Home > Out of the Cage! > November/December 2005 > Foster Care Success: New Foster Dad Gives Nano Bridge to New Home

Foster Care Success

New Foster Dad Gives Nano Bridge to New Home

Nano had spent nearly a month of his very short life at a veterinary hospital, being treated for distemper, demodectic mange, and pneumonia. He was lucky — Animal Care & Control personnel had flagged him early on as a possible Picasso Veterinary Fund recipient, and contacted the Mayor's Alliance, which arranged to get Nano and two other Min Pins out of the shelter immediately and into a medical facility for life-saving medical treatment. A few weeks later, with his recovery well underway, Nano was ready to leave the hospital and recover further in short-term foster care before going to his permanent new home arranged by Internet Miniature Pinscher Service.

Rob Scarpa, a new Mayor's Alliance foster care volunteer, had spent the past month frantically tying up last-minute assignments for his graphic design clients before leaving for a much-needed ten-day vacation in Spain. Little did he know that upon his return home, he would be making a critical difference in the life of a fragile little Min Pin.

When Rob received a call from the Mayor's Alliance asking if he could foster the tiny puppy, he responded "yes!" without hesitation. Although this would be his first foster assignment with the Mayor's Alliance, Rob had raised puppies in the past, and cared for friends' pets, and he felt confident that he was equipped to handle the one-and-a-half pound guest in his Chelsea apartment.

In fact, Rob has ideal qualifications for fostering a very young puppy, including the fact that he works from his apartment and therefore can give his charge frequent attention and bathroom breaks. Also, that Rob doesn't have another dog in his household was key in selecting him to foster, because Nano might still be shedding the distemper virus, and it's crucial that he not come into direct contact with other dogs.

So Nano (a name Rob dubbed the tiny pup) arrived, along with a sack full of medications that he required. The Mayor's Alliance provided Rob with a small crate, towels, and wee-wee pads for his guest.

After a few days, we spoke with Rob about his first-time foster experience.

"It's great," Rob says. "I love dogs and cats, but I'm allergic to cats, so Nano is perfect for me. And he's the perfect size for my apartment."

Did Rob consider adopting Nano himself? "I certainly considered it — I've shared my life with dogs in the past, and expect to again. Having Nano here with me brought the question up for me in a big way. And most of my friends told me, 'you should adopt him!' But asking the question really forced me to examine my feelings about adopting a dog right now."

Rob says he was tempted to adopt because "being single and only caring for myself, having Nano here gives me a fulfilling sense of responsibility. It tapped into my paternal side. But I have to look at my lifestyle as it is now, and look at the practical aspects, not just the emotional ones. Adopting isn't like buying a new piece of furniture — it's a 10–15 year commitment, and one that needs to be carefully considered. It's a lot about separating emotion from reality."

Ultimately, Rob decided that fostering a dog is more in keeping with his lifestyle now than adopting, and soon he'll say goodbye to tiny Nano and send him off to the permanent home that has been arranged. But he's looking forward to his next foster opportunity. "Fostering gives me the chance to help, and to make a difference in the lives of these animals, and that's a tremendously gratifying feeling," he says. "And besides, I get to know and help more animals as a foster volunteer."

If you're considering becoming a foster volunteer, click here for more information and an online Volunteer Application.