|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
08-17-2013, 09:51 PM | #1 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Cleveland
Posts: 126
| Considering Fostering - Advice Needed! I posted this in the Rescue section. I was given the kind advice to repost in general for a wider response. Thanks so much for reading! A little back story about myself - It's hard for me to really recall my life before a dog. In January of 1993 our family added a new addition. She had been a gift for my fathers birthday, in reality she was a gift that has given me a lifetime of great joy and love. I was walking home from school that afternoon; I was six years old and in the first grade. My brother and our neighbor were a few yards in front of me, as usual no one wants to walk next to their little sister. We lived less than a quarter mile from the elementary but of course when you are six years old in the Ohio winter walking down the hill and up the hill seems like country away. We had reached the top of the last hill, our house was almost in sight when we saw the family van pull up next to us; in shock of course we never got picked up from school, our parents worked long hours and we spent the afternoon at our neighbors daycare until someone was home from work. We didn't challenge the gift of my fathers ride even if it was out of the normal and only a few yards to the house. My brother claimed the front seat, as older brothers always do, but this time I was thrilled to be the one in the back. My fathers red milk crate was on the rear seat I bent down to move it when I realized a bundle of blonde puppy was happily inside begging for attention, we named her Madeline, Maddy for short and we spent 17 years loving her while she was with us, and we have spent 3 years loving her memory. Chloe entered our lives a bit later, my father had been brought up with Huskies and always had a soft part of his heart for the breed, when his mother had a litter of pure breeds we added her to our family as well. Chloe was beautiful and probably the strangest dog I have ever known, she was more like a cat and I swear when she barked it sounds more like a cow then anything else. Sadly Chloe left us too soon. When she was 12 her back legs gave out. Ernest Hemingway said it best, 'it happened gradually, then suddenly', she back to walk strangely almost on top of her back paw, then the other until she no longer had any control of her back legs or bladder. I was in my Sophomore year at University sitting in English class when I received a text from my mother that they had decided to let Chloe go. I abruptly excused myself from class and along with a fellow student I drove the hour home to hug and kiss her before my parents arrived to take her to her peace. They asked me to come with them but I couldn't manage I cared her to the car, that was the most I could do. Maddy was a single dog again for a few years. I graduated University in 2009; Maddy had had several health issues throughout the years, on more then one occasion my parents thought they would have to put her down but I would discourage it and she always bounced back. Well after graduation I decided to move to Australia, Maddy was 17 and I knew one way or the other when I got on the plane to Australia I was never going to see her again. I heard my parents whispers about wanting to let her go after I left the country but I refused to listen to them and promised Maddy she would be with me till I left. I kept my promise. I boarded the plane to Australia, when I landed I turned on my phone and made one very expensive phone call to the states. It was 8am in Australia, evening in the states, my father answered the phone. After letting him know I had landed and was safe he conducted a somber tone and informed me he had to tell me something. I cut him off as fast as I could, I had just landed in a strange country and had no plans on starting my life in Sydney with the news that he had put Maddy down. A few weeks later after I had settled I let him tell me his 'news'. He started by saying it wasn't what I had thought. At the exact moment that my plane had landed in Australia, Maddy had passed away on her own. It was as if she was waiting for me to be safe and far away, she knew I couldn't let her go, and didn't want me to go through it. It was the greatest gift she could have given me at that time in my life and I am forever thankful. Several years of wandering came about, I lived in Australia, then NYC, followed by Boston. Eventually I found my way back home to Cleveland. Maddy had been my first dog and for several years my last. About a year ago tragedy hit my life in several different ways and I couldn't seem to find a way out from underneath a dark cloud that kept following me. The dominos kept tumbling down and as hard as I tried I didn't see how I could stop them. I had thought about getting another dog for some time but had never been in a place long enough to do so, when it seemed all hope was lost a good friend of mine did a google search and found Winnie. I saw her picture and I just new. I adopted her at 9 weeks she will be 11 months shortly, she saved my life. It's hard to remember what life was like without her, and without a doubt I am sure I wouldn't be here writing this today if she wasn't with me. My commitment to adoption and rescuing has been secured in my heart because of my experience. I want to be able to bring this, hope, love, loyalty, to other people and animals in need. I have been researching rescues and fostering for some time now and I have a strong desire to learn more. I would love to be able to speak with someone who maybe able to answer some of my questions and concerns and hopefully lead me in the right direction to help save more lives. Thank you very much for reading my long winded tale. I had every intention of keeping this brief.
