To be a foster mom or dad to newborn and older young animals requires several things:

1. Must love animals.

2. Must be very, very patient.

3. Must be willing to fore go a clean, smell free house for 4-8 weeks.

4. Must be willing to do lots of extra laundry.

5. Must be able to go without uninterrupted sleep.

6. Must be able to handle the good and the bad, the happy and the sad with each case.

7. Must be willing to spend time otherwise spent reading, watching TV, visiting friends and taking care of oneself on the “baby”.

If you can answer “yep, I can do it!” , then you are foster mom or dad material.

Foster animals are those who need additional care in order to survive or heal. Many times these animals have been orphaned and require bottle feeding or constant monitoring during the fragile stages of healing or development. In some cases, the animals are adults who have been neglected, abused or have health issues that were never addressed and until they are stabilized or stable will not be able to be placed in a “forever” home.

I started fostering years ago while in high school. A very pregnant dog made her way to our front porch and my mother being the animal lover that she is allowed me to let the dog in the house.

The dog was a sweet, very thin, very pregnant bird dog. We were living in Kentucky at the time and it was common for dogs to either get lost while hunting or be dropped off when no longer performing as expected. She was obviously in need of love and care and a place to have her pups. She spent her first few days relaxing on the porch enjoying the attention given her by her new “family”. By the end of the week it was obvious that she was not well. At that time the local vet came from a town 60 miles away and was only available three days a week so we were not able to take her in for an exam. On Friday morning she began to give birth. I came home during the lunch break to check on her only to find that she had delivered five pups but was in a semi-conscious state. I called the vet’s office and left a message for help. But within 30 minutes of my arriving she died. It was the first time that I gave mouth to muzzle resuscitation. Although she responded, it was obvious, even to a high school-er who was frantic about keeping her alive, the effort was futile.

Shortly after she passed the vet’s office called. He suggested that I bring the pups by for an examination. I didn’t return to school that afternoon staying instead with the pups and digging a grave for “Lady”. After my brother returned from school we put the pups in a cardboard box and went to veterinary clinic.

The vet checked each pup and said that they appeared healthy but that keeping them alive would be a big job and perhaps it was better to let him put them to sleep

I am sure that up to that point he had never seen a 17 year old girl go from sweet to indignant in a matter of seconds. So guessing that that option was not remotely probable, he did the next best thing, he showed us how to use a syringe with a long rubber tube on it to deliver milk straight to the babies stomachs. He gave us basic instructions on the care of the newborns and sent us off with a “good luck”. And so the adventure began.

More on the pups later,

charlie