EMILY DELETTER USA TODAY
With the clock ticking on Annie’s time left, Siler and Flores decided to help Annie carry out a bucket list. From Christmas in July to a hamburger tour, Annie began to experience the joys of living. And Siler said the bucket list only grew with time because she kept living.
“It ended up being a full year of adventures for Annie,” Siler said.
I live in Dallas and foster a lot. This story is really well-known here, and so wonderful
Hi @Lassie could you perhaps share some of your foster knowledge, stories and insights?
Many shelters are in crisis and their main, and often only resource for continuing their work helping animals in need are their foster carers, who are invaluable and often in very short supply.
Sharing the how. and why could help others look at becoming involved in this vital support for rescue orgs.
Thank you …
There are so many great foster stories and is is an incredibly rewarding experience. Knowing that you have saved a life (or many lives), maybe getting an animal healthy or old enough to be adopted, watching babies learn to walk, talk, eat and develop distinct personalities, and then seeing them find loving homes, is all so gratifying. I still get updates from some of the adoptive families.
As I write, I hear my 4 foster kittens playing in the bedroom above, sounding like a herd of baby elephants even though they only weigh about one kilo each! They are hilarious to watch.
I fostered 2 dogs, both of whom were hours away from being euthanized at the shelter for lack of space. Lorna and Panda were fabulous dogs, especially Lorna who couldn’t have been easier. Instead of being EUd, both dogs found adoptive homes very quickly and they are very loved
I have fostered over 60 cats and kittens. One sad story is slightly connected to THS. I was on a sit in Switzerland when I got a text from Dallas from a woman in dire need of help. She was being evicted and needed to find homes for her seven adult cats. If I hadn’t been in the middle of a beautiful Swiss lake, surrounded by Alpine scenery, feeling very privileged, I probably would have said that I couldn’t help. Instead, I spent the day networking with my rescue/foster contacts, and found somebody who could take the cats until I got back to Dallas 4 weeks later.
The cats were in terrible shape. They had fleas, mange (with hair loss), no vaccinations, and none had been spayed / neutered. With a mixture of males and females, it’s a wonder that only one was pregnant.
When I returned to Dallas, I took 5 of the cats. They were fearful and still needed lots of medical attention.
After a few months, their coats went from mangy to long, fluffy, luxurious and they were very affectionate. They were the most work of any of my fosters, but it was worth it
Some fosters can be really easy, some can be more work. People can take whatever animal they feel equipped to take. Kittens with their mother are probably the easiest (because the mom does most of the work!).
Thank you @Lassie for everything that you do.
… and it’s so lovely to hear that you still get updates from some of the adoptive families 
@Lassie Thank you for sharing and for all that you do for these rescue cats & dogs.
The cats that you fostered in the last photo look amazingly healthy and fluffy, so interesting to hear where they came from and the dedication it took to nurse them back to health.
The pups you fostered look adorable, I’m glad they both found amazing homes. Our only foster pup was Misty Moo who was also less than 24 hours from being EUd. It really puts the plight into perspective when you see it first-hand.
Thank you for sharing your story to help educate and raise awareness.
Enjoy your weekend with these little ones! 
@Lassie simply 
And I did it again yesterday🤦♀️. I saw the post on Nextdoor, it was over 100 degrees here and I couldn’t leave the kittens outside…
@Lassie Thank you for helping 
I foster whenever I am not sitting. I’ve had Jax here for 2 weeks now - he’s 9 yrs old and was found dumped in the woods, starving, with broken hip 
He is sweet, relaxed, obedient, and very loving. (And clearly very forgiving!) I’ve been trying everything to find him a new home with no luck. It’s hard to believe no one wants this wonderful dog! I am in South Carolina.
I take dogs out for overnights from the shelter to give them a break from the stress, noise and heat. But they do get attached to you, so the quicker they can find their forever person, the better.
Hi @ChristineH thank you so much for everything you do to help give Jax and pets like him a second chance to live their best lives or a life worthy of their unconditional love and in his case forgiveness for humans.
I do hope sharing here will help find him a new home and furrever family, goodness knows he deserves it and you for all the love, care and comfort you give.
Thank you for your foster carer’s labor of love
Good news! Sweet Jax found his forever dad - in Pennsylvania! The Friends of The Aiken Animal Shelter scrambled a ride for him and he went to his new life So happy for him.
Hi @ChristineH that’s fantastic news! Thank you for letting us know 
Hi @ChristineH such wonderful news, thank you so much for sharing the work and successes of so many amazing people.
Be happy Jax in your furrever home 