__________________ Laina Cohen, "The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's." Mark Twain |
Welcome Guest! | |
08-17-2013, 10:48 PM | #2 |
www.yorkierescue.com Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Las Vegas & Orange County
Posts: 17,408
| You are a very good writer! I have been volunteering w YTNR for about five years now. If you want to pm me I can tell you more about experiences. Sometimes it's really not easy but when you save one or place one in a great home it's very rewarding. |
08-17-2013, 10:52 PM | #3 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Sayreville, NJ, and Stuart Fl,
Posts: 881
| Hi Lania, rescue is a wonderful thing! I was involved in rescue for several years and found it very rewarding. I did it all, fostering, transporting, home checks etc. My family finally insisted that I give it up after a period where I had NINE fosters in my home at the same time. I take full responsibility for being unable to say " no", but I also think the rescue I was involved with took advantage of that. I think its easy to allow our desire to help these pups get out of control. I advise you to foster, its a great thing to do. I also advise you to choose the rescue you work with carefully. Find one that will not allow you to over extend yourself the way I did. Its not good for you or the pups you are trying to help! I'm STILL trying to convince my family that I can do rescue on a much smaller scale. Wish me luck lol!
__________________ Lori ,Phoebe , Stanley , Joey ,Tink RIP. |
08-17-2013, 11:00 PM | #4 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Cleveland
Posts: 126
| Can I ask what rescue you worked with that you felt over extended with?
__________________ Laina Cohen, "The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's." Mark Twain |
08-17-2013, 11:13 PM | #5 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Sayreville, NJ, and Stuart Fl,
Posts: 881
| Sent you a PM
__________________ Lori ,Phoebe , Stanley , Joey ,Tink RIP. |
08-17-2013, 11:24 PM | #6 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Cleveland
Posts: 126
| Thanks guys! All the help is beyond greatly appreciated! Love getting any and all tips and advice on such an important topic!
__________________ Laina Cohen, "The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's." Mark Twain |
08-18-2013, 06:23 AM | #7 |
Therapy Yorkies Work Donating Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Central, Florida
Posts: 3,863
| Welcome to YT. I agree with Gemy you are a good writer. I also picked up the vibes you suffer from depression. I may be wrong but, phrases like, 'saved my life' pop out to me. I hope you are feeling strong and healthy now. Rescue is a wonderful thing, it can become the focus of your life, where almost every thought and action is about the dogs. I tend to get obsessive and very intense about it. I have to remind myself to go out to lunch, make doctor appointment for me and do things that are not about the dogs. It took me a while to accept we could not save every dog. It can be heart breaking because, you learn how truly awful people can be. You won't be able to help and keep on rose colored glasses. Once I found balance, I was able to cry less and help more. People can be wonderful too. Like one poster said, setting limits is important. You can not be as effective if you can't give the foster the time they need. Money can be an issue. The place I worked with was always short of funds, often I was taking out of my own pocket, that is ok, if you again set limits. There are many ways to help besides just fostering. Giving time, food, grooming service, money, answering phones, cleaning cages, working to create fund raisers, public speaking, brushing, walking and loving the animals. Being a trainer that studies behavior of dogs has been very valuable in my foster experience. The more you know and can learn the better. Honestly nothing in my life has been as rewarding as seeing a dog learn to trust people again, to see them become the loving happy creature they were born to be. When I see them go to a wonderful forever home I feel really blessed and very humble.
__________________ Teresa & Rubin, Gracie, Abba, Ginny Joy and Julia Rose Act like a dog, be kind, forgiving, and loyal. |
08-18-2013, 07:47 PM | #8 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker | I have really nothing to add. Just a question: How do you emotionally detach yourself when its time to give it up. I would find that the hardest thing to do
__________________ Having a Dog is Having a Loyal Friend for Life |
08-18-2013, 08:00 PM | #9 |
www.yorkierescue.com Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Las Vegas & Orange County
Posts: 17,408
| If you keep all the fosters, you can't help more. That's what I tell myself. If there is one some day that is perfect for us, then we will probably adopt that dog. But in the meantime, I foster to help more dogs. I don't think it's emotional detachment. I do keep in touch with all my fosters' forever homes. Knowing that they are in a more perfect home than being with me is more than enough to let them go.
__________________ The T.U.B. Pack! Toto, Uni, & Bindi RIP Lord Scrappington Montgomery McLimpybottom aka El Lenguo the Handicapped Ninja 10-12-12 |
08-18-2013, 08:02 PM | #10 | |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA
Posts: 7,652
| Quote:
You possess a gift within for the love of animals that it has obviously become part of your fabric. Go as far as you can see with that passion..someone like you can and will make a difference! I sure hope you keep us posted, because I think your one in a million, I really do.
__________________ The Above advice/comments/reviews are my personal opinions based on my own experience/education/investigation and research and you can take them any way you want to......Or NOT!!! | |
Bookmarks |
Tags |
advice needed, foster, rescue |
|
|
Thread Tools | |
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart