Thinking of fostering a pet? Stop thinking and just do it! Says Berenger Turc, a fosterer for 38smiles.
I lived my whole life surrounded by animals. I love nature and living creatures. The idea of fostering came quite naturally as I grew more aware of the stray problem in Dubai.
I already had my Crumpet, rescued from my office car park as a kitten a few years ago, and not willing to impersonate the stereotype of the crazy cat lady (I am still too young for the title!), I decided that adopting new furry friends was not the way. Still undecided about my next move, I attended an adoption day. I met with several charities focused on rescuing strays, spoke to the people behind them and met several cats at the vet, heard their individual stories and decided that I couldn’t go back. I had to help.
I decided that, at my level, one by one, I could help and make a difference. My first foster was ‘appointed’ to me while still at the vet, so I had to wait before finally embracing my new adventure. My excitement kept rising, my impatience grew, I couldn’t wait to get started! And boy, I was not disappointed! One day I got the call, and drove to the vet straight after work, feeling like the luckiest girl in Dubai. Romeo was once a beautiful cat. I say was, because someone along the way decided it would be a good idea to cover the poor thing with concrete. He was luckily rescued, taken off the street, cared for by a vet, brought back to full health (minus the hair of course) and now ready for the next stage of his life.
Romeo was my first foster, and many more came and shared part of their life with me. Each of them are different. They have their own character, own trauma, stories and needs. I go through emotional roller coasters with them but the positivity always wins. Through the tears of letting go of a newly adopted foster, I still can see the beauty of fostering, and even when I feel the sadness of saying goodbye, I feel the beauty of the happy ending.
Don’t get me wrong. Fostering is not glamourous, easy or emotion free. But it is so much more rewarding than it is not. When I look in their beautiful eyes, I can’t help but feel love, happiness, sadness, joy, satisfaction and pride. Those cuties bring more life to my life, and every day, I am thankful, especially when they make me laugh.
And yes, if you still wonder, I think I have fully become the stereotypical crazy cat lady, with several furry friends around me! If you are still wondering, don’t think anymore, foster a stray and ‘help the strays of today become the pets of tomorrow’.
Meet Dolce & Gabana or D&G!
They were rescued from the streets of Rashadiya a couple of months ago. D&G were a little wary of people so it took a few weeks of daily feeding before their rescuers were able to gain their trust and catch them. D&G have turned into the biggest softies; they are lovely medium sized (under knee height) dogs, male and female. They are house trained, good with kids, other dogs and even cats. D&G are inseparable; they do everything together and we would love them to be adopted as a pair. D&G are fully vaccinated, microchipped, spayed and neutered; they are only 10 months old.
Meet Angel
Angel is an adorable young cat. He loves attention and will make sure to remind you he is around; a stroke, a cuddle or a little kiss and he’s happy! Angel is quite playful and gets along well with other cats. However, he needs to be introduced slowly to the resident cat/cats as he takes time to trust and get over his fear and not be afraid of them. Angel is easy going and will make the perfect addition to any family.
I'm Romeo
I was very happy in my own home once until one evening, I found myself next to a big smelly box on the street. I soon started to starve and lose weight. My fur started falling out, my hips became very sore and was finding it hard to walk. My heart also wasn’t working very well. Then one day, I was rescued and taken to the vet. I had an enlarged heart, very sore back hips, no fur at all, weighed only 2 kilos and was FIV positive. After a few months at the vet, I doubled in weight, could walk just fine, and my fur started growing back. Because I’m FIV positive, I should live indoors as an only cat.
For more information on fostering, email info@38smiles.com.