We asked the pet foster community how they commemorate each adoption… and an overwhelming number of people said that opening their door to another foster pet is the best way to celebrate. It’s like a revolving door of pets! These repeat foster parents have adopted the foster lifestyle and they’re the key to saving more lives!
Featuring conversations with…
Dan Schachner – @danschachner
Sara Massarsky – @htxdogfoster
Christine Nendick – @rescueinstyle
Megan Penney – @mpenney627
Luanne Czesak – @thesatoproject
Ana Pulido – @can.i.pet.your.foster.dog
Bailey Spiteri – @whatisbaileydoing
Milla Chappell – @realhappydogs
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This episode was produced and hosted by Stacey Axelrod, with production assistance from Kate Trahan, Lauren Cattan, Daniela Escobar Blaines, and Sarah Brasky.
Sound mixing and mastering by Jack Braglia.
Why We Foster was created by NYC Pet Photographer Stacey Axelrod and brought to you by Foster Dogs, the leading organization in creating positive, inclusive foster communities.
Support the show with a donation to Foster Dogs!
Transcript:
Dan Schachner: By bringing in a dog from the shelter, you're saving that one life, and you're probably saving another life by letting the shelter take in another dog on their own. So fostering to me, it really saves two lives, not one. By letting that first dog go... no matter how sweet he was, and how much you loved to cuddle with him, and how much you're going to miss him... Every time that foster leaves your home, you are making room in your own home for another dog, and you're literally saving another life.
Stacey Axelrod: Hello, and welcome to Why We Foster, the podcast all about the pet foster community. I'm Stacey Axelrod, and what you just heard is the reason why Dan Schachner fosters pets. Here's why he started fostering in the first place.
Dan Schachner: So it was born for me out of necessity more than a choice because I took this job for Puppy Bowl in 2009 I believe? They needed somebody to be a spokesperson, not just for the show, but an advocate for adoption, which was the main mission of Puppy Bowl. I certainly was ready for it, I stepped up for it. But we have two small kids in this house, we have a very busy household, and I simply couldn't adopt a dog.
And that's how, that's how fostering became a permanent solution for me. I just realized, well this is great, we can meet a variety of dogs from all walks of life, all breed mixes, I can work with a variety of shelters, which is very important for me in my work and research for Animal Planet, is getting to know shelters from all across the country, and I have fostered from shelters and rescues all across the country.
And what my family and I realized is that fostering by itself can be a permanent option. You can be a permanent foster parent. And again this is the advantage for us. When we do travel or we do go out of town fostering does allow us a little bit of freedom and flexibility. And it allowed that sort of, that that sort of, um, I don't know, that continuance in my life of new experience with dogs.
To date, my family and I have fostered 40 approximately dogs, since we began this. Will we eventually adopt? Yes. But right now, you know where we are in our life, fostering is the best solution and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's, it's just good vibes all around, and I feel like my world is bigger. I love it.
Stacey Axelrod: So Dan started fostering dogs because he wasn't yet ready to adopt a dog of his own. Now over a decade later, Dan and his family have adopted the foster lifestyle. They have said goodbye over 40 times, that's over 40 adoptions, over 40 open spots for a shelter or rescue to help even more pets in need. And one very reliable foster family making a huge difference for the entire animal rescue system.
Here in the United States, we have an incredible and robust system of animal rescue and rehoming in which municipal animal shelters, private nonprofit rescue organizations, transport services, and individuals all work together toward the common goal of saving as many pet lives as possible. For most of those organizations on the front lines of animal rescue, foster homes are the key to keeping the whole system moving.
I always imagine foster homes having these big, beautiful, revolving doors where pets come and go along their journey to adoption. Each time you say goodbye to a foster pet, the door swings around with a whole new experience, a whole new story. And each time you welcome a new foster pet, the shelter can open its door to another pet in need.
Sara Massarsky: So oftentimes your volunteer work is multiplied. Because you're saving the dog you're working with and you're opening up space for the next foster dog to go into that shelter that someone else will pick up.
Stacey Axelrod: That's Sara Massarsky, a dog foster parent in Houston, Texas. I really love how she described the experience of saying goodbye to foster pets.
Sara Massarsky: When saying goodbye, it's always an opportunity for the next hello. You can save another dog.
Stacey Axelrod: And what better way to get over saying goodbye to one foster... than by saying hello to another?
On this episode of Why We Foster, we bring you stories of repeat fosters, those homes with the revolving doors that keep the whole rescue system moving. First up is Chicago foster mom Christine Nendick.
