09/24/2025
I’m going to bed tonight with a full heart and teary eyes.
I “adopted” Red last Tuesday from Kern County Animal Services, to save his life. I couldn’t stand seeing a beautiful red heeler struggle in the shelter, especially a 10 year old that reminded me so much of Zoey (my last dog - in the first pic).
His owner died in August, so he was surrendered to the shelter…this hit me hard, because of our shared trauma. I knew he wouldn’t be my forever dog, but I wanted to let him decompress and give him all of the love I could as long as he lived with me.
I posted him on several Facebook groups, with not much interest…except for one woman, who wanted to do a meet & greet the following Tuesday. Red and I took a trip to the outskirts of Santa Maria (almost to Sisquoc), where we met Jackie & John.
This sweet couple live on a big ranch, have a fully fenced in yard, and immediately fell in love with Red. He made himself at home right off the bat, which was amazing. I drove off their property an hour and a half later (without Red), knowing this was his perfect forever family. J & J told me: “We don’t know how much longer he has, but we want to make sure his golden years are spent relaxing on a big piece of property, getting spoiled, and getting all of the love.” Thank you - that means the world to me…and Red. 😭
Fostering isn’t for the weak of heart. It will challenge you, break you down, make you smile, and absolutely fill your heart up. I refuse to “keep” or “foster fail” any of my fosters, because I won’t be able to save another dog if I do. I want to save as many lives as possible and help them find their forever homes. 🐾
