New Years Resolutions

WILL YOU BE THE CHANGE?

When I look around me I see cold wet noses and friendly eyes. For many people, the number of dogs and cats in my home would be an issue, for my husband and I it is merely our way of life. We have no children at home our offspring having grown, and themselves adults, moved away from home. Our house is not empty however, there are too many fur babies here to call it empty. I think I staved off empty nest syndrome when my last daughter left for college simply because you could still hear the pitter patter of tiny feet, even if they did belong to dogs and cats. Most of my friends who are not into animal rescue, think we are nuts for sharing our home with so many animals. We don’t see it that way, and I’ll tell you why.

Each of these animals was disposable to someone. They were seen as unimportant, not worth the effort to care for them, and they were thrown away. Each of them found their way to us, and for one reason or another stayed. The problem with being the final forever home for so many animals is not their upkeep or the expense involved, that has become a part of our daily routine and our yearly budget. The problem is that my house is full, and there are many more animals out there I can not help because I can not take them into my home.

Why am I telling you this?  Simply because without you, we can not save them! Without people like you willing to step forward and give an animal a second chance by becoming a foster, my hands are tied. Foster homes are the backbone of animal rescue. They are the safe haven from which to begin again, and they may very well be one of the most important elements in animal rescue.

Every time we put out a call for foster homes we struggle to find what we need. There are an overabundance of people willing to say “oh the poor thing, I hope someone steps up soon”. What we need is more people willing to say “I will step up and make a difference.” My Father always used to tell me, “if you want something done do not sit and wait for someone else to do it, step forward and be the example, others will follow.” So I am asking you to follow.

We are about to embark on the journey of a New Year, it is the time of year when people look at themselves and ask “what can I change about myself to make me a better person?” So this year when all of you are making your resolutions for the change you wish to make, consider becoming a foster care provider to an animal in need. The rewards far outweigh the work involved, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a new friend.

To Foster Families Everywhere

Your home may have been
The first one that I’d ever seen;
Your voice the first to teach, to praise,
To guide me through confusing days.
You’re the one who taught to me
What the We of a good dog ought to be.
Your patient persistence all the while
May have won my very 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 that 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.

–Kam Ellery, 2000

Those wishing to foster for Let’s Adopt should contact:

viktor@myletsadopt.com for European foster care

or

janettehamilton@bell.net for Canadian foster care

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK

Janette