- The boys on a boat!
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.
Mike and Lily Goldstein gave Carson his forever home in 2013–and have given more to rescue than we can ever thank them and their family enough for. With Carson’s approval, they became fosters for Cobb a few months ago. And now? We are thrilled to announce Cobb has joined the family permanently!
Mom tells the story best, so without further delay …
Carson and Cobb: When One Rescued Dog Rescues Another
by Lily Goldstein (and Carson)
We adopted our first Jack Russell Terrier, Carson, from Georgia Jack Russell Rescue in the spring of 2013. Carson is the most special dog, and we couldn’t love him more. He is truly our perfect JRT and our best buddy. After getting to know his unique personality, we thought that he would do best as the only dog in our family. He goes to doggy daycare and gets along great with our friends’ dogs, but he is our little “shadow” and never leaves our side. Carson seemed to peacefully co-exist with other dogs, rather than seek them for companionship.
A year later and after spending time with foster dogs, speaking with others who foster, and observing firsthand the transformations of the dogs in such short periods of time, we wanted to open up our home to the possibility of fostering too. We had fostered a dog for a week, and Carson responded well to having another dog in his home, so we felt that he was ready to give it a shot.
We knew immediately that Cobb was the right choice. He was the first dog we ever met at the rescue (before Carson even arrived) and had been overlooked by potential adopters during his nearly 1.5 year stay. Yes, he has a cataract in one eye, and yes, he is somewhat older, but we just knew he would make the perfect companion for someone. We initially fostered Cobb thinking that my parents would fall in love with him, if they were ready to adopt another JRT after the loss of theirs 2.5 years ago. They adored him, but they couldn’t deny the bond he quickly formed with our family, including Carson. It also became clear to us (and our friends and family) that Cobb wasn’t going anywhere and would become a permanent part of our family.
From the moment we took Cobb home, we knew he was wonderful. There was very little transition period, and Cobb became a member of our pack in no time. Cobb is the easiest dog we have ever had. He asks for nothing and was just so excited to have a nice bed to sleep in, a park to play in, and a family to give him unconditional love and cuddles. He is the perfect brother for Carson-respectful, low energy but playful, and sweet as can be. Not only does Carson tolerate Cobb, he embraces him. Cobb really thrives in our home and his true personality came out right away. He might even be just as food-motivated as Carson!
Watching how a dog adapts to a home setting is an amazing thing to experience, and we highly recommend it. Rescue environments can be stressful for dogs while they await their forever homes, and fostering in a home setting is a great way to show potential adopters their true personalities! Regardless of whether you are doing a brief medical foster, a foster until adoption, or a trial foster to see if a dog is the right fit for your home, you will make a tremendous difference in the life of that dog. Fostering is one of the greatest needs of the rescue and one of best contributions that you can make. We couldn’t be happier with our pack, and are lucky to have found the perfect pups. Thank you to Donna and the volunteers who work tirelessly to save, rehabilitate, and re-home these special dogs.
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.
