I don’t know how long I have been fostering for Les Amis des Animaux, but it’s quite some time! I’m getting on in years so I take old dogs, and I am a lover of poodles. Chipie might have been my first foster. She arrived with Lynn – a stinky bundle of matted fur. After a speedy grooming session an elegant brown poodle emerged. She was a bit dotty and I realised she was deaf, so she constantly watched my face for clues as to what was going on. She was a very elegant girl who hated getting her feet wet, and was very loving. Then there was Helene, aka Tiddly. A tiny blind poodle with a gammy leg who quickly mapped out the premises. I called her The Brave Tiddly because her handicaps never stopped her from exploring or making her presence felt. Tiddly and Chipie died within months of each other, aged 16, and along came Gigi, another elegant girl with a princess personality. I have since adopted her. There have been some failures, causing sadness, but it’s impossible to win with every single dog. They were all loved, regardless. Currently I have Chouchou, a coton de tuelar, and Choupinou, another tiny poodle with a big personality, along with my four other dogs. There are also 2 matronly barn cats who still refuse to speak to me after several years! Fostering, especially of older dogs, is a lifestyle decision – sometimes sad, sometimes frustrating, often comical – but ultimately rewarding, and we don’t save them, they save us with their love. To see them stretched out in confidence is worth all the puddles and illness that might occur. If you are hesitating about fostering, wait no longer. Every dog out of a refuge gains a better life and leaves a space for another to be rescued.
If you are of a ‘certain age’, or, indeed someone who is young, where you feel that taking on a puppy/kitten, or a young dog/cat, is not really going to work for you, and you have space in your heart or, more importantly, on your sofa, to offer one, or more, oldies the chance a good life in their remaining years, then please get in touch https://lesamisdesanimaux.com/animals/ . Remember, there is no adoption fee for a lifetime foster, and all vets fees, other than annual vaccinations, and parasitical medication, are covered by Les Amis des Animaux.
