1. Anne Noordsy
JRN*160*J
Professor Navarro
Fostering Love and Affection
800
It took eleven months to help him overcome his fears and to find him a home that
would understand and except him.
His owner poured bleach down his throat because he urinated in the house. Beaten
regularly, this dog had injuries to his tongue and throat that took 2 months to heal.
Because of these injuries, this dog could only eat mush from a can. There wasn’t
much hope.
Brenda Stinson, however, helped him to find the perfect home and he has blossomed
under their loving care. Stinson, a foster parent for rescue dogs in the small town of
Tellico Plains, Tennessee, has helped to find the perfect home for dogs ever since
her and her husband Bill moved there a few years ago.
Brenda and Bill, along with many other foster parents, have helped to make the
perfect home a reality. However, according to Jill Tice, who works for Pet
Matchmaker, this reality sometimes won’t happen.
“Many shelters are overcrowded and dogs are euthanized every day. This is due to
inadequate spay and neuter programs, some owners who “dump” off their family
pet by a roadside and difficulty in placing some dogs — not due to temperament, but
rather because of their looks or misconceptions people have about them,” Tice says.
Liz Sneed, a volunteer at the Monroe County Animal Shelter in Tennessee, described
a day in the life at the shelter. “It can be anything from taking in ten to thirty animals
including cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies, vaccinating, bathing, feeding, walking and
playing with them to euthanizing requests. We have owner request for euthanasia,
but we also have to euthanize animals that have come in with injuries or sickness,”
Sneed says.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) provided some shocking numbers.
They estimate that animal shelters care for 6-8 million dogs of which 3-4 million are
euthanized. But why are so many being euthanized?
Sadly, most shelters have no set time limit for these dogs. If it’s not enough time, it’s
not enough space or resources.
Nancy McEntee, former director of the Monroe County Animal Control, says, “It’s
tragic but we also have to euthanize animals that have come in with injuries or

2. sickness. Some of those are due to accidents and health issues, but some are due to
abuse and neglect as well. We see animals that have behavioral problems and a lot
of that stems from abuse.”
“Education is the key to solving this issue,” says Brenda.
The Humane Society focuses on this issue by educating pet owners, helping them
deal with behavior problems and other issues so that they can keep their pets for
life. They encourage spaying and neutering to reduce animal overpopulation and
promote adoption from shelters and rescues. At Monroe County Animal Shelter,
grants for free spay and neuter, from “Maddie's Fund" are given as well as the
Monroe County Friends of Animals organization funding the other needs, mostly
medical and transport fees.
Being foster parents, Bill and Brenda have received countless hours of training.
“Since we have a love for animals, we thought being foster parents for rescue dogs
would be a way we could help,” Bill says. According to Petfinder, there are certain
steps prior to becoming a foster parent for rescue dogs. First, applying for this
position is a careful, detailed evaluation.
“When you are certified, there are still other aspects you must consider before you
become a foster parent. Brenda and I already had 5 dogs before becoming a foster
parent so we had to make sure they were suitable to have around the rescue dogs,”
Bill says. Petfinder says this has to be put into consideration because communicable
diseases from the shelter environment could be carried into the home where your
pets may be infected.
Time is also another important factor. Not only must you devote time to your own
pets, but also time must especially be devoted to the rescue dogs in the foster home.
Within the 6 years that Brenda and Bill have been foster parents, “We personally
have not taken any breaks in the entire time we have been fostering. We always
have fosters. Some foster homes do take breaks or only foster one or two at a time,
but not us,” Brenda says. Also, put into consideration behavior and health problems
that can occur, Petfinder says. If you have young children, it is essential that you
make sure that the rescue dogs get along with them.
But is it worth it in the end?
“It doesn't sound like a fun life but to my husband and I the dog part of our life is the
most fun and fulfilling, we always say if we ever won the lottery we would both quit
our day jobs and do the fostering job only,” Brenda says.