Puppies, kittens and … pregnancy scares?
This is all part of the experience for freshman Jaelyn Funk and her family, who have fostered between 50-60 animals in the past few years. It all started when Funk’s mother suggested they start taking in animals temporarily after the family’s cat passed away, since they weren’t sure they could commit to another full-time pet.
“My cousins had found a cat along with four kittens and we registered them into the Misty Eye’s foster system (an animal rescue in Avon), so they were our first fosters,” said Funk about how the process began. “We adopted two of them, so it completely contradicted our initial plan.” Fostering brings along many benefits, including giving animals who wouldn’t do well in a shelter a chance at living in a more suitable environment, as well as helping other families find the pets they’re looking for. “You may get a dog or cat that is difficult to deal with, although we haven’t yet,” Funk explained about potential downsides . “Or you may get too attached to the animal. All in all, I would definitely recommend fostering to anyone who is interested.”
Having an attachment to the animals they took in used to be an issue for Funk, but as time went on, it became easier to let them go, since the pets usually went to their ‘forever home’ after leaving Funk’s. Despite tearful goodbyes no longer being a problem, the Funk family has a past of adopting the dogs or cats they’d fostered. “I think my favorite experience with a foster pet I’ve ever had is when we received a dog from a hoarding case,” Funk described fondly. “My grandma ended up adopting her and although the dog, Lulu, still has her quirks, watching her grow and improve around others has been a super awesome experience.”
Not only does Funk help take care of animals in her home; in her free time she also volunteers at an animal shelter, a hobby she plans on keeping through adulthood. “From a very early age, I knew I wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter,” noted Funk. “It was important to me that I helped living things that couldn’t take care of themselves.”
With the amount of animals that shelters need to take in, they tend to struggle with having enough supplies to take care of the pets, which is where people like Funk and her family come in, with donations in an effort to help out. “I think that it’s important to donate to animal shelters because the needs of these animals have to be met and it isn’t always easy for the shelters to provide,” said Funk. “Many shelters tend to struggle, especially with the amount of animal intake they provide, so it’s always helpful to donate.”
Funk has experienced many funny or unusual situations since her family started fostering. One of the most notable occurred when they took in a dog named Layla as the second dog they’d ever fostered. “She came to us pregnant, but we were completely unaware,” Funk described. “Just two days after we finally figured it out, she had four puppies, who were part Great Pyrenees, so they were super big and extremely reckless.” Despite the unexpected events, the family ended up adopting Layla, who now lives in their home with them.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Funk didn’t get to do much more than the training, but nonetheless, she still goes often to interact with the animals and take them on walks. She described volunteering as a very beneficial hobby to have, since she can help out the community and the workers at the shelter, as well as providing loving company to dogs and cats that need it, “My favorite part is always watching the animals visibly brighten up when you come near them,” she said.