Dog foster – Page 2 – Gardens For Goldens

You make it so

“All gardeners live in beautiful places because they make them so.” ~Joseph Joubert

And not just gardeners. At Homeward Bound, it is the volunteers, the foster families, and our amazing veterinarians who find the beauty in abandoned and neglected pups. You remember Snuffy from September?

This poor pup arrived with a thyroid condition, terrible skin, and barely-there hair. He looked more like a sad and drowned rat than a Golden.

A pill a day, and the loving care of his foster family, showed progress by late October.

And this week? This beautiful boy found his forever home…

because our dedicated team made it so. Hugs to all the quiet heroes of Homeward Bound – from Snuffy, with love.

Fostering

In my time volunteering at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden and chronicling it in this blog, I have encountered just about every breed – but to my mind, those who foster are a breed apart.

These are people who reserve a place in their homes – and hearts – to take in, train, love and heal dogs while they await, and prepare for, their forever homes. They do this knowing that their time together is too short and that their attachment will grow long.

Not everything is meant to last forever. Like this Lupine that bloomed well past its expectation,

but has finally departed in the baking heat of August. Withered though it is, it will have new life again next year.

At a blog I follow, Foster Tails, Zeedle is struggling with the impending adoption of her first foster, Sunny. While Aleks at Love and a Six Foot Leash, has been through the process many times. She chronicles her family’s quest to “open minds, win hearts and save lives through fostering”. For people who think they could never bear the loss, she writes beautifully about the heartache – and the rewards.

There are many ways to be a part of dog rescue. All important and all valued. But to my mind, fostering is one of the most noble because it involves such personal sacrifice. Wherever you live, if your home is right and your heart big enough, talk with your local rescue operation. People willing to foster are universally needed.

As they say…it’s the hardest job you’ll ever love. And to everything – there is a season.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
– Dr. Seuss

Heroes in the Garden

There are heroes among us. In the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, between the Dahlias…

and the Roses…

the Lupine…

and the delicate White Lavender…

you will find some of the heroes of Homeward Bound.

1. Robin and Jim – with their rescue, Owen who visited with us in the garden before “school” today.

Even the staff of HB was surprised by their pick; Owen had flunked adoption twice for his youthful exuberance and ill-mannered ways. A suggestion was made that they might want to foster first to determine if he was a good fit, Robin’s reply was simple: “I don’t return things.”

True to her word, she and Jim have put in the training and love needed for Owen to succeed. A month later, he is already a changed dog. He is still a work in progress, with much more training ahead. But it looks like he has found his forever home.

2. Laura. She and other dedicated dog-walkers were out early to get the dogs walked before the temperatures soared too high in the middle of our heat wave. She shared the Willow Garden – the coolest spot on the property – with her golden friend, Tom (such a ham!)

Here she is with Tristan – one of the dogs who has come all the way from Taiwan.

In the past few years, Homeward Bound has taken in over 30 dogs from Taiwan, working in partnership with the Taichung Universal Action Protection Association (TUAPA) and Asians for Humans, Animals and Nature (AHAN). Many have been adopted, but Tristan remains a much-loved Sanctuary dog due to his special needs.

3. Edna. A very special hero. She – too recently – said goodbye to yet another of her permanent fosters. She has another at home. And today, she arrived with with Jezell, her adopted pup, to share some tears, hugs, and to pick up yet another foster.

Edna is a long-time foster mom. From a 2007 newsletter speaking about one of her fosters with terminal cancer, she said, “For all that I give them; they give 1000 times more in return. It’s like having a ‘No Vacancy’ sign on your heart. All of them teach me life lessons every day. Even with Monty’s cancer, he shows me how to just be happy for this day and this moment. I try each day to celebrate his life and not cry so much about his dying. We have today and that’s a blessing.”

Edna’s heart seems to have endless capacity.

The world needs more Edna’s.