World Foster Day 2021 - All about Fostering (Pets)
If you are a person who believes in rainbows, unicorns, sunshine, faith and acknowledges that there is still some goodness left in this world then you are going to enjoy this article’s content. If you are someone who doesn’t get attached too easily or has a difficult time understanding the world of pets, parenting; then you are welcome to leave.
I came across the words “foster” and “fostering” only a few years back. Before that I had no idea what it even meant or how it worked. The unknowledgeable me carried on three decades of my life only accustomed to the idea of adoption.
In 2018 I read about the fostering struggles of a mom in a mommy group and I researched it. The more I read about fostering, the wider my eyes opened with shock. The stories of success, struggles, challenges, emotions; this was unchartered territory for me. I found there are people in this world who dedicate their entire lives to fostering. It restored my faith in humanity. I also happened to watch the documentary “ Foster” on Amazon Prime around this time and I can tell you I cried for five nights straight. I vouched I was going to do more about bringing awareness to this aspect and today finally I am glad I am doing something in this direction. Whether if you are looking to start fostering or be a foster parent or bring home foster pets; this article is going to be useful for you. Read to understand the process of fostering animals and the challenges and rewards it involves.
Few months back when my childhood friends started fostering for pets, I got the first hand experience of this process. 31st May is World Foster Day and on this day I want to celebrate the people in this world who selflessly foster for kids and fur kids, alike; it is because of them that earth becomes a kinder and better place to live in.
For those of you coming across this word or process for the first time, let me explain in short.
As per google, the word foster means to bring up (a child or pet) that is not one’s own by birth.
Such a complicated process, so simply put, as if it is no big deal. The trials, tribulations and challenges that foster parents face in this process cannot be justified by mere words.
You bring home a rescued, neglected or abused kid or pet. You win their trust, which can take days to months to even years (take the case of Sandra Bullock who fostered a teen ), given the kind and quality of life they have led till now. You care for them. You nurture and nourish them. You help them deal with their trauma. You prep them with survival and life skills. Then when the right time comes you open your arms and let them go into their forever home. Just like that!
Foster parents are a foster kid’s bridge to humanity and a second chance at life. Forget about the pain, the emptiness, the attachment that you have built up in this time with the foster kid. Forget about the nights you didn’t sleep caring for them. Forget about the milestones you witnessed in their life’s journey. Your role in their life is short and sweet but has the greatest impact on their future.
Coming back to the couple who have opened the doors of their house and heart for fostering fur friends and have been doing such an amazing job in helping better the lives of these animals.
Meet Ajitesh and Romani.
Ajitesh works as a solution architect for a prestigious firm while Romani is a busy fur and plant mommy. They live in Jacksonville, Florida. They are fur parents to a beautiful pug – Scotchy. Unfortunately she passed away recently leaving behind a gaping hole in their heart. As they healed and came in terms with their sorrow, they started fostering. They have been animal advocates for as long as I can remember. They volunteer for animal organizations on weekends. I personally know both of them and I can vouch that they have hearts made of gold. Honestly any person who is a foster parent has earned my respect.
I interviewed them and here are some insights to who they are, what they do, how they foster and the reasons behind them being foster parents.
Q: How long have you both been fur parents?
A: 7 years
Q: Who was your first pet?
A: Scotchy, a pug.
Q: Share your experience about raising Scotchy and your life with her.
A: The memory of her first day with us brings a smile on our faces. Raising a beautiful child like Scotchy had been both our dream and desire. As a puppy she had a curious and adventurous mind. Back then our excitement and exhilaration involved in seeing her playing, running around, making cute n funny gestures was well accompanied by a little anxiety, concern and fear one would typically have for a child falling off the bed or hurting itself in some way while playing. Nonetheless we could get past the latter and bumpy exciting roads flattened and things became easier with passage of time. We always felt complete as a family. Scotchy was loved and pampered to the extremes by all four of her grandparents and all our siblings. When it came to choice of food, Scotchy wasn’t a big fan of kibbles or regular dog food. She used to relish freshly home cooked chicken and veggies, or eggs for a meal, and bananas, carrots or berries as snacks.
One might think that animals have lower emotional intelligence than humans but we never felt that way about Scotchy. She would instantly know if we were elated for some reason or felt dejected. She particularly disliked us raising our voices or if we sounded distressed. She would immediately get on our laps to attempt to pacify or console us.
Scotchy had some interesting experiences during her lifetime. She once caused us great disquietude by abruptly diving into a lake and disappearing for minutes before reappearing at the other end and swimming back to us. “Dogs are natural swimmers. Yes you just demonstrated that to us my love!!”.
