Would you like a cute, waggy tail to wake up to every day in the morning?
Because when you Foster, you take a homeless dog or puppy into your home and give them Love and Care all the way until they’re adopted. It’s a win for the animal shelter, the dog and you!
We’ve rounded up 6 heartwarming stories and foster advice from our fostering volunteers to help you consider being a foster parent this year:
Are you ready to become a dog foster too? (Path of Hope Facebook) Lynnetta Lewis. Foster at Path of Hope Rescue.
I started my fostering journey with Path of Hope Rescue last summer. While I am not new to the foster world, my experience is with fostering humans, and I convinced my husband to foster dogs as ”taking a break.”
He reluctantly agreed, “At least dogs don’t argue with you about everything.” One year and 28 dogs later, I am not sure he’d still stand by that statement. There have been a few sassy pups along the way.
Alongside fostering, our family loves to travel, camp and go off-roading. We also enjoy our movie nights. We have lots of other farm animals that keep us busy as well.
Fostering is the true juxtaposition of emotion. It is like watching a campy Hallmark movie, you laugh, you cry. How can something so difficult and so challenging also be so rewarding and so fun? But I assure you it is.
There have been a few pups that were incredibly hard to let go of. I particularly love the mamas. They have been through so much, often let down by humans. But they can begin to trust again and with patience and time, learn how to be loved. I love Alvin and his scruffy, funny face. Jasmine and her resiliency and spunk. Denali was so shy, and slowly but surely, she was coming out of her shell.
To anyone considering fostering or new to the Path of Hope pack, simply put, it’s worth it! Be patient, ask questions, and lean on your support team. Letting go can be hard but doing so will allow you to help the next dog in need
Letting go of your foster dogs can be hard because they’re too adorable! (Path of Hope Facebook)Eric Kenworthy. Foster at Path of Hope Rescue.
I adopted Thor from Path of Hope Rescue in November of 2022, so in part to give back, and also to help socialize him, I started temp fostering. It’s been a really great way to both help the rescue as well as be helped by the rescue. Temp fostering is still my go-to almost 2 years later and I know it has contributed to not just Thor, but Leo (my 10-year-old Labrador) being able to handle most strange dogs and people
Don’t mind me, I’m just eating my tennis ball.. (Path of Hope Facebook) Jen Gwynne. Foster at Path of Hope Rescue.
I started fostering with Path of Hope Rescue because I wanted to rescue a Rottweiler puppy to keep. Here I am 6 years later still waiting… For fun, I like to read and be outdoors in HOT weather. I love concerts, traveling and concerts.
It’s hard to choose my favorite foster, several stand out, but I cried my eyes out when I took Jupiter to her new home.
My advice to new fosters is to just roll with it. There will be good days and bad, but overall it’s the most rewarding experience when they find their forever home.
I started fostering for Path of Hope Rescue because I wanted to help animals, and get my puppy fix since I can’t adopt anymore right now! I am a stay-at-home mom to 4 kids, 4 dogs, and 6 cats with a few more misc creatures. I take walks with the dogs and go places with my kids for fun.
Look at how happy they are when they finally find a new home! (Path of Hope Facebook), Emily Strode. Foster at Path of Hope Rescue.
I started fostering for Path of Hope Rescue because it was one of those “I’ve always thought about it” in the back of my mind. I adopted Dave from the Despicable Me litter, now Lincoln, in 2019. I followed the Path of Hope Rescue page for so long and would always see the need for more fosters and in late 2020 I decided to sign up and go for it! It has always been a good experience and I appreciate the resources and support the rescue provides to fosters
Just like everything else, once you get the hang of it, fostering a dog isn’t all that difficult (Path of Hope Facebook) Natalia Petroske. Foster at Path of Hope Rescue.
I have always loved dogs. Even as a little kid, my friends and I were rescuing stray dogs in Kazakhstan. There were no laws or rules to fix pets which resulted in many stray dogs. In addition, we just got a house and have a nice yard and my daughters love having puppies around. So why not foster for Path of Hope Rescue?