Christine Nendick: So, the reason I fostered cats to begin with is because I was too afraid to foster a dog, cause I was like, oh I'll get attached if I foster a dog. So I'll just foster some kittens because I don't like cats.
Stacey Axelrod: Like many new foster parents, Christine did get attached, but not in the way she expected.
Christine Nendick: So my husband and I got married in 2016 and we were like, let's give ourselves a full year of very little responsibilities so we can travel a lot and not have to worry about anything. And so we were like, okay, we'll give ourselves a year and we'll get a dog in the spring, cause it's, it's winter in Chicago, right? No one wants a dog.
Six months later I was like, okay, that was cool, but I really want some animals now. And so he's like, okay, but I really don't want to foster a dog. And I was like, yeah, no, we'll totally get attached to a dog and we don't want a dog now. So let's foster kittens because... we don't like cats! We're not cat people, we're not kitten people. Like, they'll be here for two weeks, and then they'll leave and they'll get adopted and like, it'll be fun, but no, we don't like cats.
We fostered three kittens named Mac, Roni, and Cheese. My gosh, they were the cutest frickin’ kittens I've ever seen to this day, I swear to goodness. I'm like, next time you guys have to give me, like, ugly mean kittens, not the cutest ones off the first batch. And well, um, shocking; we kept them!
Stacey Axelrod: That's right. Christine was a first time Foster Fail, which just means she fell in love with her very first foster kittens and adopted them. But she kept her door open to animals in need and soon became completely attached, not to dogs like she expected, but to fostering!
Christine Nendick: Well here I am, four years later, obsessed with cats and fostering like 87 cats later.
Stacey Axelrod: So Christine discovered her inner cat person and a passion for fostering that would eventually change the course of her life and career. Fostering kittens led to fostering puppies and dogs, and the revolving door kept spinning... even after she adopted her first foster kittens and then added a retired racing Greyhound to the family. Christine also volunteered at local animal shelters and got more involved in the greater Chicago rescue community, all while working a full-time job in finance.
Christine Nendick: I was late at night scrolling through my Instagram before bed, and I had been seeing all these people post about their dogs that they got from a breeder. and I just saw this, you know, a fashion blogger putting up a post about her breeder dog. And I was like, that's such a missed opportunity for a dog in need of a home or a cat in need of a home. and I'm like, you know, there are so many great animals just sitting in our shelter that I wish people would help promote them, and... And I just saw this, need of like, you know, there are so many people that don't know the kind of animals that need homes in shelters. And so I thought, well, what if I combine it with fashion? You know? And this idea of combining, you know, human fashion and adoptable animals came to me. And I was like, is anyone doing this, is anyone posting themselves in cute clothes with animals in need of homes and talking about all the stuff that goes into rescue and adoption and, and if not, err... Can that be me?
You know, It seemed like a crazy idea and thank goodness my friend was a manager at Anti-Cruelty Society because... I literally walked in there one day and I was like: I had this idea. I'm going to wear high heels and walk some dogs around the courtyard and she's like, that's fine. I'm like, just pretend, just tell people I'm not, I mean, I am crazy, but you know, just let them go with it. And she was fantastic. And yeah, I just kind of pretended to know what I was doing in terms of like, I've never modeled, I'm not a fashion blogger before this. I just was like, I can do this, I think, let's give it a go.
And so I started Rescue In Style and I've been doing that almost four years now. It's been incredible. I've now worked with over 50 organizations and more than 500 animals. And I think I made a pretty nice impact. You know, someone joked that my page is a daily dose of serotonin, and I really pride myself on that. I really think rescue can be so wonderful, and it's so amazing, and it's so fun, and inviting people into that space with me, I hope encourages them and inspires them to go out and get involved or adopt or foster or volunteer or donate.
Stacey Axelrod: You can find Christine at RescueInStyle.com or on Instagram (@RescueInStyle), where she really does invite you right into the rescue space. She's open and honest about her experiences and all of the emotions that come with fostering.
Christine Nendick: If I'm being honest, like I, I'm always attached. Saying goodbye is always hard. I always cry. I always miss them. But once you have fostered the first time, the second time, you understand the emotions that go into it. You know that it's going to be hard to say goodbye, but you know you get over it, you know that then you can open up your home to another animal that's sitting in a shelter in a cage or in a kennel.
