Ray Line never had been a dog person, but Sully didn’t know that.
As Line sat on a couch in his Mira Mesa living room, Sully, a little dachshund-beagle mix, burrowed into his lap as Line rubbed his ears.
Line was explaining how he and his wife, Jennifer, volunteered to provide a foster home for Sully while Second Chance Dog Rescue found him a home. After caring for him for about a week, the Lines adopted him. That was about two years ago. The same thing happened recently, when Hopper, a miniature pinscher/Chihuahua, started out in foster care and then was adopted.
“I never grew up with dogs,” says Line. “It’s kind of opened my eyes. Now I wish I had pets when I was growing up.”
Now, the two little dogs have the run of the house, scampering between rooms, wrestling and carting around toys much bigger than they are. Meanwhile, the Lines’ two children, ages 7 and 8, adore the dogs, help care for them and actually give up computer time to play with them.
“They’re learning the responsibility and nurturing aspects,” says Line. “It’s actually helped us as parents.”
What the Lines have experienced as a foster family for Second Chance Dog Rescue isn’t unusual. Many who volunteer to foster a dog for a short period actually end up adopting the animal, says Robin Giuntini, the organization’s foster coordinator.
But, it’s not the norm. Most foster-care givers provide a temporary shelter until the group can match the animal with a permanent home.
Giuntini, in fact, has fostered 25 dogs, one at a time for short periods. Most are adopted within two to four weeks, she says.
“Initially I just did it because I became a regular event volunteer at the adoption events,” Giuntini says of the group’s regular events all over the county. “So they asked me to take a dog home, and once I had it for a few weeks and I saw how little I really needed to contribute to change the life of that dog, you’re hooked.”
Ever since Second Chance Dog Rescue was founded in 2008, it has depended on its foster program. Without a brick-and-mortar facility to take care of the dogs it takes in from local shelters and individuals, the organization always is in desperate need of foster volunteers.
Last year, Second Chance adopted out about 1,200 dogs and took in anywhere from 50 to 100 dogs per month. But the organization needs to keep pace with new foster volunteers, as some people drop out and others adopt their foster dogs. Additionally, says Giuntini, Second Chance is always looking for people willing to take care of special-needs and older dogs until they can find homes.
“Without the fosters, we can’t rescue a single dog,” she says.
Time after time, Giuntini says she hears from foster volunteers that they get as much out of the experience as the dogs.
“You really do,” she says. “The dogs are great, especially grateful. I mean, they transition immediately, the first day out of the shelter. They’re just so happy to have that one-on-one human interaction and affection after many weeks or months without that.”
~ Courtesy of U-T San Diego
Tags: dog adoptions, dog fosters, dog rescue, foster adoptions, Second Chance Dog Rescue
