This week I put Turnip on a transport van bound for Maine. A month ago I was picking him up at Macon Bibb County Animal Welfare and taking him home. Turnip, the name given to him in the shelter, spent a month in our home getting veterinary care, gaining weight and generally just learning how to be a dog. He was making up for the first 12 weeks of his life where he was at best an afterthought and at worst a victim of animal cruelty.

This little terrier puppy was found along with 9 other dogs on Christmas Eve in Macon. Animal control officers just happened to come upon them while out on another call. Many of the dogs were in bad shape and their owner was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. Five of them made it out of the shelter and five did not. I first saw this little dog on the Macon Bibb County Animal Welfare Facebook Page. His sad eyes and worried expression beelined straight to my animal loving heart and I decided to be “that person” for him.

turnip2.jpg

This is Turnip when he was initially found. 

I contacted the Pixel Fund, an organization I had fostered for, and asked if they would accept him into their program. Pixel takes many dogs from high kill shelters in Georgia and brings them to Maine where they find loving homes. Aggressive spay-neuter programs have created an actual shortage of dogs, especially puppies. Many people prefer rescue dogs and are willing to pay for the costs of vetting and transport to adopt a new family member. One of my other fosters, Lucy, was currently living in Maine with a wonderful family.

lucy1.jpg

Lucy one of my other foster dogs has gone on to a happy ending thanks to my friends at the PixelFund. 

I’m not going to lie. Fostering a dog or cat can be inconvenient, but the benefits far outweigh the alternatives. Because of our family’s willingness to open our home, one more animal could be saved. As I tell my friends, “All it takes is love and a crate.” Call me crazy but every rescue pet I’ve ever adopted or fostered seems to have this air of gratitude. I believe on some level they understand that you’ve helped save them.

I expect that Turnip’s new family (he’s already been pre-adopted) will likely change his name. He is going to live with a young couple who’ve thought long and hard about adopting a dog and chose him. He will have a cat to live with and a warm place to sleep. What more could a little shelter dog ask for?