Meet Nora, Foster Dogs NYC's newest volunteer. With her help, we will help bring awareness to the pet fostering efforts here in NYC and all around the nation. Nora is an incredibly cool chick, dedicated to animal rescue right down to her bones.
This woman has fostered fourteen dogs within the past couple years; we're in awe. We are proud to welcome Nora as part of the Foster Dogs NYC team!
How and when did you get involved with dog fostering?
I got involved with fostering about 18 months ago. My dog had died a couple years earlier and I was ready to have adopt a new one. However, my husband didn’t feel that my preferred type of dog – a large, high-energy working dog – was compatible with our current lifestyle, so fostering was a stop-gap compromise.
We’d foster small dogs (since I supposedly didn’t want to adopt a small dog), I’d get my dog fix, a dog would get a much needed temporary home, and my husband could rest easy that I wasn’t gonna get attached to a 70-pound crazy-energy-machine. Despite this plan though, we quickly went from a little seven pounder, to thirty-five, to sixty-five pounds in three successive foster dogs. As long as they weren’t high drive dogs, it turned out he was fine with any size in the apartment.
Also, fosters not only help by providing a much-needed temporary living situation, they also help seal the deal for adopters. Shelters can be intimidating environments for adopters. The animals are stressed. The setting unnatural. Who knows what could be under that ball of fur. But a cat or dog in foster is whole other thing. The adopter can see the animal in a home environment, see how much love and trust that animal has to give, and envision themselves the recipient of that animal’s affection. The foster can share with them what the animal is like – their quirky antics, their favorite games, their individual needs and testify that they are more than deserving of love and care from someone looking for a new pet.
Nora Ryan, interviewed by Site Editor Sarah
How and when did you get involved with dog fostering?
I got involved with fostering about 18 months ago. My dog had died a couple years earlier and I was ready to have adopt a new one. However, my husband didn’t feel that my preferred type of dog – a large, high-energy working dog – was compatible with our current lifestyle, so fostering was a stop-gap compromise.
We’d foster small dogs (since I supposedly didn’t want to adopt a small dog), I’d get my dog fix, a dog would get a much needed temporary home, and my husband could rest easy that I wasn’t gonna get attached to a 70-pound crazy-energy-machine. Despite this plan though, we quickly went from a little seven pounder, to thirty-five, to sixty-five pounds in three successive foster dogs. As long as they weren’t high drive dogs, it turned out he was fine with any size in the apartment.
Tell me about your first foster experience
My first foster was a 7-month old, 7 pound Chihuahua-mix named Ashley. She came from an amazing independent rescuer in Brooklyn who made the experience super easy. This rescuer was available to answer questions, picked the dog up every few weeks for adoption events, checked-in with me, and was always available when needed. Ashley was a very nervous, under-socialized dog with some pretty severe separation anxiety, which made for a pretty big learning curve. With her I ended up learning a ton about all the gentle yet effective positive reinforcement training methods, as well as great management techniques for helping a dog learn to better cope with the world. Was really fun! And such a huge education.
My first foster was a 7-month old, 7 pound Chihuahua-mix named Ashley. She came from an amazing independent rescuer in Brooklyn who made the experience super easy. This rescuer was available to answer questions, picked the dog up every few weeks for adoption events, checked-in with me, and was always available when needed. Ashley was a very nervous, under-socialized dog with some pretty severe separation anxiety, which made for a pretty big learning curve. With her I ended up learning a ton about all the gentle yet effective positive reinforcement training methods, as well as great management techniques for helping a dog learn to better cope with the world. Was really fun! And such a huge education.
What was the most difficult foster situation you've experienced?
My most difficult foster situation is either (1) my fourth foster, whom I very seriously considered adopting or (2) my fourteenth foster whose exuberant impulse control issues were out of this world. I can’t decide which was more difficult!
The first situation was really hard emotionally because she went from “foster” status to “almost, so close, practically-my-dog” status in my heart. However, shortly after switching her out of the foster compartment mentally, I decided I wanted to stick with fostering as my preferred way to contribute to animal welfare. With this decision, I knew that we couldn’t adopt her. At the time, we felt that once we adopted our own dog, we’d have to slow down the fostering since we really aren’t very happy with more than one dog in the house at a time. But she had already crossed over in my heart, so when she left us to go to her adoptive home, it was very, very heartbreaking.
The second situation was also difficult, but for totally different reasons. She was a dog with the sweetest, goofiest personality, but also the most exuberant lack of impulse control. This meant she was constantly mouthing, biting, and exploding with powerful energy every time she felt an urge of excitement. And at first, urges and surges would happen at just about everything. Oh! You’re petting me? Exciting! Let me mouth you! Hard. Oh! You’re sitting on the couch? Exciting! Let me jump on top of you and mouth you! Hard.
My most difficult foster situation is either (1) my fourth foster, whom I very seriously considered adopting or (2) my fourteenth foster whose exuberant impulse control issues were out of this world. I can’t decide which was more difficult!
