Forever Fosters Lost in 2022

Forever Fosters are dogs who have high medical and care needs that make them difficult to place and less likely to be adopted. These dogs go to live with some of our most special foster families to be loved on and to live the best life possible. CSRA is able to cover the financial needs of these dogs, thanks to all our wonderful supporters.

2022 was a rough year for our Forever Fosters; in total we lost 10 dogs. These are dogs that you may have never heard of before but were a cherished part of the CSRA Family. 

Millie came to us in 2013 as an owner surrender due to her seizure disorder. She loved to be outside sniffing in her yard and helping her foster mom in the garden. She was on 3 different medications several times a day to manage her seizures and would still have breakthrough seizures. She was able to live her best life due to the dedication of her foster parents, Debby and Michael Hylton.

Maddox came to CSRA in 2020 from a local shelter and was a happy boy who loved his walks and strolling around his big backyard. When inside he was always checking in with the other dogs in the house to see what they were up to. We think he was making sure no one was getting a treat that he hadn’t already received. Maddox had heart, lung and kidney issues that required multiple medications that he took like a champ. We are thankful he had some quality time filled with slow walks, treats, naps in the grass, and lots of petting with foster parents Jen Welch and Glenn Meter.

Elmer really needed us. We didn’t know his breed or gender until the 4-pounds of matted fur was shaved off. There was no way to know how long his movement had been restricted by these matts and his overgrown toenails. After some much needed food and rest with his foster family, he really started to blossom. He followed his foster mom everywhere, enjoyed lots of sniffing in the yard, and loved snuggling with his foster brothers. Thank you to the Pierce family for the loving care you all showed Elmer.

Reba‘s favorite time was mealtime! When she heard her breakfast and dinner being fixed, she would get so excited that she would jump and run around in circles. This mature blind beauty did a great job mapping out her home and keeping track of her foster mom and dad. Reba would even sit quietly and patiently by the door waiting to go out to potty. When another dog in the house would give her a hard time or she got startled on a quick approach she would get snarky. Thank goodness she only had a couple of teeth. The thing Reba loved the most (after food) was being held and loved on by her foster parents, Michele and Kerry Landfield.

Noel was a 13-year-old owner surrender who came to us from a South Texas shelter. She was blind, deaf, covered in mange, and had multiple mammary tumors – one of which was the size of a small grapefruit. The pitiful and obviously neglected state of this sweet girl pulled at our heart strings and we knew that if she were to have a chance, it would be with us. Even if we couldn’t completely heal her, at least we could make sure she was comfortable and knew love. Noel had a month of loving care, snuggles on the couch, good food, and a warm bed before she softly crossed. Thank you, Linda Norelli, for giving Noel the comfort of your loving touch.

Tito aka Nicolas came to us around Christmas. He was high heartworm positive with symptoms of heartworm disease. His family had moved to California and left him behind after 10 years. He stayed in his crate, depressed, for many days after he got to our house. Eventually he warmed up and became his foster mom’s shadow, a Velcro dog. He was so sweet and perfect. He randomly started having seizures one Thursday night. The seizures continued on Friday so his mom took him to the emergency vet. After ruling out a metabolic cause, they told us they suspected a brain tumor. It broke our heart, but we let him go softly, with dignity – and like always, foster mom Jessie was there for him.

2022 was an especially rough year for foster mom, Diane Witcher, who lost four of her CSRA foster pups. This is what she had to say about her fur angels.

Hopscotch was one of the sweetest little girls. Never demanding in any way, just always so happy to be cuddled and loved on. She was just the sweetest girl that enjoyed everyone’s company – even the cats! I called her grandma because she reminded me of a little old lady with lots of stories to tell.

Webby was quite the snuggler. A lot of the fosters I get have endured some degree of neglect and so I like to lavish them with TLC. Webby wasn’t the kind of girl to complain but she soaked up any amount attention she was given. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with her because all she wanted was to share your space and give you all the love she had. She was always so grateful for any attention she was given and loved to snuggle up in bed with you and just watch TV. I was so happy to be her caregiver for the end of her days so she knew she was loved and adored!

Brownie and Heidi were a bonded pair that was adopted in 2016 and returned to rescue after their owner had some medical issues and was no longer able to care for them. They were both 15 years old and had multiple health issues themselves. They were so loving and obviously devoted to each other. It was just heart tugging to watch them together. Sadly I was only their foster mom for a few days, but they sure did touch my heart with love.

Through the generous support of our donors, we were able to provide each of these dogs, and many others like them, with quality, loving hospice care until their time came to cross the bridge. Above all, we are grateful that we knew them, that we helped them die peacefully, and that while in our care they lived their best life until they died.