She has made quite a few trips, the longest one being her journey from India to the United States for which she had to take 2 flights for a total duration of almost 30 hrs followed by 7 hours of road journey to get home. She traveled from one end of the earth to another.
She didn’t like social media so much (just kidding!) but I would have happily updated her travel portfolio with some cool snaps from her favorite trips to Orlando, The Great Smoky Mountains, road trips to her uncle and aunt’s house at Mooresville, NC where her favorite little cousin eagerly awaited to spend time and play with her. She had a strong mind and a brave heart and she always pushed herself to walk an extra mile with her parents. Her life had tough challenges during her adulthood where she was diagnosed with several health issues. Despite that she never made it look like a struggle. She was herself until her very last day and the same sparkle in her eyes never faded even when her life did. Her life though was short, there was never a dull moment. She had touched and impacted many peoples’ lives in a positive way. She gave us a purpose and we feel proud to have played the role of parents for Scotchy, and now foster parents for several other fur babies. If we could rewind and relive those years with Scotchy, we would do it all over again!
Q: Do you miss Scotchy?
A: Yes, we miss Scotchy every single day and in every moment of our lives. Scotchy’s everlasting sweet and precious memories fill the gap that her loss has created in our life. We weren’t 3 separate beings but together as one soul. It continues to be that way, the only difference being, us being on this side and her on the other side of the rainbow bridge.
Q: What made you start fostering?
A: We feel we started fostering fur babies in honor of Scotchy’s memory.The love and affection that we got from our foster babies is something which immensely healed us after Scotchy’s loss, and made us feel that we are still connected to her. Simply put, fostering bridges the gap between our love towards animals and their love towards animal lovers.
Q: Can you help us understand the process of fostering and how exactly it increases the lifespan of a pet?
A: Fostering is the act of volunteering to keep and nurture animals in need temporarily until they find a ‘fur’ever home. This process
- Gives them a home to live in whereas the animal could be in a shelter and be at risk of getting euthanized due to overcrowding. Fostering animals from shelter also creates space for another animal in need hence creating an opportunity for that animal’s fostering and/or adoption
- Being with a family or a parent opens the door to endless care, attention, emotional support that they need for their mental wellbeing and playtime, dog walks (for dogs) and vet facilities when needed for their physical wellbeing. This can also help a family bond over a pet and deal with their own pain by caring for an animal in need.
Q: Describe your journey from adoption to fostering, experiences, any noteworthy moments, advices tips, etc
A: Please keep in mind that our journey for fostering began with a pact between us to stay strong when the time comes to let go of the pet to a permanent home.
Summer Duke Pridgeton from Poochies Pet Rescue Organization came into our lives like a ray of hope. She brought us our first foster dog – a snow white Chihuahua mix. He was nervous and shy when he entered our house but within the next few mins, he started wagging and interacting with us in a playful manner. We would’ve never imagined the same timid puppy springing into our bed on his first night of stay with us. That’s it! Pact violated and foster failed. He now goes by the name Musky and our 2 member foster team became a 3 member team. Together we have fostered a few lovely fur babies so far who have been successfully adopted into wonderful families leaving behind beautiful memories etched on our hearts and minds. We think fostering has multiple benefits – the foster parents get to learn more about different foster animals. For e.g. every dog we have fostered so far had a different personality/temperament. One also learns to provide basic care for animals, learn about multifaceted behavioral aspects and come to terms with challenges unique to each foster pet. This helps the foster parents improvise. As you get to know the animals you foster, it helps you choose the right fit for your own adoption needs and vice versa. Fostering for days or weeks gets you familiar with many aspects of the foster animal which is extremely helpful in finding the right home for a specific pet or the perfect fit for a family who is looking to adopt a pet.
Q: Can you say something about the organization Poochies Pet Rescue, Inc. and it’s founder.
A: Poochie’s Pet Rescue, Inc., is a non-profit organization saving innocent lives in kill shelters in North Florida, USA. Their mission is to save the pets that are sitting in a rural shelter & or on death row at no fault of their own. All of their rescued pets are in private foster homes so that they are given the love that they need prior to finding their happily ever after. Their fur babies are fully vetted, update vaccinations, rabies, spay or neutered, micro-chipped and on monthly flea-tick and heart-worm prevention.