And so my advice is that yes, you're going to get attached. Yes, it's going to be sad when you say goodbye. Yes, you're going to cry. And that's okay. And that's normal. And, at the same time, it gets easier just because, not because you get less emotional or less invested or less attached, but because you know what to expect. The first one's hard, the second one's a little easier, and they get easier just in terms of your expectations.
I love fostering. I love especially fostering kittens. I don't know if I'll foster dogs again, you know, dogs are a lot harder to foster for my lifestyle than a cat. So when I say goodbye to a dog, I'm like oof, my hands clean, back to my easy-peasy life. Like, you know, like I still am sad to say goodbye to the dog, but I get updates from the adopter, I get to see where the dog's at, I get to see them thrive, and then my home goes back to like a little bit less chaotic, which is amazing.
And then, um, you start to feel the itch again. Like it's like an itch, like, you start to feel it and you start to feel like maybe I could foster or, Oh, I really like this dog, I could probably foster that dog. Or, oooh this kitten, I could just take this kitten home.
And so I feel like now, like I have a hundred pets of my own. Like I get updates every so often from animals I fostered three or four years ago and I see how complete their lives are. And I feel like, Oh, like I was a part of that. And just an amazing feeling seeing animals literally thrive because you took out two weeks or two months of your life.
Stacey Axelrod: This next story comes from Megan Penney, one of the most experienced fosters I've ever met.
Megan Penney: I have had maybe about 185-187 fosters. I started when I was a kid. So as you can imagine, there was always the "mom, dad, can we keep them?" type attitude when we were fostering.
Nowadays though, I celebrate my fosters basically by getting another one immediately after. It really helps saying goodbye, just getting excited for the next foster. Like, you get this one really cool type of dog. And then next thing you know, you're going to get another type of dog.
And it's also, you have to remember, it's hard to say goodbye, but it's also harder for a dog to be in a shelter sometimes. So by giving them that opportunity, it's just a good feeling and it's worth it and it's worth the sadness in the end. It's exciting, it's like sending them off to their new adventure.
Stacey Axelrod: Megan lives in Brooklyn and fosters all types of dogs along with her two adopted pups, Mellie and Zoey.
Megan Penney: My dogs love it, it's like a nice play date. They're not dog park dogs. So this is my way of bringing the play date to them. And it is fun, it's a sleepover for them. And by the time they're ready for the pups to go, they're gone. And we maybe get a day or two, and then we get some new friends.
Just get excited for it! Every dog will be different and every experience will be different, but it's exciting to try new things and experience different types of dogs and personalities and ages and breeds. So happy fostering!
Stacey Axelrod: Repeat fosters like Megan, Christine, and Dan are really the key to keeping the whole animal rescue system moving. And in the last five to 10 years, animal shelters and rescue organizations have definitely taken notice. We'll get into that, plus about 200 more years of history, during our next episode on the changing role of fostering within the American shelter system.
Today, we're going to hear from Luanne Czesak who told me about the value of repeat fosters from her perspective as the foster coordinator for a very active rescue organization.
Luanne Czesak: I got to see so much and I got to see so many of these families that have, you know, had to make the tough decision: We're in love. Should we keep her? Should we not? And a lot of times when I think they're gonna, they don't. They always send them off and make room for the next one, because that's what it's all about, you know. That's what the foster program is about. They know that they won't be able to foster again and it's more important for them to be able to open their homes and save another.
It's hard to say goodbye. It's hard to say goodbye to a foster. But you know that that dog is going to go to a super amazing home, and you know that you are opening your door to the next one. So you're in essence saving two dogs, you know, you're saving the dog that you originally took. And now that dog is gonna go into a forever home, but you're opening up your home again.
And without people that can say goodbye and, you know, you can shed a tear or two, but there's always another one, you know, there's another one that needs you.
Stacey Axelrod: After volunteering as a foster coordinator for about three years, Luanne is now on staff as the operations manager for the Sato Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing abused and abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico. Most of those dogs, and sometimes cats too, are flown to new lives in the New York area on the Sato Project's amazing Freedom Flights. Each pet is matched with an adopter or foster parent long before they leave the island. Then, on the day of the Freedom Flight, everyone gathers at the airport to excitedly await the plane's arrival and to greet their new family members.
Luanne Czesak: Some of our dogs they've never had a toy before, you know, and at the holidays, we do that December flight and then, Christmas morning, all these photos get posted on our adopter page on Facebook and you see all these dogs playing with their toys and it's the best! You know, and and if you have a foster and this foster has never had a toy before, and now, they're just thriving. And to hand them off to their forever family and for you to do it all over again with another dog, it's just, it's amazing.
