I wrote a bit about “rent a dog” services vs fostering rescue dogs. The first one amused me with its existence. The second one amazes me with the wonders it can work. The trip to WA really brought home the value of foster homes and giving a dog a loving environment, if only for a little while. It might surprise you to know that many of the dogs we took to WA were deemed unadoptable simply because they were too shy; might even bite out of fear. They had spent at the most a week with foster families and then four days in the bus with us playing with them and letting them sleep on the bed. Like most dogs, they completely entertained us with their antics. And, because of that little attention in a short time period and learning they could trust people, by the time they were handed over to their new families – Cringing? Flinching? Nipping out of fear? Are you kidding? They went right into their new families homes to be petted, played with and loved.

Fostering is literally a lifesaver for so many dogs, but Pets Across USA is all about helping the humans who care about dogs, too. And education. Like I said earlier, I’m just like many readers. I’m learning how dogs think, how they help their owners and how rescue groups work. Tomorrow I want to post a list of reasons to consider fostering dogs and how it benefits the families as much as the dogs. The truth is I want to print the rest tomorrow to keep these as short as I can because you’ll be more likely to read. And make comments. I’m learning, too, and these are just my observations. I’d like to know where I get it wrong and what other ideas you come up with.