Falling in Love with Fosters
For new fosters, it can be hard to say goodbye to the animal they’ve helped raise, whether it’s been a day, a week, a month or longer. Adrianne B. is no exception, even after having fostered 250 cats and dogs!
“I fall in love with every single foster and it is hard to let them go... but it always feels great when you find wonderful adopters and homes,” she explains.
Adrianne has been volunteering and fostering with BARCS for eight years. Her interest in animal welfare began when she was just a kid, and as an adult, she was always looking for ways to help. One day, her son’s friend found two orphan baby kittens while he was in Fells Point. When his friend realized he didn’t know how to care for them, Adrianne stepped up.
Because her daughter was already fostering for BARCS, Adrianne knew the first step would be to get in touch with our staff. When she did, we recommended that she take over the kittens’ care and provided resources for her to do so successfully.
After that first litter, Adrianne hasn’t slowed down. She first started fostering kittens, then moms with babies. Next came adult medical and behavioral cats. Then she tried puppies, moms with puppies, adult medical dogs and then bottle baby kittens. Whoever needs help the most, Adrianne is always there to help.
She explains, “I’ve had lots of great experiences, and they always outweigh the challenging ones. The Governor even adopted two of my fosters, which was very cool, and I still get updates from his press secretary.”
And while she’s had an array of experiences, Adrianne’s favorites have to be her four “foster fails:” three cats and a puppy. Of course, she notes that all of her foster animals hold a special place in her heart, even after they find their happy endings.
At BARCS, we are nothing without our fosters. Each person plays an invaluable role in saving the lives of Baltimore’s most vulnerable animals. Without people like Adrianne helping us, we couldn’t have nearly as many happy endings as we do.
As Adrianne put it, “Fostering is important so you can help animals grow to become healthy, happy and loving pets. When that happens, they have a better chance of finding their forever homes. And when you foster, you are ultimately saving two lives: the one you are fostering and the one you are making room for in the shelter. In the eight years I have been fostering, I have personally, along with my family, have fostered around 250 animals, and all of them has taken a piece of my heart with them. I could not love these animals any more than I already do. I am glad I am part of the rescue community and doing my small part in saving the lives of the animals that I have fostered.”
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