Foster Friday: Making a Difference as a Family
Welcome to our March edition of Foster Friday! This week we are celebrating an amazing family who has fostered 4 rescue dogs so far! John, Rachel and their three kids, Charlie, Hazel and Lilah love making a difference together as a family! Read on to learn all about the joys fostering brings their whole pack!
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi! Our names are John and Rachel and we have three kids--Charlie, Hazel, and Lilah. We also have two dogs of our own, Jones, a golden retriever, Ziggy, a beagle mix, and 7 fish!
What got you started fostering for Wags & Walks?
Many years ago, before our children were born, we regularly fostered dogs. Once we had kids, our house was pretty chaotic so we took a little break. Our volunteer friend, Bonnie, told us all about Wags and once our kids got a little older, we decided we were ready to start fostering again!
To date, how many dogs have you fostered for Wags? Do you have a favorite? (Don't worry, we won't tell the others!)
So far, we have fostered 4 dogs with Wags & Walks. We’ve adored each of them and their unique personalities for different reasons. If you ask our kids, their favorite dog is whichever dog we currently have staying with us!
What has been your biggest challenge fostering?
Our biggest challenge has probably been readjusting our home to be “puppy-proofed.” With our children no longer in the baby stage, we had started to relax, but puppies are a lot like babies! We are reminded everything left out is a toy, potty training takes patience, and nothing is off limits!
How has fostering affected you?
As a family, our hope is that fostering will teach our children the importance of giving back to those in need and finding ways to take care of each other and our planet. We love the burst of new energy fostering has brought back into our house! Fostering has also been so beneficial for our own dogs. We feel they have learned how to be adaptable, how to read different situations, and how to impart their “dog wisdom” to other dogs.
What has been your biggest surprise as a foster parent?
Our biggest surprise is how quickly new fosters are able to adapt to our home. Even with three children running around, our fosters have all been quick to adjust to our energy and noise level and fit right in! We are continually impressed with how adaptable and loving dogs can be, especially with many coming from less than ideal situations.
Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in becoming a foster?
Our advice would be to give it a try and not be afraid to give your foster dog so much love, even if you do find yourself becoming attached! For us, it is always bittersweet when a dog gets adopted but we love that with an adopted dog leaving, our home is able to take in another dog who needs a chance. We feel Wags has really set up fosters to succeed. There is such a great infrastructure in place, everything feels so organized, and I think that, as fosters, that gives us such confidence and trust in the process.
If you’re interested in fostering for Wags & Walks, you can learn more here. Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our e-mail newsletter, and check our website for available dogs. Who doesn’t love cute animal pupdates?