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S T O R Y
“I want to have my babies in a shelter,” said no dog ever.
Yet, on December 27, 2021, that’s just what Vida did. This beautiful young female landed herself at Berkeley Animal Center on Christmas Eve when her humans lost their housing. She was scared and confused – hormonal – and in a new place filled with the barks of other dogs she could hear but couldn’t see. She was stressed for certain and just three days later, shelter staff came to work to find seven new intakes had joined them overnight. As you can imagine, a shelter is no place for newborn puppies or a nursing mother. Neonates are at risk for contagion especially and no matter how clean the shelter is, this is always a concern with new animals coming in daily. Thus began the networking to find a foster who could manage an entire family and give Vida and her babies a safe space to grow until they became adoptable. Two words that always inspire relief among shelter staff and volunteers: FOSTER FOUND.
I had the honor of transporting Vida to her new foster in Mount Pleasant. Kristin Villa, a local pet community staple, business owner (Ziggy’s Dog Parlor and Ziggy’s Villa) and friend, who is very experienced with these situations and was happy to bring Vida and her babies into their quiet new digs. Allowing Vida to decompress was the first order of business as she cared for newborns. What many don’t realize is that the first couple of weeks of a new litter in this world are basically a cakewalk. The mother does all the work, the feeding and cleaning and monitoring. The foster really just needs to ensure babies are gaining weight and appear healthy and that the mother dog is eating well, thriving, and the family has a clean living space. The few weeks that follow start to require a little more effort with cleanup and eventually feeding, sure, but overall, it’s a relatively easy proposition with an incredible emotional return on investment. There aren’t things more heartwarming than watching baby animals grow and be adopted into loving homes.
