Overcome the Fear of "Failure"
by AMANDA R. URBAN & GEORGE M. URBAN
August 28, 2018

What is holding you back?  Why not take the leap?  Many people miss out on an experience for a common reason.  Although the fear is real, even rational, it is not endorsed by the experience of those who do take the leap.  Some resist air travel due to fear of a statistically improbable chance of crashing.  Some miss out on bungee jumping due to a fear of heights.  And far too many miss a highly rewarding opportunity to change lives of dogs in need for fear of becoming a “foster failure.”

No, there is no written exam.  A foster failure occurs when one decides to keep a temporary foster dog to be a permanent part of the family.  It is one of those rare occasions when “failure” is a reason to celebrate!  Again and again we hear a version of: “I don’t know how you foster; I would just keep them all.”

The conventional, sappy response is: “For every one we adopt out, we can save another.”  That’s true, but it also fails to recognize an important reality.  News Flash!  You are not going to want to keep them all.  We always have at least three dogs; currently five.  Let me tell you something about having more dogs in a house: the chaos is not additive; it is exponential.  As you can imagine, our house is often a loud, chaotic, messy place. And when a foster arrives, sometimes it works, and sometimes it is just work.  

Over the past decade, we have fostered some sixty dogs.  We “failed” twice, and wish we had kept another two.  Some of them we barely remember; others made such an impact that we breathed a sigh of relief when the left.  Ball-obsessed Oscar, senile Maggie with a likely brain tumor, and escape-artist Lola were particularly memorable.  But their stories are for another day.  

We have so many stories, mostly positive, from cuddly dogs to fearful dogs with the stench of rotting teeth. And, yes, there were the chewers, the howlers, and the occasional explosive diarrhea.  We fed them. We slept with them. We worked on their training.  We took them to vets and nursed them back to health.  Sometimes we cried when they were adopted, and sometimes we needed a break afterwards.  But, oh, the lives we saved!

To watch a foster dog blossom and thrive is magical.  See an old dog seem five years younger after a dental to relieve the pain of bad teeth.  Or witness a dog with trust issues JUST KNOW when they meet their forever family.  It is amazing, and so worth it!  So, what is holding you back?  Why not take the leap?

Join us in a truly rewarding experience—even if just once, even as a temporary short-term foster.  You will not regret it, but you will have some stories to tell.  Help us save lives.  The pups are counting on you.