It all started with my wanting a dog—a big dog. You see, I love to walk, and I love to walk with dogs, but since I’m a female and most often walk alone, I wanted a dog that was big enough to make “stranger danger” think twice about approaching me. However, since I have allergies to dogs, only a certain kind of dog would do: I have a miniature schnauzer, and I’ve had poodles. For some reason their “hair” doesn’t seem to bother me, whereas the dogs with “fur” like Australian Shepherds and the like make my nose run, my eyes itch, and cause welts when I touch them.
So I started somewhat obsessively visiting the Gallup McKinley Humane Society and checking out every dog I found that seemed it might fit my needs. One day last summer when I was there my daughter Anna, I saw and fell in love with this large male dog named Marley. He had a wonderful personality, was already neutered, was healthy, and relished being loved on. The trouble was that he also made me sneeze, itch, and develop welts, so I knew he wasn’t the one for me. As my weekly visit continued I would visit Marley too, wishing somehow that I could take him home. But, as the weeks progressed Anna and I noticed something else: we noticed Marley getting quieter, sadder, and more withdrawn, until one day he was no longer there. (We believe, although it was never confirmed, that he finally had to be euthanized to make room for other dogs or because he got sick.)
This broke my heart and from that moment on I developed a strong desire to help whatever dog I could, but how? I already mentioned my allergies. And, even if I weren’t allergic, how many dogs can one person adopt and really care for? That’s when I first learned about fostering animals and where, really, my introduction to fostering for the Humane Society started.
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| Lucky and Pups |
Our first foster was a Border Collie we called Lucky. She had one bad eye, and was thin from having six puppies, but otherwise was fairly healthy when we got her. Oh the hours we spent enjoying her! She quickly learned to walk on a leash and went on long, long walks with me. She had six puppies that were as cute as can be. They were a variety of colors, and shapes, and even fur types (some of them must have looked like their father). They too got hours of cuddling, and loving as we all had our favorite and spent lots of time holding it.
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| Heidi who loved to hike |
The next foster we got was a pure white Australian Shepherd who loved, I mean really loved, to run in the outdoors. We took her hiking on the High Desert Trail and she was never happier than when she could just be free to run and enjoy life. She too had pups, and one of them was blind. We all cheered for him as he learned how to maneuver around the obstacles in our yard and was so very happy to come to us whenever he heard us. In an interesting twist he finally found a permanent home with an ophthalmologist and her husband.
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| Jay, Jay the blind pup |
I could go on and on describing each of the dogs that has come through our home and given us a bit of joy this past seven months. Each of the batches of dogs have had some issues, some easier to deal with than others, but each batch of dogs has also brought us joy, affection, and a bit of humor (we had two puppies that were so wide and had such short legs that they waddled and this made us laugh each time we saw them!).
For us this really is a family affair. My daughter even started a blog to document what she’s learned about dogs (she’s in 8th grade). She’s often seen carrying around one puppy or another. My sons (7th, and 5th grade) help also in the cleaning, caring, and socializing of the dogs. And, all of us (even my husband) feel a bit sad when each batch of dogs leaves us—sad because we do miss them, but happy for them that they’re headed off to find good adoptive homes.
And, that brings me to the biggest joy of all. You see, we are involved in saving lives! Because of our involvement in their lives, Marly’s story didn’t happen to these dogs. Instead, these dogs will find homes that will love and cherish them, and it might not have happened if we hadn’t decided to be part of their lives.