Stacey Axelrod: I have actually volunteered with the Sato Project on two Freedom Flights. And I love when I get to follow along with those pets and their new families on Instagram. It's especially fun when you get to watch a pet grow up and learn new things in their new home.
Ana Pulido: I only really foster puppies, so I get them in this adorable stage, but I never really see them in their teenage years.
Stacey Axelrod: That's Ana Pulido in Los Angeles. You might remember her from our previous episode.
Ana Pulido: I have a couple of fosters that still text me pictures every once in awhile, which is great because I get to see them kind of grow up. and, a lot of them share their Instagram handles so I can keep up with the dogs. And that's really special to see how much they love their dogs and how much they're loving life. It's pretty great. I love it.
Stacey Axelrod: And here's Philadelphia foster mom Bailey Spiteri again.
Bailey Spiteri: I do actively stay in the lives of the dogs and the families. you know, I text and I check in and I ask for pictures and I'm like, please continue running their social media, you know? and I've seen I've, I've seen a couple of my fosters since they got adopted and, and seeing them in their homes so happy. You know, they put on a few pounds, they don't no longer have their rib cage showing from the shelter. They're comfortable and they have a routine and they're annoying their adoptive parents, like, oh, it's so nice.
Stacey Axelrod: In the age of social media, saying goodbye doesn't always have to be forever. You can keep the revolving door spinning and help more pets, all while staying connected to your former fosters throughout their next chapters.
So far on this episode, we have heard from foster parents in New York, Texas, Illinois, California, and Pennsylvania. For our last story, we're heading down south to Alabama where Milla Chappell fosters dogs on her family farm.
Milla Chappell: It has definitely gotten easier for me and saying goodbye is not something that I worry about anymore. Because I know that what I'm doing is so important, and I know in each case that the adoptive family is so happy and is the perfect fit. So in every case, I have actually just been really excited for them to settle into their new home. And in every case, I've been able to continue to follow their journey through social media or through texting. If they're not on social media, I always ask, will you please continue to text me photos and updates?
I really, I don't fear saying goodbye anymore because it really does, I think get easier to say goodbye. I mean, there are certain dogs that, you know, you bond with more than others. you know, There have been somewhere I have cried my eyes out, where I've sat and, and really had a good cry, and there've been some when I'm ready for them to go. And it's like, all right, that's great. But in general, every single time when after the bittersweet, you know, goodbye, I've just been really, really happy and really proud of the job that we did preparing that dog for their new family.
Stacey Axelrod: In addition to fostering, Milla is also a professional pet photographer who donates her time and skills to help adoptable animals. You can follow her adventures with Pattycake, Wilbur, her adorable daughter Rinnah, a rotating cast of foster dogs, and all the other animals on their growing farm at @RealHappyDogs on Instagram.
And if you're still feeling nervous about getting too attached to your foster pets, here's some great advice from Milla.
Milla Chappell: So, you know, I think my advice would be to just try it. Try fostering and, you know, I think through trying it, you'll see that when that perfect adoptive family is there, that perfect adoptive person is there, it is bittersweet, but it's mostly just really happy.
So It does, yeah, it does get easier to say goodbye. Because I just know that with every goodbye there's a really happy ending. And I know that with every goodbye, there's going to be another dog come and that it's going to be another chance for us to do something good and to be part of another happy ending.
Stacey Axelrod: Thanks so much for tuning in to Why We Foster. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe now. If you really enjoyed the show and you want to show some love to our volunteer production team, we would appreciate your support with a rating or review on your podcast app of choice! Why We Foster is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you know someone who might enjoy the show, please share it with them and help them subscribe! You can also follow us on Instagram at @WhyWeFoster and visit WhyWeFoster.com for more info about the show.
Why We Foster is produced by me along with Foster Dogs Incorporated, the leading organization in creating positive, inclusive foster communities by providing support, experience, and innovative programs. You can follow Foster Dogs on Instagram at @FosterDogs and please consider supporting this incredible non-profit in whatever way you can at FosterDogsNYC.com.
Our incredible production team is Kate Trahan, Lauren Cattan, Daniela Escobar Blaines, and Sarah Brasky. Audio mixing and mastering by Jack Braglia. You can find me at petphotographer.nyc or on Instagram at @NYCPetPhotographer. I'm Stacey Axelrod and this is Why We Foster. Farewell for now, Foster Friends!