Lindsay is not only the founder and President of Poochies but she’s an active rescuer and a foster as well. Poochies Pet Rescue organization gets its name from Lindsay’s first fur baby. Goes without saying that Lindsay has a big heart, the doors for which are always open for endless number of animals in need. She’s a great leader who has a lot of faith in all her team members. We’ve always felt very fortunate to have earned a place in her organization. She wants to make this world a better place after all.
Q: Can you share some helpful toys that can keep the pets engaged as well as are safe for them?
A: Kong, a rubber chewy toy is excellent for jaw exercise and keeps the dog engaged for hours. You can also stuff treats inside it to game up.
If your dog is an avid chewer like ours then please keep stuffed soft toys away from him/her as the cellulose stuffing inside those toys could cause an internal blockage. Instead go for toys like these.
Q: Can you suggest some healthy and yummy snacks for our paw buddies?
A: Himalayan yak bones and bamboo bones are great for dogs’ dental health and are long lasting. Frozen bone broth and yogurt are healthy summer treats and keep the dogs occupied. Some of our tried and tested favorites are
Q: If more and more people foster animals, is it going to make a positive change? How and why? Any thoughts?
A: When a shelter starts getting overcrowded, euthanization of animals (even puppies and healthy ones) is done in order to make space for newcomers. If more people step forward to foster, together they will save lives. A noble act of fostering and adoption will also discourage illegal breeding and puppy mills for commercial purposes. Fostering will also allow animals, living in caged confinements, required in many shelters, to interact with people and be in a home.
Q: What are your favorite activities with paw babies? What do they typically enjoy?
A: They enjoy outdoor walks and short drives. They love to play interactive games with us like tug of war, hide n seek. Social activities such as visiting a dog park and meeting their friends gets them in a good mood and high spirits. They absolutely enjoy the sea and sand.
Q: What are your favorite and most frequented pet stores?
A: Petco, Pet supermarket, Online – Amazon
Q: How do you prepare yourself when you go to meet a foster pet? What are the initial reactions of the animal and how do you help in transitioning them?
A: They are usually a little confused or nervous during their first meet as they are in a completely new environment and with strangers around them.
Being patient and gentle is the key to making them more comfortable. Little things matter such as how you approach them, and how to talk to them. Treats can be used to extend a hand towards friendship.
We have never seen a transition take too long. They usually respond very well to love, care and attention. Care for them as if they are your own. Give them a warm bath as it is imperative to clean them for their own hygiene and yours. It might also help relax them. A comfortable bed gives them a sense of being safe and at home. Get to know them well by paying more attention. We all have our individual traits and set of likes and dislikes, they are no different. We have seen many enjoying a drive so we take them on drives.
Q: Is it possible to foster on any visa, especially for people living in the USA who are not residents?
A: Different organizations have different policies and work differently within each jurisdiction. It is always good to check with the authorities first to see if one can be a foster parent.
Q: What is your message to the public who care for animals and genuinely want to help? How can they pitch in?
A: A lot can be done to help animals in need.
Adopt an animal from a shelter.
By fostering a shelter animal or an abandoned animal
Volunteer at a shelter to help them with various activities ( walking a dog, assisting in day to day care and activities, helping with the adoption paperwork , cleaning the area , feeding them, bathing them, engaging with them socially)
People can do fundraising for dogs needing immediate medical attention.
Most of the shelters are run purely by public funding so anyone can consider becoming a donor or sponsor to support the life of a single animal.
If one happens to witness animal abuse or negligence he/she can help by reporting it to an authority. It could become a life saving move for an animal.
By starting a social media page one can help an animal in need for adoption and also create awareness about the animal abuse and cruelty.
I hope reading about their experience and stories has motivated you to step in the right direction. There are so many things that we can do in the least, if not become a foster parent, as mentioned by Ajitesh and Romani above. Provide the emotionally and mentally neglected children and pets the stability they need in their lives. Create a positive impact on the lives of the ones who cannot speak but need our love and support to survive. Remember these children and pets have been on a tumultuous journey and might be harsh and unwelcoming in the beginning. But with proper care and a support system, they are going to melt and bond. It is important to give them the required space and time before concluding anything about them. Bonding is a natural process which takes time. Also before you decide to become a foster parent, please understand that this is a very demanding role that needs a lot of selfless commitment and care. Kindly consider that you have the dedicated time and resources to support another life with yourself. It is not a one day thing nor a short term plunge. If things are not on your side and you have the limitation of space, time and resources, there are other means to help care for them, as this couple already mentioned above.
To understand about this process in details check these helpful links
If you like reading stories, check out this short story.
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