Community Corner

Ferndale Resident Opens Home to Foster Animals

Leah Dudek, who has fostered and adopted several rescued pets, is among countless volunteers who give pets a temporary home until a permanent one is found.

Ferndale resident Leah Dudek remembers getting choked up during a Christmas party one year after reading a text message that touched her heart.

The text was from the family who recently adopted a rescued dog, Willy, she had been fostering in her home, and they were writing to let her know how well things were going with the new addition to their family.

“This is a happy cry,” she remembers telling her friends that night.

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Willy, a pit bull mix often compared to Petey from the Little Rascals by those who saw him, was abandoned by his owners and found running around the streets of Pontiac. He was taken in by a rescue organization and Dudek volunteered to foster him until he found a permanent home.

“They were sending me a text thanking me for letting them have Willy and how special he is and how much joy he's brought the family,” she said. “To read those words, it just made me so happy.”

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Using foster homes is a popular practice among dog and cat rescue organizations, many of which do not have shelter facilities or prefer a home-based approach to socialize animals rescued from situations ranging from neglect or abuse to a family that can no longer afford a pet.

“It was just such a happy ending for that dog,” Dudek said, adding that the dog would likely have been put down given his breed if taken in by a traditional shelter.

Foster homes in high demand

Dudek started volunteering with All About Animals, a nonprofit, low-cost clinic and rescue based in Warren that has volunteers throughout the Metro Detroit area, a few years ago and has fostered 11 animals in her home since then. When she was laid off from her job in 2009, she got offered a job at the facility and now works to educate others about helping animals.

Catherine Garrett, director of development and marketing for All About Animals, said the biggest thing people can do to help rescue groups is consider fostering.

“The biggest thing rescues need is fosters,” Garrett said, adding that people can even choose to foster on an emergency basis for short periods of time. “Without these foster homes pets can't even be taken in. That's one thing that I think every single rescue wishes people would do, because that is what allows them to take in another pet.”

Karen Schaedel, licensed veterinary technician at Little Friends of Ferndale veterinary office, said they have many customers who foster with All About Animals, as well as other local groups including TigerLily Cat Rescue based in Sterling Heights.

“We work with a lot of rescue groups,” Schaedel said. “They're always looking for fosters.”

Thinking about fostering?

Alexis Shull, public relations coordinator for Oakland Pet Adoption Center – a division of Oakland County Animal Control – said the county sometimes uses fosters for cats and that many rescues are in need of foster homes.

“You always want to do research and make sure that they're a reputable rescue. There a lot of breeders that disguise themselves as rescues,” Shull said.

In addition, she says people should consider how much time they have to commit to the rescue and make sure it will be a good fit for everyone in the family – especially children and other pets.

“Any good rescue or shelter will have somebody that can work with you on all those details,” Shull said.

Though requirements may vary by rescue, Garrett said All About Animals generally requires foster applicants to submit references, vet information and prove that all current pets in the household are up to date on vaccines.

Happy endings for former fosters

Willy's story is just one in a long list of happy endings that Dudek can share from her foster experiences. There's also the 6-week-old black lab mix, “Izzy,” who was found limping on Interstate 696 and picked up by a retired police officer.

“She wasn't doing good at first … but she made it through the night, she wore a cast for a little while and she was hell on wheels once she started going,” Dudek laughed.

Izzy, too, was soon adopted by a family in the area. Though it's hard to see them go, Dudek said that just makes room for her to take in more animals in need.

“I love all of them,” Dudek said. "I always say if you don't care about them and you don't get sad then you have no business fostering. But I'm very fortunate all of them have had happy endings.”

Dudek said she enjoys getting pictures and Christmas cards with updates on her previous fosters.

“It's very rewarding to know that you helped an animal not only get out of a bad situation but also helped that animal from going into a shelter and possibly being euthanized,” she said. “And bringing joy to a new pet owner and bringing happiness to that pet.”

Of course there are also the fosters that she just couldn't see go – those she lovingly calls her “foster failures,” who are now permanent members of her Ferndale household: Two cats and three dogs, including long-haired cat “Noel” who showed no interest in the potential families that came to see her but followed Dudek everywhere she went, and chihuahua “Bubbles” who almost needed an eye amputated and grew attached to Dudek throughout her recovery.

“She's very attached to me. I fell in love, she fell in love. So I failed,” she says. “But she does have a happy home."


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