KRISTINA ROGERS
Being a rescuer, I never thought I could foster because of the attachment to pretty much every dog I meet. But, 3 years ago after picking up 2 strays, one who had been tethered his entire life and his owners finally let him off and left the gate open, and my aunt called me to help. We took him in and were able to find him a wonderful home for his last few months. He was approx 12 years old and in such bad health and even with the treatment, his sweet old body finally was able to rest, but thankfully after getting sooo much love in those final months. A month later, we came across a stray on the side of the rode with a horrible injury to his neck, clearly a dog fight. We scooped him up, took him to the vet and posted his pics. 3 weeks later we were able to reunite him with his owner, who didn’t have internet, but because of the posts, her friends/family helped find him and we brought them back together.
Did I cry? YES!! But, something inside me said I could be strong enough to try fostering and I’ve been a huge supporter of Dallas Dogrrr for years. So I made a call and 3 days later we had our first set of pups…The Pop Star pups, Celine and Edie.
We foster failed with Edie, now Georgia. Our friends adopted her sister, Celine, now Remy.
Fast Forward, we are on year 3 and 12 puppies later, current foster pups are 2 of the NYC litter. The reward in fostering, for us is knowing they will not be alone in a shelter. We give them love and work on feeding/sleeping routine and eventually basic training. Not to mention, we have 4 of our own rescue dogs, so all of our fosters get some controlled socializing and typically one of our 4 turns into “mama bear” and the puppies identify their “safe dog” that they can play with, crawl all over and everyone is safe and happy!
We post their pics often to give an idea of their personalities so when people see the posts, they can imagine how they would fit perfectly in their homes.
Yes, it’s rewarding for us, but it’s lifesaving for these pups. Then you add in the amazing support system that Dallas Dogrrr provides, from follow up, support, supplies (food, treats, pee pads, kennels, toys as well as all medical bills covered by the rescue). The only thing we get to do is love on these babies, make sure they get their shots, socializing and set up for success to eventually be adopted into furever home! It’s truly a win/win for us and them!
I will say this again, do I cry every time they leave?? YES!!! But that’s because that’s what us animal lovers do! We are suckers for those sweet faces and truly do fall in love with them and want the very best life for them!! So when an adopter gets approved to adopt, the adopter also becomes part of the Dogrrr family! We always tell the adopters, if you need ANYTHING AT ALL, don’t hesitate to call!! We are here for you through this journey!
Dallas Dogrrr is such a wonderful rescue organization because of how much each volunteer invests emotionally into saving as many lives as possible.