Sam and Ossa: Both Sides of the Foster Story

To promote our push for fosters, we are sharing some stories from our fosters throughout the years. They all have unique and wonderful experiences – some short-term, some long-term and, yes, some permanent.

The Brewsters have had a very unique experience in fostering: They fostered one dog (Sam) to the point of adoption, then took in another dog (Breeze) who was really down on his luck. They cared for him and nursed him from rescue, through the trials and triumphs of overcoming (and almost losing) a broken leg, to making the decision to add him to their family.

By opening up their hearts and home, they helped two beautiful boys overcome their first lives and find forever homes that they may not have found otherwise. Here’s the story of each …

by Sharon Brewster

We’ve always been a two-Jack family for the past 20 years. Last August 2013, it came time to put our 17-year-old, wonderful, old-school JRT down due to his declining health. We didn’t really expect the behavioral changes that started to occur in our other JRT named Alphie. Within a few weeks after Micky was gone, Alphie started experiencing signs of depression, stopped eating and just wasn’t have much fun during the day. Since we weren’t ready to replace Micky, we talked about fostering a JRT from the Georgia Jack Russell Adoption group, hoping that having another dog in the house would help Alphie out.

After filling out a foster application, I searched for dogs on their website and one named Sam caught my attention. I took Alphie out to meet him one afternoon, just to make sure they would get along, and they both got along great with each other.

Sam

Sam turned out to be a quieter Jack than I expected and, at first, he was happy to have a soft bed and two meals during the day. He loosened up after the first month and he turned out to be a sweet, and often quirky dog. I would often find him lying on top of his crate instead of inside, many times I found him in the laundry room lying in a clean basket of clothes I had removed from the dryer. He would snoop under my cabinet for treats and loved being outside to bark at the birds ….yes, birds.

We soon discovered that with Sam it would be best for him to find a home without small kids since he did like his environment a little quieter. After having Sam for a few months, I got the email from the group that a family wanted to adopt him. He went to live in Florida, and I’m certain he loves life with his new family. I’m sure he’s still just as quirky there as he was here. I miss his sloppy, wet kisses and how he stood at attention whenever food was present.

Ossa

Our second dog we fostered was a tiny little guy named Breeze. He came to us in January 2014; he was very malnourished and with a broken hind leg. He required total restriction in his crate except for bathroom breaks during the day. We would often let him sit in our laps or on our bed while we watched TV. Breeze was a younger guy and he wanted so bad to be out of his crate and play. The vet gave him the “all clear” order about 3 months after I received him.

At some point, I told Donna that we renamed him Ossa (O-suh), which is Latin for bones. Ossa seemed like a good fit for our family, and we decided to keep him. He has been a wonderful friend with Alphie. They play non-stop, and Ossa is always ready to chase a ball or pick up any socks left on the floor – just don’t ask for them back! One would never know he was in such bad shape when Donna rescued him.

Why We Foster

Fostering a rescue dogs is so important. A foster family can report back to Donna any behavioral or other issues with the dog. Knowing how a dog relates to kids and the family environment, even other dogs is so important in placing that dog in the right home. We will certainly foster more dogs in the future as time permits.

Want to Foster?

Have questions about your commitment as a foster? You can find out everything you need to know on our Foster A Dog page. We do need to mention that, although we appreciate the offer from other states to foster, all potential fosters should live in the Atlanta area to make vet runs and/or to bring the dogs to adoption events or to meet prospective parents.