BLOOMFIELD, Dec. 15, 2021 – Three stand out volunteers at Dog Star Rescue have reached the major milestone of fostering over 100 rescue dogs on their journey to finding forever homes. Katje Pearson, Sue Zeppa and Ali Wasely have collectively saved the lives of 300 dogs and counting by opening up their homes since the rescue began in 2014.
“As a foster-based rescue, foster volunteers are essential to saving dog’s lives,” says Dan McCabe, President & Founder of Dog Star. “Every time a foster dog is taken into a home, a new slot is opened for us to rescue another dog, doubling the impact a foster volunteer makes.”
These three incredible fosters are perfect examples of volunteers maximizing their impact, as they have gone beyond their foster duties to work in other areas of the rescue, including screening, our medical team and our
finance team.
“Through fostering I get to see the dog’s journey from start to finish,” comments Ali Wasely. “There is such joy in watching a dog wag its tail for the first time, or even just eat and drink and learn to be comfortable after they were so unsure.”
“I’m amazed at how easy it is to fall in love with each pup, regardless of how long or short their stay is with me,” Katje Pearson adds. “The way my own dogs invite my fosters into the pack and teach them ‘how to dog’ is so endearing.”
“Working with this rescue is one of the highlights of my life,” adds Sue Zeppa. “I foster because it reminds me of each individual that we do this all for. Because of fostering, I even found and adopted my own three dogs who were destined to be with me forever.”
Dog Star Rescue was able to find forever families for nearly 850 dogs in 2021, which would not have been possible without the kindness of the volunteers who gave these dogs a place to rest, train, exercise and be loved while they waited. With no centralized kenneling facilities, foster homes are essential for the rescue to be able to take in dogs.
“As a rescue, not a shelter, we cannot function without foster volunteers and we can never have enough,” McCabe continues. “We are always looking for dog lovers who want to touch lives and have their lives touched by our dogs.”
Fostering with Dog Star Rescue comes at no cost to the volunteer. All supplies including food, toys and beds are provided thanks to generous donations from our corporate sponsors and our local community. The typical time a volunteer can expect to care for a foster dog is one to three weeks, although this can vary. More information on the foster program and how to apply can be found at DogStarRescue.org.