As I type this, I can hear puppies yipping and tumbling into puppy pen fences. I’m sure they are teeing up the next big mess (I’ve already stripped and cleaned the pen twice today and it isn’t 9am yet).
Behind me, Nemo is gnawing on a Benebone while Sadie is snuggled in a blanket beside him. It’s chilly in here. My mini-splits are no match for the bitter air. It’s been a cold December.
Having the fosters underfoot in my office/foster cottage as I work is good and bad. I’m debating about whether to move inside our house for an interview I have to record with a podcaster in an hour.
The interview is all about fostering. She sent me a list of questions ahead of time. Most podcasters do this, but hers were particularly good. I want to share a couple with you. This podcast is called Dog Fostering 101 (Everything I Wish I Knew When I Began Fostering), and Jackie’s mission is to offer guidance and inspiration in the hopes of encouraging more people to foster (or keep fostering).
Her questions were particularly good. Here is a sampling and my thoughts on an answer.
Proposed Questions:
What is your personal “why” behind fostering — the moment you realized this wasn’t just something you did, but something that changes lives?
I started fostering originally back in 2015 for purely selfish reasons – I wanted to find the perfect dog for our family.
The ‘why’ became real for me after I visited a southern shelter for the first time, interviewed the director, and watched her tears fall when she explained that they had taken in nearly a hundred dogs that month and only adopted out three. I do want to save dogs, but more than that, I want to help the people who are working so hard to save dogs. Fostering is one way to help – it’s one less dog (or dogs) that they may have to make a heartbreaking decision over.
You’ve met hundreds of dogs. Is there one dog whose transformation in foster care best captures why this work matters?
I don’t know how I’ll answer this one because there isn’t just one dog, I’ve watched every dog transform. Maybe it was Hadley—the first truly shut-down, shy dog I fostered.
Or maybe it was Daisy—a near feral dog with a paralyzing fear of strangers, particularly men. She was transformed, not so much by my foster home, but by the determined heart of Paul, a friend who spent hours sitting on the muddy ground in my yard, winning her over with hot dogs.
Or maybe it was Edith Wharton, a truly special dog who passed away this week. Edith came to me with 12 puppies still dangling their umbilical cords because they were born at the shelter just before transport. She was heartworm positive and skeletal. I watched her transform as she gained weight, raised her puppies, was treated for heartworm, spayed, and ultimately adopted by Nancy, who trained her to be an amazing therapy dog who touched hundreds of lives. I didn’t know at the time that the friendship born from that experience would lead to Nancy and me forming Who Will Let the Dogs Out.
The hundreds of dogs I’ve seen transformed are documented in ten years of writing this blog. Fostering transforms every dog—but it also transforms people.
What’s something people think fostering is… versus what you’ve actually seen it be for the dogs who need it most?
People think fostering is heartbreaking. They think they will not be able to let the dogs go, and it will be incredibly sad. Or they think that there is something wrong with these dogs who our society has thrown away.
They couldn’t be more wrong. Sure, there are moments when fostering is heartbreaking, but it is heart-affirming and heart-filling more often. Seeing dogs experience love and safety for the first time is powerful stuff. Hearing from adopters who tell me the dog they adopted has changed their lives is a rush like no other.
I’ve heard it said that we let our hearts break a little so that theirs will never break again. And those words are true. That’s the tradeoff you make – and it’s one I’m willing to make again and again.
As for the assertion that there is something wrong with these dogs, that’s just plain crazy. There is something wrong with the human (or the system) that landed them in a shelter. But there is nothing wrong with them.
For people who are afraid to foster — afraid of getting attached, afraid of the unknown — what truth have you seen firsthand that might help them rethink that fear?
That’s a complicated question, for sure. The attachment part of the question is easy for me. I started fostering when all three of my kids still lived at home. So, there was some concern about this question. From the beginning, when I explained to my kids that if we keep this one, we can’t save another, they got it.
They knew from the onset that this dog was here to heal, rest, and find their real family. That’s our job—to see them safely home. When you look at it that way, it changes the equation. It’s never a question of whether you will ‘let this one go’ or not. It’s how long will it take to get them healthy and find their family.
The second part of the question—the unknown?
Well, that’s maybe what makes fostering exciting. You just never know who this dog will be when you meet a transport. It’s not a scary unknown if you foster with an organization you trust. They will provide you with resources and support so that you can handle whatever situation presents itself. And believe me, after a decade of doing this, while I think I’ve seen it all, I haven’t. Thank goodness it’s not all on me. I have a rescue behind me, ready to step in and help.
If you could give listeners one idea to hold onto — your “golden circle” why fostering matters — what would it be?
It will change your life. If you want to save lives – foster. If you want to teach your children about empathy, forgiveness, and resilience – foster. If you are lonely and want friends – foster. If you want to feel like you have more purpose in this world – foster. If you care about the animals in your community (or the staff at your shelter) – foster. If you want to see the good in this world and in people – foster.
Of course, people should foster to help animals, but the incredible bonus is that it will also help you.
In case you’re curious about the fostering experience, you can read my firsthand account in Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs (or simply go back a few years in this blog to find the stories).
Meanwhile, the foster cottage is slowly emptying out. Nemo leaves today on a trial adoption because the adopter has cats (paws crossed, everyone!). Two of the puppies have approved adopters, and at least one is leaving on Saturday.
I’m still hoping for a Christmas miracle – that we get all these creatures home for the holidays, but just in case, I’ve got my best dog sitter lined up.
Cara
For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.
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’re on TikTok, you can find regular videos of my current fosters, dog news/tips, and more if you follow me there.
My newest book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues is a primer for those new to the cause, an invitation to get involved, and a source of inspiration for those already working tirelessly to save lives. With stories of successful shelters, innovative strategies, and the key ingredients for success—strong leadership, veterinary access, and community engagement—it’s a celebration of what’s working and a call to scale those solutions nationwide. Learn more and get your copy and/or send one to a shelter or rescue on our website. Also available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.
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 it’s a 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 take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visit BringDogs.com to learn more.
Another Good Dog™ 