The staff, the board of directors, and I have created our first - Foster Program!
Most days start the same. We unlock the door. We hear our dogs' excitement for breakfast. The cats make their morning demands for a treat of wet food for breakfast. We turn on the lights, turn on the sanitizer, and pour bleach into our mop buckets. We read the notes from the day before and administer any needed medication. Most days are a whirlwind of conversations with families needing help, potential adopters, our volunteers, and local businesses who want to help our cause in one fashion or another. Not every day ends the same.
Any day in shelter life is nothing short of a roller coaster of emotions that plunge us into experiences we never could anticipate. More days than not, our kennels are full or over capacity. With every animal intake, there are five or six more animals in need of our help. Most of us have taken an animal or two home because of a lack of kennel space to foster, them. We feed them, provide medical care, socialize with them or, perhaps we give around-the-clock bottle feeding. Shelter animals need our help every day of the year. Even though the shelter and the walls that enclose it are small compared to many, our mission to rescue expands beyond those walls.
I've often been asked why I take on the added responsibility of caring for additional animals when there is already an abundance of animals in our shelter. It would be a lot easier to punch out at the end of a busy day and get a full night's sleep. Rescue work never ceases to have a need. Also, fostering a sick animal or a sick litter can help keep our shelter animals disease-free! I fostered a litter of kittens with panleukopenia in my home earlier this year. This prevented the spread of illness to other shelter animals, which could not
only slow their chances of getting adopted, it could also result in additional vet costs for treating any other affected animals or, sadly, death. Caring for sick cats or dogs in a home setting also increases their chances of survival. This is truer if the foster parent has any experience with the diagnosis, infectious disease, and prevention, or a veterinary background.
Last winter we took in a dog with a severely broken leg from the local animal control who would have otherwise been euthanized. Medical cases, such as this, would have steep veterinary costs and are usually not a case that most can help. Most county animal controls and private shelters have a predetermined budget for the year and a high number of animals that they can serve. The animal control officer decided she was worth it, knowing it was a long shot, and reached out to us that December morning. She asked us if there was even a chance that we could help. I watched a group of young people on shift that morning pull together a plan, jump into action, and get this sweet dog the care she so desperately needed. Without the rallying support of the community, donations, and volunteers, it would have been impossible to provide the long-term care that she would need in the days to follow. A week later, on Christmas Eve of 2023, Dakota was transported to the Animal Emergency Clinic of Rockford. She developed a septic infection in the broken leg which resulted in the amputation of the leg. Dakota returned to our shelter after the amputation with a wagging tail and so much love to give. We had set up a make-shift recovery area for her in our cat playroom, near our front desk. Our kennels have a gutter in front of the kennel doors, which isn't helpful for a dog learning to walk on three legs. One more challenge for this sweet girl. If she had the opportunity to heal in a foster home that could give her a better environment for her recovery, one-on-one attention, and more help with post-op therapy, that would've been the absolute best situation.
We have had many dogs who experience severe anxiety in a kennel setting. If you have ever been inside our dog kennels, you know how loud and overstimulating they can feel. Pets who experience anxiety in the shelter setting may not show their true personalities. They may even develop behaviors due to the stress they are under while in a shelter that they may not have while in a home. I recall Roxy, a GSD in our care, who spun in circles at an exhausting rate. We sought medical treatment for her anxiety, built her a housed area with a grassy yard to spend time in away from the kennels, and tried other interventions. Her level of kennel anxiety made it difficult for potential adopters to see the beautiful soul that the staff who loved and cared for her saw. Roxy is a completely different dog in a home setting. We know this from the man who adopted her earlier this year and has sent us regular updates on Roxy and her new life.
A pet in foster care is always more relaxed. Understanding who a foster pet is in a home environment helps the pet become more adoptable. Each adoption at our shelter is a celebration! It is also an opportunity to help one more pet in need! Like I said before, rescue is never-ending. Rescue is relatively reactive by nature, instead of proactive. We help those who are in need at the current time. The reality that we have seen is that for every animal that we can provide food, shelter, and much-needed veterinary care for, we are practicing the proactive mindset.
You've all heard the saying, "We can't save them all, but we can certainly try." Granny Rose Animal Shelter gives every effort possible, every single day (and even some sleepless nights) to make a difference in your future pet's life. Cats and dogs have so much love and gratitude to give. I'd like to believe that a few of them have even saved a few of us along the way. Our building can only hold the same number of cats and dogs that it has kennels for, but that doesn't stop our shelter's ability to reach beyond the brick and mortar of our walls, and the kennels within them. Granny Rose Animal Shelter isn't owned, it is a non-profit shelter for the tri-county animals. It couldn't exist if not for the support of our community.
I want to invite you, the community, to be more involved in our mission!
The staff, the board of directors, and I have created our first foster program. I invite everyone in our community to participate. If you have time, love, and a home to share, this includes you! Whether you have experience with fostering animals, have ever been interested in fostering animals, have a healthcare or veterinary background, have experience with post-op physical therapy, or can help in alternative ways - our foster program needs you! The foster program and its details will be announced this month on our website. This will include the link to our foster application, commonly asked questions, and a schedule for classes that we will be hosting for people who are new to fostering, and more.
Fostering saves lives, are you ready to make a difference?