The first situation was really hard emotionally because she went from “foster” status to “almost, so close, practically-my-dog” status in my heart. However, shortly after switching her out of the foster compartment mentally, I decided I wanted to stick with fostering as my preferred way to contribute to animal welfare. With this decision, I knew that we couldn’t adopt her. At the time, we felt that once we adopted our own dog, we’d have to slow down the fostering since we really aren’t very happy with more than one dog in the house at a time. But she had already crossed over in my heart, so when she left us to go to her adoptive home, it was very, very heartbreaking.
The second situation was also difficult, but for totally different reasons. She was a dog with the sweetest, goofiest personality, but also the most exuberant lack of impulse control. This meant she was constantly mouthing, biting, and exploding with powerful energy every time she felt an urge of excitement. And at first, urges and surges would happen at just about everything. Oh! You’re petting me? Exciting! Let me mouth you! Hard. Oh! You’re sitting on the couch? Exciting! Let me jump on top of you and mouth you! Hard.
For the first two weeks, it was just constant management using her crate as the timeout area for all that biting and over-excitement. Slowly but surely though, she figured it all out and by the end of our time together she was living with us like a normal family dog. After six weeks she went back to the shelter for adoption opportunities and became the office dog – this wonderful but overlooked dog who had been in her shelter kennel for six months! The staff said it was like she had gone to finishing school. She got scooped up by an independent rescue outfit shortly after that and I just got word that she was adopted last weekend.
How many dogs have you fostered?
Fourteen, including lucky number 13 whom we adopted.
Why should people foster a pet?
People should foster a pet because it’s incredibly rewarding and is one of the most impactful ways to positively affect the life of an animal in need.
Why should people foster a pet?
Ask most any rescue group or shelter, and second to funding, they will tell you that getting fosters for their animals is their biggest hurdle. Simply put, every person who opens their home to foster equals a life saved. This equation exists because our communities’ shelters are constantly being pushed beyond capacity. So, as long as animals are being euthanized daily just because our shelters are being inundating with more animals than there is space or resources, then there is a real and urgent need for members of the community to lend a hand through fostering. The good news is, with a little support, a little education, and a little handholding ordinary people can totally become successful fosters. It isn’t rocket science! Many, many wonderful souls end up in shelters or needing to be re-homed due to things like divorce or breakups, foreclosure, landlords, death in the family, life-altering illness, economic problems, lost with no identification or means to reunite with owners, or minor behavioral problems. Through fostering, however, regular citizens can provide the essential link that bridges the gap from unexpectedly homeless animal to newly adopted family pet.
I’ve talked with lots and lots of people who see pleas for fosters and think about doing it. But almost none of them do because taking that leap scary: What about my own pet at home? What about supplies? Am I on the hook for vet care? Am I now the owner of this animal? What if it’s all too much to handle? But I also know experienced fosters have a pretty simple message to share: if you have patience and care to give, the shelters and rescues have the support systems in place that can take you from novice bystander to active participant in saving lives. Don’t be scared. If we can do it, so can you!
I’ve talked with lots and lots of people who see pleas for fosters and think about doing it. But almost none of them do because taking that leap scary: What about my own pet at home? What about supplies? Am I on the hook for vet care? Am I now the owner of this animal? What if it’s all too much to handle? But I also know experienced fosters have a pretty simple message to share: if you have patience and care to give, the shelters and rescues have the support systems in place that can take you from novice bystander to active participant in saving lives. Don’t be scared. If we can do it, so can you!
Also, fosters not only help by providing a much-needed temporary living situation, they also help seal the deal for adopters. Shelters can be intimidating environments for adopters. The animals are stressed. The setting unnatural. Who knows what could be under that ball of fur. But a cat or dog in foster is whole other thing. The adopter can see the animal in a home environment, see how much love and trust that animal has to give, and envision themselves the recipient of that animal’s affection. The foster can share with them what the animal is like – their quirky antics, their favorite games, their individual needs and testify that they are more than deserving of love and care from someone looking for a new pet.
If there is one thing people should know, like I said above, it would be, Don’t be scared. If I can do it, so can you! If my friends who foster can do it, so can you! Take inspiration from all the regular folks who foster and know that you too can roll up your sleeves and lend a hand to help end the homeless pet epidemic that is happening nationwide. Annually, 3-4 million perfectly adoptable pets are euthanized for lack of space or resources, even though 4 times as many people are looking for a new pet, but fostering is exactly the solution to this problem. While awaiting adoption matches, pets deteriorate mentally, physically, and behaviorally even under the best of shelter conditions, and in the worst of conditions contract life-threatening diseases, but fostering is exactly the solution to this problem. The challenge to stem the tide of homeless pets while also converting current ones into newly adopted family members requires more manpower than the existent shelter and rescue infrastructure can offer, but fostering is exactly the solution to this problem. Foster for your local shelter or rescue group once, twice, a handful of times each year; change the life of that pet forever and help change the trajectory of animal welfare. The day is coming when we no longer have a homeless pet issue and communities banding together to foster is a big part of how we will make that happen.
Plus, it’s just really fun.
Plus, it’s just really fun.
Nora Ryan, interviewed by Site Editor Sarah
Great interview, Sarah.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Nora.