Level Three. Foster Me.

Level Three. Foster Me.

By Michelle Lloyd.

Lana was New One’s dog. She was a firm part of their family unit and she knew each member individually through scent, licks, appearance and affectionate recognition.

As a family pet, the family could not have wanted for better than Lana. A dog who was playful but polite when needed, she had settled so well into family life. Most people had thought that Lana had been with the family since puppy hood but actually the facts differed from this scenario, completely.

Lana had been in a dire and desperate position and she had found the family really, not the other way round. Ever since having met and encountered the homeless dog, New One had been on a passionate plight to keep her. The two had been practically inseparable and paw to hand, from day one and they knew that their future friendships were entwined.

It had taken a bit of due diligence from the parents of course, and a trip to the local animal shelters to try and ensure that no one had been looking for Lana. An anxious time had been endured by the family, whereby none of their futures appeared to be known or sure and then came the day when Lana’s approved status for living with family came through for them.

New One was excited, the parents were pleased and Lana was totally over the top happy because of the family’s reactions to the news. It did not stop there though because New One could not eradicate thoughts of all of the other dogs that he had seen back at the animal shelter.

There were some dogs who could not be put into kennels while they waited for a forever home and those could include: puppies, dogs who were suffering emotional stress, physical trauma or both, injured, dogs who had certain medical needs, older dogs or if there was no more room at the shelter, then the option to foster a dog could be vital.

All in all, there was much to learn about and because of homing Lana, New One felt that he had become far more knowledgeable on the subject. Twice already he had founded and helped out at school events, introducing people to what volunteering could mean and that animals needed lots of different kinds of help.

Having and loving Lana had been a revelation for New One. As a dog she had taught him to simply slow down and focus some time on affection for each other, not to stick to plans too solidly as fun could come from the unexpected and that if you wanted to do or achieve monumentally, you did not have to only fit into one category to help. Helping Lana and giving her a home had meant that the family in turn had been helped in so many positive ways. Lana gave such a lot in return and there was laughter, love and new perspectives in their lives and they were all much the better off for it.