Unleashed: Local non-profit provides foster home for homeless dogs
Bailey and Henry, two dogs currently waiting to be adopted or fostered through the Rescue Me K9 organization, play together and run around outside. Yuki Mizuma | Staff Photographer
For dog lovers, living away from home may be one of the hardest parts of going away to college. But by becoming foster dog parents, students can come home to their off-campus apartment and be greeted by happily wagging tails once again.
October is National Adopt-A-Dog Month, but taking on the responsibility of adopting a dog as a student can be a challenge. Students who enjoy having a pet but don’t want the burden of full ownership or responsibility, can volunteer with the Rescue Me Purebred K9 Rescue to act as a foster parent for a dog in need of a home.
“We will walk you through the whole thing,” said Mary Cooper, the executive director of Rescue Me.
Rescue Me is a local, volunteer-driven organization with approximately 25 total foster parents. The organization seeks to find temporary and permanent homes for dogs that have been neglected or surrendered by their owner for various reasons.
The organization is constantly looking for temporary parents to take care of dogs for a period of anywhere between five days to five months. And because most Syracuse University students don’t have permanent residences in the city, they make ideal candidates for this role.
“We’ve had SU students take in dogs in the past, and it’s always been a wonderful experience,” said Geri Spencer, a board member at Rescue Me.
Cooper added that the SU hockey team has even acted as foster parents in the past.
In addition to the hockey team, individual students have also sheltered dogs. During his senior year at SU, Keith Tripler, a 2012 television, radio and film graduate, and his two roommates decided the time was right for them to help out dogs in need.
“They have a lot of dogs that are just sitting in cages right now and would be much better off with some attention in a new home,” Tripler said.
Tripler and his roommates fostered three dogs throughout their final year: Leila, an Irish Setter; Toby, a pit bull terrier and Chance, an American Staffordshire Terrier.
They looked after each dog for different periods of time, anywhere from a month and a half to about five months. One of the most challenging parts of being a foster parent, aside from giving the dog up when a family finally adopted it, was training the dog, Tripler said.
“Some of these dogs have real issues,” Tripler said. “Getting past those and having the patience to do that could be challenging at times.”
However, he said the experience is rewarding, since foster parents have a say in deciding what family their dog will end up with. Sometimes, the current foster parents will get to meet potential families and see how the dog interacts around new people. They then give input on whether or not the family will be a good fit for the dog. Tripler said he had the opportunity to meet his dog Chance’s new family — a husband and wife with two young girls — before giving up his foster responsibilities.
Rescue Me assures hesitant students that all veterinary costs and care are covered by the organization, including other necessities for the dog such as food and toys. Additionally, Rescue Me makes sure that the foster dog is friendly and safe to be around.
The organization strives to be flexible with students who travel. Open foster homes are available to dogs if a student goes away for the weekend or travels home during the holidays.
“They just need to feed the dog, take it for a walk and give it love,” Cooper said. “We provide everything else.”
For students who feel temporary and flexible dog care would suit their lives and schedules, applications can be found online at rescuemek9.org. The application requires three student references, and the hopeful foster parents must fill out a questionnaire, specifying types of dogs they are comfortable with, how much time they can spend with the dog and how much previous experience they have caring for dogs. The organization may request to visit the students’ home if necessary.
Upon completion, the application can be emailed to any of the organization’s board members, whose emails may also be found on the website.
“We do an interview, we speak with the landlord, we can even have a get-together with a couple of students who are interested in doing it,” Cooper said.
Once the application and interview process has been completed, board members will reach out to applicants and begin looking for homes that fit the dogs in need.
