A TRIBUTE TO OUR FOSTERS. . . PAST AND PRESENT

. . .without whose devotion, love and selfless giving our rescue would cease to function.

A Poem for Fosters
I am the bridge
Between what was and what can be.
I am the pathway to a new life.
I am made of mush,
Because my heart melted when I saw you,
Matted and sore, limping, depressed,
Lonely, unwanted, afraid to love.
For one little time you are mine.
I will feed you with my own hand
I will love you with my whole heart
I will make you whole.
I am made of steel.
Because when the time comes,
When you are well, and sleek,
When your eyes shine,
And your tail wags with joy
Then comes the hard part.
I will let you go -- not without a tear,
But without a regret.
For you are safe forever -- A new dog needs me now.

- -Diane Morgan

Our very first foster, Lisa, her rescued best friend, Niki; her rescue furkid, Apache; and Cujo, the cat
Foster mom, Wendy, was always willing to step up for our furkids	Jim and Terri were rock stars when it came to whelping puppies!
Cyndi and her "Dalmation Plantation" with Ben, her rescue baby (under Cyndi's chair at left)

If there's a kitty friendly dog...then Deb & Jake are your fosters!	Michelle & Tony stepped up for shy little Cadie, who is learning to be a "farm dog"
Bert with rescue kid, Mattie; Baer and Belle, the cat	The Mennenga Family

To Foster Families Everywhere--
Your home may have been the first kind one I'd ever seen;
Your voice the first to teach, to praise, to guide me through confusing days.
You're the one who taught me what the life of a good dog ought to be.
Your patient persistence all the while may have won my first doggie smile.
And now that I am off to roam with the family of my "FOREVER" home,
Yours is the home I will always dream of; Your gentle hands, your smiling love,
The way you coaxed tangles out of my coat, the sound of your voice, yes, every note.
If they learn to love me the way you do I will know that I owe my acceptance to you.
Though my paws may wander far away,
Yours is the home where I learned to stay.
Author: Karen Ellery
Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue

Jasper and foster parents Richard and Michele	Hunter with foster parents Victoria and Dan	Heidi, Jason and Bailey make room for Trooper in their home
Foster parents Meagen and Jeff, and foster brother, Leonard, welcome Candy into their hearts and home	Prospective Foster Mom Leslie gets acquainted with Shadia and finds out how wonderful living with a good temperamented German Shepherd can be!	Our appreciation goes out to Chris, the newest member of our foster team, for bailing Zena out of jail and giving her a chance at a normal life
Tyler is in good hands with new foster parents, Lydia and Mike	Foster Mom Betty and foster sister Gypsy make Stryker feel right at home	Mica joins our rescue team of foster moms as she welcomes Weiss and Nevada from California
New Foster Mom Dorothy takes on her first "assignment" -- Trump	Our newest fosters, Matt & Cindi, take on a challenge all the way from Vegas	Ashley joins the ranks of our foster moms by taking on Mama Dog Angel
CYNDI PULLS TRIPLE DUTY AS OUR VOLUNTEER-TRANSPORTER & FOSTER FOR MANY ORPHANS IN YUMA
Mike signed up as a foster, and wound up adopting Crystal	Ralph stepped right up for Beckie (now renamed Sheba)	Our thanks to Stephanie who offered Chilly a foster home and a chance at a better life
New Foster Mom Kerri welcomes Molly all the way from California	Teton welcomes Foster Mom Sophia to our rescue family	The Chavez Family fostered then adopted Kimber and opened up their homes and hearts to Tiberius
Our thanks go out to foster parents like Scott and Kynah, who jumped right in with Kevin and then added Layla just for fun	Foster Mom Laura thinks it's important to bring Fergie out to Boot Camp	Fosters Barb & Jay have their hands full with Koda, Aspen and their own little Ella
Tom and his daughter Mackenzie have been tireless in fostering many of our displaced orphans including (from left) Dallas, Starr & Caspar, Oso, Lady & Buster and Sedona (and many more)

My Foster Dog is Beautiful

by Martha O'Connor

My foster dog stinks to high heaven. I don't know for sure what breed he is. His eyes are blank and hard. He won't let me pet him and growls when I reach for him. He has ragged scars and crusty sores on his skin. His nails are long and his teeth which he showed me are stained. I sigh. I drove two hours for this. I carefully maneuver him so that I can stuff him in the crate. Then I heft the crate and put it in the car. I am going home with my new foster dog.

At home I leave him in the crate till all the other dogs are in the yard. I get him out of the crate and ask him if he wants 'outside.' As I lead him to the door he hikes his leg on the wall and shows me his stained teeth again. When we come in he goes to the crate because that's the only safe place he sees. I offer him food but he won't eat it if I look at him, so I turn my back. When I come back the food is gone. I ask again about 'outside.' When we come back I pat him before I let him in the crate, he jerks away and runs into the crate to show me his teeth.

The next day I decide I can't stand the stink any longer I lead him into the bath with cheese in my hand. His fear of me is not quite overcome by his wish for the cheese. And well he should fear me, for I will give him a bath.

After an attempt or two to bail out he is defeated and stands there. I have bathed four legged bath squirters for more dog years than he has been alive. His only defense was a show of his stained teeth that did not hold up to a face full of water. As I wash him it is almost as if I wash not only the stink and dirt away but also some of his hardness. His eyes look full of sadness now. And he looks completely pitiful as only a soap covered dog can.

I tell him that he will feel better when he is cleaned. After the soap the towels are not too bad so he lets me rub him dry. I take him outside. He runs for joy. The joy of not being in the tub and the joy of being clean. I, the bath giver, am allowed to share the joy. He comes to me and lets me pet him.

One week later I have a vet bill. His skin is healing. He likes for me to pet him. I think I know what color he will be when his hair grows in. I have found out he is terrified of other dogs. So I carefully introduce him to my mildest four legged brat. It doesn't go well.

Two weeks later a new vet bill for an infection that was missed on the first visit. He plays with the other dogs.

Three weeks later he asks to be petted. He chewed up part of the rug.

Eight weeks later his coat shines, he has gained weight. He shows his clean teeth when his tongue lolls out after he plays chase in the yard with the gang. His eyes are soft and filled with life. He loves hugs and likes to show off his tricks, if you have the cheese.

Someone called today and asked about him, they saw the picture I took the first week. They asked about his personality, his history, his breed. They asked if he was pretty. I asked them lots of questions. I checked up on them. I prayed. I said yes. When they saw him the first time they said he was the most beautiful dog they had ever seen.

Six months later I got a call from his new family. He is wonderful, smart, well behaved and very loving. How could someone not want him?

I told them I didn't know.

He is beautiful.

THEY ALL ARE!