It was the spring of 2018 when I made the commitment to foster a dog for the first time through Last Paw Rescue. I adopted my dog through the rescue and became good friends with one of the volunteers who also lived in Chippewa Falls. She convinced me to open my heart and my home because without the help of volunteers, hundreds of homeless dogs would be euthanized or left behind. This really spoke to me because after I adopted my own dog, I could not imagine all of the other dogs who would never have a home, a bed to sleep in, eat a proper meal, or play with a toy because no one would give them a chance. The founders of Last Paw Rescue, Kathy and Kim, are based in Tomah but the volunteers are scattered all over Wisconsin. Each month, they transport hundreds of dogs from a high kill shelter located in Texas and take the 18-hour drive back to Wisconsin. They can only bring the dogs that the volunteers have committed to foster. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try since I would just be offering a temporary home until the dog was adopted.
My first foster dog was a black lab named Bea. I looked at the photo that they provided to me and I actually kind of fell in love with her. She was a beautiful black lab with a silly under-bite. Black dogs are often left forgotten or overlooked. They get euthanized at higher rates and linger at shelters longer than lighter colored dogs. I feel like this may be due to the fact that many black dogs are often viewed as aggressive, intimidating, or evil. Black dogs are also more difficult to photograph so their personalities are masked in darkness. It was a Sunday when I took the drive to Tomah to pick her up. When I finally arrived at the building, I saw some volunteers spraying out metal crates that had been filled with urine and feces. It made me anxious and I wondered if I had made a horrible mistake by agreeing to foster a homeless dog. When I walked into the building, I was overpowered by the smell of feces, urine, and everything in between. The air was thick, and there were hundreds of dogs in crates, barking at me as I walked by. My eyes teared up because it made me sad to see the dogs in the condition they were in. Some were pacing around, dirty, matted, or had either urinated or defecated in their crate. I could tell that a lot of them were scared, stressed, and confused about what was going to happen next. Kim, said to me, "It's kind of overwhelming, isn't it?"
I was definitely overwhelmed. I was relieved when I finally got to meet Bea and she was even more beautiful in person. She was quiet and her coat had a layer of dust over it but I knew she just needed a good bath. She wasn't a wild, rabid dog like I had imagined upon entering the building. Kim told me, "Some of the dogs get adopted right away, but some are in foster homes for months." She said she wasn't sure what attracted people to certain dogs but not others. Kim gave me the paperwork and Bea and I hit the road. A lot of people don't know what they get themselves into when they adopt a rescue dog. Most of the dogs are dogs that have been living on the streets most of their lives, eating garbage, and sleeping in whatever brush they could find. They are exposed to a lot of mosquitoes, ticks, and all types of parasites. Some have missing limbs, mange, and had even gone through a vigorous heart worm treatment. Some of the dogs were even found with bullets in them, or were just abandoned in a crate by their owners. No one knows their stories. With every dog, there is the risk of behavioral issues, health issues, and so much more that people don't realize. A person really has to have a lot of patience and a big heart to open their home to a rescue dog. Each dog has gone through something traumatizing and it can be a rough road. Once you get past those hurdles, the love you get in return is worth all the trouble.
When I brought Bea home, she got along pretty well with my own dogs. I think my dogs could sense her anxiousness and stress so they didn't try to mess with her too much. The only problem was that she had been roaming the streets and living in a shelter so she was not properly potty trained. I knew there was going to be an adjustment period for her so I didn't get too upset when she had accidents in my house. There wasn't much about her background in her paperwork so I had no idea what happened prior to her being rescued by the shelter. I took some photos of her and she was literally only advertised for a day when I received notifications that there were 4-5 people interested in meeting her. I eventually set up a meet and greet with a couple who had a yellow lab. I knew that they were the perfect family for her because of their friendly personalities, stability, and their home was nice and spacious. It would also be good for Bea to have a dog companion to teach her the ways and that she no longer had to scavenge for her next meal. The couple was instantly in love with her and adopted her right away. It was hard to let her go because I was falling in love with her already myself. But when I knew that I had found the perfect home for her, I felt a sense of pride knowing that I changed a life and saved a life. It was the most rewarding feeling to be able to match Bea with her new forever family.
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