Program offered by Jackson County Animal Shelter and FOTAS caters to people who love dogs but aren’t ready for a permanent commitment
By Alexandra Paul
When you are not ready to adopt a dog but you miss dogginess, fostering is the perfect solution.
“I am not ready to commit to a full-time dog, so fostering gives me a sense of purpose and keeps dogs in my life,” said Anne Teichman, a Medford pharmacist. Jill, her lively husky foster puppy from Friends of the Animal Shelter, wagged her tail happily as Teichman spoke about her fostering experiences.
Leslie Black and her partner Marielke Funke agree. Because they want to travel in their retirement, fostering gives them a short-term dog fix. They feel great fulfillment knowing they are helping a sweet pup get a forever home. Their current foster, Lady, is a gentle tan pit bull who was timid and scared after being left by her human at the Jackson County Animal Shelter. In their home, she opened up and within a couple days was bringing toys to Leslie to play with.
When Olivia, a shepherd mix, was brought to the shelter, she was too shy to come out of her kennel. Volunteer Meg Dias noticed how depressed and nervous Olivia had become. After taking a short training course, she brought her home as a foster.
A dog transformed
“Within minutes of being in my house, she transformed into a happy, bouncy dog,” Dias said. Olivia played well with Dias’ two dogs, and they went hiking together. Now that she was relaxed and happy, Olivia had a lot of adoption interest (five meet and greets in four days!). She soon went to live with a loving family and a new dog brother.
Dena Vogt, who coordinates dog fosters for FOTAS in coordination with Jackson County Animal Shelter, said she makes things as easy as possible for the foster parents. Food, supplies, training, medical care and grooming are all provided. If a foster needs to leave town, another foster can take over.
And for folks who might want to take a smaller step than fostering, there is the Field Trip program: Take a foster dog for the day, or maybe just a hike.
Dogs in foster care are chosen because they are not adjusting to life at the shelter. They recover quickly to their true selves when they get out of the kennel and into a home. That gives them a better chance of being adopted. Social media like NextDoor, adoption fairs and walking around town or playing in the dog park with “adopt me” harnesses help the process go more quickly. People are more comfortable adopting from someone who knows the everyday quirks of the animal, as a foster parent does.
“It is important to be completely honest about the dog,” Dias said.
FOTAS and Jackson County Animal Shelter wholeheartedly agree and are transparent about their dogs’ temperaments.
Tears of joy
Many people are worried that it will be too emotional to give up a foster. Dias shared that concern at first. But when she found Olivia’s forever family, the tears she cried were of joy. She knew this was the best outcome for everyone.
“To someone who says they couldn’t do it, you can do it,” she said.
Leslie Black admitted that with every dog she and Funke foster, there is a conversation about adopting. But she said it has been easy to let each pup go. They want to travel and they keep their eyes on the prize of getting their charges into the perfect home. The fact that their five fosters have each been adopted within a week has helped too, of course.
Being familiar with dogs of different ages, temperaments and sizes is especially helpful for anyone who is considering adopting but isn’t sure which kind of dog fits best.
“If I were not a foster parent, I would not have had the experience of living with a Shiba Inu,” Teichman said. “Before, I thought that was not the type of dog for me. But I loved fostering him.”
So if you are looking for more love and purpose in your life, but are wary of a long-term commitment, consider fostering a dog. Friends of the Animal Shelter (FOTAS.org) has 30 foster families and 50 Field Trippers in the program, and is looking for more!
For more information on fostering, contact Dena Vogt by email at [email protected]
Alexandra Paul is a resident of Ashland and a volunteer dog walker at the Jackson County Animal Shelter.
