Alexis & John
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FOSTERING? SINCE 2018.
WHY DO YOU FOSTER? PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK IF IT'S HARD LETTING GO OF A DOG. THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS YES. BUT WE DO IT BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING LIKE TAKING IN DOGS WHO ARE SICK, EMACIATED, AND BROKEN, THEN WATCHING THEM BECOME THE DOG THEY WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE. THEY GET HEALTHY AND BECOME PLAYFUL. THEY GO FROM BOWED HEAD AND TAIL-TUCKED FEAR TO HEAD-HELD-HIGH, FULL-BODY WIGGLES. THE DOGS THAT GO TO OUR LUCKY FAMILIES ARE NOT THE DOGS WE FIRST BRING INTO OUR HOMES. THEY'RE DOGS WHOSE BODIES AND SPIRITS HAVE BEEN RESTORED BY THE CARE AND LOVE THEY'D BEEN WAITING ON THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING WHEN PEOPLE START TO NOTICE THEM. AND EVEN THOUGH IT MEANS OUR TIME WITH THEM IS COMING TO AN END, NOTHING TOPS THE MOMENT SOMEONE FALLS IN LOVE WITH THEM. WE'VE READ THIS ONLINE BUT IT'S SO TRUE: WE LET OUR HEARTS BREAK A LITTLE SO THEIRS WILL NEVER BREAK AGAIN.
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE? OUR FIRST FOSTER, COLEMAN (AKA BIG TEX). HE WAS GRAVELY ILL AND HORRIBLY EMACIATED BUT WE WANTED TO FIGHT FOR HIM AND CRR GAVE US THE MEANS TO DO IT. WE BELIEVED WE COULD MAKE HIM BETTER AND WANTED TO SO BADLY. UNFORTUNATELY, HE'D GOTTEN DISTEMPER FROM A SOUTH TEXAS SHELTER AND HIS FRAIL BODY HAD NO CHANCE. WE HAD TO RELEASE HIM FROM HIS SUFFERING AND HELP HIM PASS PEACEFULLY. IT WAS HARD BECAUSE WE LOVED HIM AND BELIEVED WE COULD MAKE HIM BETTER. BUT ONCE THIS IRREVERSIBLE CONDITION PARALYZED HIM, IT WAS PAINFULLY OBVIOUS THAT HE WAS READY TO LEAVE US. THAT WAS OUR VERY FIRST FOSTER EXPERIENCE. IT SOUNDS TERRIBLE (AND IT WAS), BUT WE'VE HAD SO MANY SUCCESSES SINCE THEN. THAT HEARTBREAKING CHALLENGE WAS A HUGE MOTIVATOR TO CONTINUE HELPING THOSE WHO CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES.
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS? ONE WORD. CLAY. WE'VE HELPED DOGS OVER ALL KINDS OF HURDLES. WE'VE EVEN BATTLED DISTEMPER FOUR TIMES NOW. BUT CLAY'S STORY WILL FOREVER REMAIN ONE OF THE WILDEST, MOST HEART-WRENCHING, GUT-SCRAMBLING, EVENTUAL SUCCESSES WE'VE EVER HAD. NOBODY WOULD HAVE BLAMED US IF WE'D THROWN IN THE TOWEL AND LET HIM BE AT PEACE, BUT WE CONTINUED TO FIGHT FOR CLAY AND CLAY CONTINUED TO FIGHT FOR US. TO EVERYONE'S DISBELIEF, INCLUDING OUR OWN, CLAY PULLED OUT A MIRACULOUS VICTORY. HE IS NOW LIVING HIS HAPPILY EVER AFTER WITH A FRIEND. GRAB YOUR TISSUES AND CLICK HERE TO WATCH HIS STORY.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE CONSIDERING FOSTERING? DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY IT. CHANCES ARE, YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT. AND IF IT'S NOT FOR YOU, IT'S NOT PERMANENT! MANY OF OUR FOSTERS WERE ONLY AROUND FOR A MATTER OF WEEKS BEFORE BEING ADOPTED. AND, WORST CASE, IF YOU SIMPLY AREN'T A MATCH FOR YOUR FOSTER OR YOU DECIDE YOU SIMPLY CAN'T DO IT, YOU HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM OF FOSTERS WHO WILL PROBABLY TAKE THE DOG FROM YOU OR YOU MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE HIM/HER BACK TO THE RESCUE. NOT TO MENTION THE RESCUE COVERS ALL EXPENSES. YOU REALLY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE!