A Forever Home

Each year, the company I work for sponsors an event at America’s Family Pet Expo. The show is a place for vendors to sell pet products and for visitors to learn about animals from clubs and groups that raise them.

But also at the show are the rescues and shelters that help keep strays and abandoned animals from being euthanized. These groups rescue animals from shelters that don’t have the space or funding to keep them, and work to find them new homes. Many have fostering programs where the animals are introduced into homes and socialized, trained to live in a loving home and prepared for a new life.

The department I work in puts on a “fashion show” every year. Twice a day for the three-day duration of the show, we go to the various rescue booths at the show and pick out animals to dress in a funny costume, and walk up and down the the “runway”. I have been fortunate to work this show for the last two years, and this year acted as an announcer for three of the four events where I was present.

The back stories on the dogs we showed varied, but most will break your heart. Like the dog who had to be left behind when its owner was deployed to Iraq. Or the litter of puppies that was left homeless when their owner was killed in a motorcycle accident. One poor pup really got to me, however.

Luna is a 9-month old German Shepard. She is sweet, but her life has been tough till now. Her previous owners didn’t do her any favors, and at 9 months she’s already had a litter of puppies that had to be delivered by C-section. Unfortunately, she was vaccinated during her pregnancy, and the puppies were born with birth defects and none survived. Serendipitously, the rescue had also received a litter of Australian Sheepdog puppies, and Luna became their foster mom, nursing them along even as she was being fostered in a home herself.

Luna was very timid. Getting her up on the stage was difficult as she just didn’t want to in front of the crowd. Given her history, you can certainly understand why she would be scared about anything new. Yet it only took me a few seconds backstage to get her to warm up to me.

All these pups want is to find their “forever home”. Often, folks decide they want a pet without really knowing what it requires. Knowing the pet’s personality and tendencies is crucial to being able to provide a good home for as long as the pet lives. This is one of the many reasons to find your next pet at a rescue. Shelters do their best, but the volume of animals they receive is overwhelming. We were told yesterday that some shelters here in Southern California are getting as many as 500 animals a week. At that volume, they simply cannot care for all of them, and the rate at which they are euthanized is heat-breaking. Rescues do their best to pull the animals from the shelters before this happens (one dog yesterday was rescued less than an hour before her scheduled euthanizing).

The rescues then take these dogs in, often putting them in foster homes. The dogs are trained, socialized, and most importantly, their personality comes out. The folks at the rescues help heal the dogs if they need it, and they get to know the dogs. They can tell you if the dog likes to run, go on hikes, sit on the couch, is good with kids, can handle being around cats – in short, they know the dogs. You’re not getting an unknown animal. You’re getting an animal that will fit with your lifestyle.

Another thing to consider is the age of the animal. Puppies are cute, but require training. But adult and senior dogs as a rule are already housebroken, usually do well on a leash, and have better habits than puppies. They’ll be less rambunctious, yet have plenty of love to give you. If you are looking for a pet to take home, please consider some of the older animals. They’ll give you back the love you give them and then some.

Some of the folks who work the show with us find it depressing. They see all the animals that need homes and it makes them sad. I’m on the opposite side of the fence. Last year, over 600 animals were adopted at the show, and we were a part of that. It makes me happy to know that some animals found their forever home because of our efforts.

I spent a couple of hours between shows yesterday shooting some of the animals at the show. If any of these pictures touches your heart, consider helping out a local rescue with your time, a donation, or giving a rescued animal a home.