Note — Today’s column is by Mary Bart Houston.

The term foster failure is a common one in animal shelters.

Foster: to promote the growth or development of; further encourage

Failure: an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success

You may initially think a negative connotation but quite the opposite. I think my story of being a foster failure may shed some light on the meaning.

I spent five years working in various capacities of an animal shelter in Florida where our intakes were over 10,000 annually. Many dogs and cats were brought to us for adoption, stray or illness. And let me say, no one goes to work in a shelter to become rich! They do it solely for the love of animals and trying to make this place a better one when we leave it for all of God’s creatures.

During my time in the shelter we developed a healthy foster program where animals that were not initially available for adoption due to illness, age or behavior were placed in our foster homes. I on many occasions like the majority of staff would open my home to fosters of all ages, breeds and needs.

One Sunday, I was approached by our Foster Program Coordinator to take a dog that was heartworm positive, in heat and older, into foster. Knowing all my dogs were healthy, friendly and fixed I made a safe place for this girl to receive treatment.

When I entered our isolation ward to look for Penny, I found her sitting patiently in her cage as if to say, “What took you so long?” She immediately wrapped her paws around my neck as if to say thank you. She is what I believe to be a Manchester Terrier and at the time was around eight years young.

A brief history about Penny, short for Penny Lane. She was dumped at the shelter one day with no information. No one knows who had her or what her story was, but it didn’t matter because little did I know at the time that we were going to create our own story.

After a month of her heartworm treatment she was finally cleared for spay surgery. After she had healed from her spay surgery it was time to return her to the shelter and place her into our adoption program. Well, Penny and I had bonded and I knew she wasn’t going anywhere except back to my home. Being the age that she was, she wasn’t the most adoptable dog in the shelter and selfishly I couldn’t give her up. I was a foster failure.

Penny is now 16 years young. She’s grayed, lost part of her hearing, eyesight isn’t what it used to be and some days are better than others. She may pace a lot, go to the bathroom at all hours of the night and be a lot needier than she was eight years ago but she is still the sweetest dog that rescued me. Yes, she rescued me!

She, like all my fur babies, teaches me life lessons such as: patience from Penny Lane; don’t judge a book by its cover (my Pit Bugsy that almost made it to 18 years young and loved everyone unconditionally); goofiness is endearing (my Boxer Moses who was the best travel companion one could ask for and my first dog as an adult); play more (my Pit mix Micky who loved life to the fullest); and size does not matter (my feisty Chihuahua Irwin Miguel who worships the ground I walk on but would bite a stranger that got too close to his momma. Or really anyone for that matter. Not too fond of people.)

As all stories must come to an end I realize my time to say goodbye to Penny is rapidly approaching. My heart aches thinking about not hearing her footsteps on my wood floor but I know the time she has been on this earth she has made me a better person and I am confident that I gave her a great life.

If I can leave you with one thought, it is a second chance can make all the difference. Penny wasn’t the most adoptable, but by far the most grateful.

Please consider opening your heart and home to a shelter dog or cat. Whether you foster or adopt you’re making a valuable contribution and you will receive so much more in return.

“Every once in a while a dog enters your life and changes everything.”  — author unknown.

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” — Roger Caras