Here at Respect-A-Bull, we do not have a shelter.  We have a website and very few foster homes.  Dogs that enter our program don't spend one day in a kennel, they are all placed in home environments where they live like normal dogs.  

Stanley is fostered right here in my home.  He lives alongside myself, my son, my fiancé and our 3 other dogs.  Daisy, the 5 year old Pit Bull/Border Collie, Olive, the 18 month old Pit Bull and Bez, the 6 year old Boston Terrier.

Bringing a foster dog into the home is no small feat.  It takes everyone time to settle and adjust.  Bringing Stanley home added walks, detailed feeding guidelines to help him get the best meals possible, juggling medications and supplements and vet trips.  Not to mention meetings with reporters and fans! 

To be honest, the last few days have been rough.  We've had some issues arise with our resident dogs, Daisy and Olive and the whole house feels like it's been turned upside down.  I've been frustrated and stressed.  I'm not perfect, and neither are my dogs.  And Stanley, although loved the world over, is still just a regular dog.  A big, loveable, happy, untrained, energetic, sometimes-peeing-on-the-floor, regular dog. 

So, while we work hard to do the best we can, some days are easier than others.  As a foster home you must commit to the dog as if the dog is yours, you will do no good if you enter it half-assed.  But you'd be kidding yourself, and I'd be lying if I said it was always easy and stress free. 

Why do we do it?  Well, that's easy.  The work and stress of having them here and the heartache and longing that you feel when they are gone is all rewarded by knowing that you were one important step in saving a dog who otherwise didn't have a chance.  You take in a sick, run down, untrained dog and give the adopted family a vibrant, obedient dog. 

This morning, while I thought of ways to manage my current issues with the resident dogs, I found a link to a clip from the Oprah show about the state of dogs in shelters and the mass euthanasia.  Now, I get HUNDREDS of links to videos of dog stories and all of them have the ability to make you cry.  I don't cry about it.  I am able to see past the sadness and despair of the sad stories and focus on what I am doing to help.  I'm not shocked by it anymore.  Perhaps it's my experience working with elderly people in long term care.  If I allow myself to feel the pain of the loss of every person, it would be too hard to do what I do.  I remember them fondly, find solace that they are peaceful, and move on to help others.

However, when I watched the Oprah clip, I cried.  I cried because it was very real footage.  I cried because dogs are dying by the hundreds because we can't get it together to spay/neuter.  I cried because the dog that they put to sleep in the video is one I would gladly have pulled if I could.  I cried for the man who's job it is to inject the dogs, because he must live with such a weight on him.  I cried because, despite my frustration of the last few days, at my feet was one dog who once had that fate. 

Being a foster family is rewarding beyond belief.  For every meal, walk, run in the yard, toy and head scratch you give, the dog returns love in spades.  If you would like to foster, please let us know, or find a rescue in your area to talk to.  It's not for everyone and is a serious commitment.  But it is worth all of the effort....Stanley is testament to that.

The most popular question since we've become Stanley's foster home is "Will you keep him?"

The hardest part of fostering is giving the dog up to it's adoptive home.  But that is the goal we want.  Stanley will eventually move on from us, but he will go to a home that is perfect for him.  And no matter where he is, he will always be part of our family.  And he will always be everyone's dog. 

For the Oprah clip, click here.