By Lorraine Pescatore
I was asked to write about why we foster for Gulf Coast Humane Society. We are retired and started walking dogs for GCHS in 2012 and when we heard that they needed someone to foster a mom with 6 pups I knew we needed to help.
Fostering a mom and her pups is really amazing watching as the pups change each day. They are so tiny when we get them and after being with us a couple days the mom learns to trust us and let us hold the pups, watching us very carefully to be sure we’re not going to hurt them. Even though they can't see their mother they know when she is near and they scoot over to her to be fed. Before you know it their eyes are open and they are trying to walk or I should say stumble. Then it seems like next day, they are running and playing with their siblings.
We have put up an area that is fenced with a gate with a 4 inch ridge where the gate is located, one day they can't get out over the ridge and before you know it one is out then another. Poor mom gets no peace and quiet once they have all figured out how to get out and follow her.
The first time we take them outside, the look on their faces say, “Grass? What the heck is that?” They crawl all over us staying close until they realize they can walk on the grass and not get hurt then look out - they are everywhere.
We love to hold and play with them every day as it helps to socialize them. We are very lucky our neighbors also love animals and they come over to spoil each pup and their mom.
Since 2012 we have fostered 140 mothers with their pups, and loved every minute. Of course we were foster failures twice. We adopted the first mom we had and a pup from another litter. People can't understand how we can take them back to be adopted. By the time they are eight weeks they are ready to bring love and kisses to another family. We watch the GCHS website every day to see when they are adopted to their forever homes.
I was asked to write about why we foster for Gulf Coast Humane Society. We are retired and started walking dogs for GCHS in 2012 and when we heard that they needed someone to foster a mom with 6 pups I knew we needed to help.
Fostering a mom and her pups is really amazing watching as the pups change each day. They are so tiny when we get them and after being with us a couple days the mom learns to trust us and let us hold the pups, watching us very carefully to be sure we’re not going to hurt them. Even though they can't see their mother they know when she is near and they scoot over to her to be fed. Before you know it their eyes are open and they are trying to walk or I should say stumble. Then it seems like next day, they are running and playing with their siblings.
We have put up an area that is fenced with a gate with a 4 inch ridge where the gate is located, one day they can't get out over the ridge and before you know it one is out then another. Poor mom gets no peace and quiet once they have all figured out how to get out and follow her.
The first time we take them outside, the look on their faces say, “Grass? What the heck is that?” They crawl all over us staying close until they realize they can walk on the grass and not get hurt then look out - they are everywhere.
We love to hold and play with them every day as it helps to socialize them. We are very lucky our neighbors also love animals and they come over to spoil each pup and their mom.
Since 2012 we have fostered 140 mothers with their pups, and loved every minute. Of course we were foster failures twice. We adopted the first mom we had and a pup from another litter. People can't understand how we can take them back to be adopted. By the time they are eight weeks they are ready to bring love and kisses to another family. We watch the GCHS website every day to see when they are adopted to their forever homes.
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