb deformity due to malnutrition, but with some play, became so strong by the time he was adopted, you couldn't tell it was ever an issue!

When Sulli first came to us with his little legs all bowed, he was only able to stand for maybe a minute or two, and then started hurting, getting exhausted, and he would crawl around like a seal and cry. He never got the chance to strengthen his legs in the shelter, because he was in a cage all day every day. In the beginning, we cried while watching him try to get around, but soon those tears dried up when he started gaining strength in the matter of a couple days!

Sulli played a lot with my boy, at first just crawling after him, then slowly gaining the strength to run around after him, and even play tug! His initial affliction became unnoticeable!

If you are worried about age...

An older pet, or one who has been through a lot, might feel like a lot to take on, but they can also blossom into beauty and live long years with your care!

This is the story of Matthew, the rescued little stud from a foreign puppy mill. He lived his first eight years in a small cage, only being used to breed more Papillons to sell in unethical shops. He was skin and bones, unsocialized and unloved, and missing fur in large patches when they rescued him.

Matthew soon after he was rescued, looking like a lost little baby fox. He was so skinny!

A lovely friend, and big advocate for adopting senior pups, took him in. He was not her first senior, and she knew the heartbreak it could cause to take on a pup who was more advanced in age, had some medical issues, and needed time to decompress and familiarize themselves with the world. With time and some patience, Matthew began his metamorphosis.

He became an important office pup, a tiny guardian of his new found family. He got to go on long walks to work every day, make new friends and build his social skills, while he also regained his luscious fur and put on some weight. He never let anyone other than his beloved mom touch him at first, and it took years to get him to warm up to the idea...and usually involves snacks! But he is living the best life, and even though he was considered a senior when he was rescued, he has already lived many long and healthy years since, can still run circles around you, and STILL looks like a puppy!

Recent pictures of Matthew, looking like a floofy puppy, even in his old age, because he is so well cared for!

If you are worried about Temperament

Sometimes these pups can be shy, wary, or even absolutely bonkers at first, but with some patience, they can give you the most love!

Temperament is the tricky one. Most people can't afford to take a chance with bringing an unknown pup into their homes, especially if they have children or other pets. In this aspect, caution is always necessary. However, with slow introduction and careful monitoring, it is often possible to integrate even a somewhat troubled pet into your home.

The important thing to understand is that almost all undesired behavior comes from a place of either fear, poor training, or just a lot of over-stimulation. With enough patience, and well established boundaries, and a good balance of mental/physical stimulation and rest, almost any pup can shine.

Even when the pup has no traumatic history to speak of, introductions should always be slow and careful (in this post, I detail how to first introduce a new dog to the household, since even the friendliest of pups can feel some stress when in a new home, or meeting a new family member).

However if you familiarize yourself with dog/cat body language, allow the pet a few days to decompress, and treat them with empathy, even the most frightened, most unsocialized, most pent-up pet can become well balanced. Don't push the pet too hard, too soon, and overwhelm them. Always remember, healing takes time. My first dog, a little nine year old rescue pup, took years to really be able to really relax, but seeing his journey was an unparalleled experience, and I am so grateful I had him as a beloved companion!

My first soul pup! He went with me everywhere and even though I adopted him as a "senior" at the age of 9, he still lived long, healthy, active years, until 18!

Whether you help by fostering pets and give them the love they need to get a smoother start at their forever homes, or if you are adopting them and promising to love and care for them for their whole lives, you are guaranteed to see real magic happen before your eyes.

It's a bit of a gamble, a bit of work, but it's worth its weight in gold, when you get results and see how your love transforms them!