Last one left is a….wonderful puppy.

Last one left is a….wonderful puppy.

I never really know why a person picks one puppy instead of another. I suppose it’s kismet or karma or whim. What I tend to believe is that there is almost always adoption magic afoot. People tend to find the dog they need (and vice versa).

I have only one foster puppy left looking for her forever family. And she is a gem. Becca is crazy smart but eager to please and VERY food motivated, so training this baby will be fun. The sky’s the limit. With her long legs and athletic body, I’d bet she’d be an ace at agility.

She’s the only puppy who has scaled the puppy pen fence. She’s done it twice, but after being put back in the pen immediately and not receiving any praise for the effort, she hasn’t tried again. See? Smart girl who wants to please.

She is a devoted pup, sticking by me even when the others are running after Hazel cat circling the pen. Becca loves Hazel and never misses an opportunity to nuzzle her whenever Hazel assists me with giving dewormers on the treatment counter (which doubles as Hazel’s lair).

If you have a rescue pup sitting beside you as you read this, remind them just how lucky they are. I tell my pups that all the time. My three escaped death in a dog pound in Tennessee or Mississippi.

I spend a lot of time in shelters, so that reality is all too real. I can’t imagine my world without Gracie, Fanny, and Otis.

You probably say the same of your pups.

I’ve been to 28 shelters this year to learn their story, deliver donations, and offer advice. People often say to me, “I could never go to a shelter,” or “I don’t know how you do it.”

They express similar sentiments in regards to fostering. “I could never foster; it would break my heart,” or “I’d never be able to give them up.”

I wrote about this once before on this blog and also in my book Another Good Dog, but I’ve had occasion to think about this a lot lately, especially in regards to shelters. Things are as bad as I’ve seen them. And it is hard to walk into the shelters and hear the stories. But what’s harder is knowing what’s happening and doing nothing.

And maybe that’s why people don’t foster or visit shelters. Maybe they are afraid that if they learn what is happening, it will hurt, and they might feel they have to do something about it.

I read something recently about how to truly bring change, you have to allow yourself to not be bothered by the problem.

Hear me out.

Focusing too much on what is wrong and how it makes you feel is overwhelming. Giving myself permission to not be bothered by the problem really helps. If you set aside how the problem makes you feel, you have the emotional bandwidth to focus on what you can do about it.

That’s exactly what I’ve done when it comes to fostering. There are too many dogs and puppies; I can’t foster them all. I can only help the dog in front of me. So I do. And then the next one.

But if I thought hard about how many dogs are on the email the rescue sends out looking for foster homes or the ones shelters post on their ‘red lists,’ I would be overcome by the heartbreak of it all.

So I don’t go there. I put that overwhelming emotion away because it will not help. In fact, it’s likely to immobilize me. The why-bothers and it-won’t-make-a-differences would win. And I won’t let them.

Instead, I give myself permission not to think about the size of the problem or the individual dogs or people being impacted. I focus on what I can do. I can write about it. I can tell you about it. I can go to the shelters to tell their stories and, by doing so, make it clear that people care and they are not alone. I can share what I learn.

If you want to learn more, grab a copy of my upcoming book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues. Every penny from this book will go toward putting a copy in the hands of shelter and rescue staff and volunteers—the people helping the dogs in front of them.

Meanwhile, think hard about the issues that matter to you—be they dogs or children or poverty or peace or climate—and then set the feelings aside and get to work doing something.

Passion is powerful. It can empower us, but it can also immobilize us. Channel it well.

And, if this face speaks to you and you’ve got room in your heart and home, please visit OPHRescue.org and fill out an application.

And here’s the good news: Leche was adopted! I’m still hoping to see pictures of the rest of the family and hear what her new name is, but mostly I’m just grateful she has her own forever home.

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

If you like what you read and want to support my writing, consider buying me a cup of coffee.

For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

My next book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues will be released January 28, 2025, but you can order an early copy and support our mission to give them to shelters and rescues, by purchasing one directly from Who Will Let the Dogs Out.

If you’d like regular updates of all our foster dogs past and present, plus occasional dog care/training tips, and occasional foster cat updates (!) be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds.

If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs. Or its follow up that takes you to the shelters in the south One Hundred Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to support the work we do (and save the rescue and me some money), shop our Amazon wishlist. We are currently in need of chicken and chicken-byproduct-free, high-quality food, puppy treats, large dog beds (or cover replacements any size – we can cut the memory foam pieces I have to fit).

If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visits BringDogs.com to learn more.