The Foster Family

We are a family of four who came about this work as the result of a dog named Alice.  Alice was a dachshund mix who we adopted from Animal Control in Jacksonville, FL.  Alice lived to be 15 and transformed me from being a cat person to being totally in love with dogs.  I do this work to honor her and the many dogs out there like her who have no home, who have often been neglected or abused and who have the faith and grace to give humans another chance.  We began fostering in 2007 and began specializing in fostering moms and their pups in 2009.

This is a family commitment and it takes a lot of time and effort.  My husband is an amazing man who gets up at 4am to clean up any puppy messes that occurred overnight and to help feed and care for all of the pups we’re caring for (which has gotten up to 15 at one time).  My kids are equally phenomenal as they help care for and train the puppies while they are with us.   Our kids are 13 (boy) and 8 (girl) which is a good age for kids living with dachshunds.  We are known as the ‘puppy family’ at school and throughout the neighborhood.  Fostering puppies certainly gives my kids a remarkable experience (most kids love puppies and we have and endless stream of them coming through the house).  A foster family with children also helps the dachshunds by because they get accustom to 'little kid energy'.  For some reason dachshunds have received a reputation of not being kid-compatible.  We want to change that perception and believe respectful handling by children from the time they are born can help them be comfortable with children.  We believe children age 7 and up can be wonderful companions for any animal.

We are always asked how we manage all of this with the schedules of a busy family.  It’s a team effort and we’ve become a well-oiled engine!   We’re also frequently asked how we manage the emotions of saying goodbye to these puppies as they go on to their forever homes.  I’ll be honest and admit it is difficult and there have been many messy crying episodes (mostly on my behalf) but what I have learned through all of this is that love, true love, is unconditional and without attachment.  So I have had to learn to love, to open my heart fully, without attaching and knowing our fosters are going to phenomenal homes.  There is something very spiritual in this work.   I am always in awe at the synergy of bringing together the adopting family and the foster dog.  It's always been a case of 'they were just meant for each other'.  We're honored to be a part of this process.