Billie Jean can get a little mouthy. But that’s typical of a cattle dog. She’s not mouthy, as in I’m-going-to-bite-your-hand-off, she’s mouthy in that she has an entire repertoire of noises that can mean anything from I-love-chewing-on-Frankie’s-foot (she chews on my dog Frankie and he doesn’t seem to mind) to I-miss-you-and-please-come-closer-so-I-can-lick-your-leg to OMG-there’s-a-cat-in-the-yard!
Billie Jean is my latest foster dog. She was found in the mountainous, rural part of Virginia that is more or less Tennessee without a home, but thanks to OPH (Operation Paws for Homes), plenty of hope.
She’s got huge, saucer, soulful eyes and every time I speak to her, she cocks her head to the side as if she truly wants to understand what I’m saying. She is crazy smart, with a sparkling personality to match, and offers her complete devotion—her eyes never leave me.
She’s gonna make some lucky person very happy.
And that person won’t be me. Even though Billie Jean is an awesome dog. Because here’s what I know—the moment she’s adopted, there will be another good dog to rescue.
The most common reason that people voice for why they don’t foster is that they don’t think they could give the dog away.
I don’t give any of my dogs away.
I help them find their forever family. Instead of sadness, this is cause for celebration.
I believe there is a home out there for every dog and my job as a foster is to help prepare the dog in my care for that home.
In a shelter, a dog may be scared, anxious, and confused. Those emotions are tough on anyone – dog or person – so the dog you see behind the shelter fence is not the dog you meet after a week or two in a foster home.
In a shelter, dogs may shut down or act out. Like people they have a range of reactions to the stress of long-term uncertainty. A foster home gives them a sanctuary between lost and found—a place where they can rest, eat, settle, and then prepare for their real life.
As a foster mom, I consider it a great privilege to give this time to a dog.
Nothing makes me happier than when an adopter takes home one of my dogs and then emails me a week later to say how much they already love the dog that I have loved.
We’ve fostered 119 dogs and puppies now. And I remember every one. With the publication of Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs, I’m getting the chance to see many of my dogs again. I can’t tell you the joy that gives me. Some of the dogs from the book have joined me at signings, adding their paw print to the books and stealing hearts.
But this book is about more than my dogs and their stories. It’s about you. It’s a call to action.
I wrote this book to inspire readers to foster shelter dogs. By sharing the fun, the mistakes, the mess, the heartbreak, and the great joy of fostering, I hope everyone who reads it will think, “I can do this too.”
Because they can. And that will make all the difference for another good dog.
You can purchase your copy of Another Good Dog here — http://www.carawrites.com/another-good-dog.html and follow all of Cara’s writings and adventures in fostering here — http://www.carawrites.com/
Cara and her family foster dogs with Operation Paws for Homes, a non-profit network of foster homes in Maryland, Virginia, and south-central Pennsylvania. They transport dogs from high-kill shelters in the south to foster homes so they can be adopted into families who will care for them. Every new dog we welcome to our home is a new adventure and I blog about all of them. If you’d like to get involved as a foster home, volunteer, or donor, contact OPHRescue.org! My blog, Another Good Dog, shares stories of our family’s experiences fostering.
PawsGo is happy to support Operation Paws for Homes through the sale on our RESCUE shirts. You can find them online at www.pawsgo.com Three great colors, one great cause — supporting independent rescues!
