Through Foster Care

When I met Spencer at the Animal Shelter he was very shy. As soon as I came to the door, he would move all the way to the back of his kennel, which made it hard to leash him. It would take me 10 minutes of coaxing with treats to get him close enough to get the leash on but once on, he was a perfect gentleman. As time has moved on Spencer and I have developed a great bond. When I heard he was declining, which happens often for shelter dogs, I had to do something to try and save him and save the precious, fun loving beautiful boy that he is with me. I asked for permission to foster him. I only have a two month window of time to do this and it will probably not happen again for many years to come so I decided to blog about him in hopes that someone will see his story and give Spencer his forever home. I’m also hoping if he isn’t adopted in two months, another foster parent will see how wonderful he is and want to continue the work.

I never really realized how important fostering dogs and cats is. How it saves their lives and gives them an environment they can grow and flourish in.

MY JOURNEY TO FOSTERING

I began my journey by walking dogs at the shelter. In the beginning I was going about 5 to 6 days a week. Then life happened and I was only able to go a couple of days a week. I was finally able to get back to 5 or 6 days a week with small windows of time each day. In Sept of 2019 I heard about Doggie Days Out. I was in love with another dog, ok a few other dogs and getting to take them out of the shelter for a day was so exciting. I would come every Tuesday, grab a beloved dog and make their day the best day ever. We would go walking at different parks, stopping at McDonalds for Cheeseburgers and just kicking back in a shed I converted to a doggie den. I’ve since added pup cupping at Starbucks. I have taken Spencer out on three Doggie Days Out.

In March my son surprised me and had a friend frame, insulate and drywall this shed. We put in flooring and now it’s like a detached living room with heating and air, and internet. It’s so amazing and my dogs get to come and just destress for the day. My favorite part is watching a dog fall asleep and start to snore. Taking them back is always hard but my heart knows, that “Today was the best day ever!”.

My two grandchildren (along with their mom and dad) live with us and I have two boxers that are the loves of my life so fostering an animal was never an option. I had always planned to do it when my girls passed on. But my Children have bought a house and will be moving out which created and opportunity to bring Spencer home but my window is only two months. Right now he lives in my Doggie Den and I alternate house and yard time with my girls, being careful to keep them separated.

If he does well in the Doggie Den which is now called Spencer’s Bachelor Pad, he will remain there. If not when the kids move out he will live in the basement. Both are great options for him and better then shelter life.

Next: Day One

Spencer is 2 years old and has been at the Shelter since June 2020. He came in as a stray. He needs to have multiple meet and greets with potential adopters, in a home with no children and if adopters have other dogs there must be a meet and greet between dogs. He is well worth the investment. You can read more of his details at https://kcpetproject.org/animal-details/?aid=44882776&cid=11&tid=Dog#.Xz1oGWySnIU