Help out the organization I love

This is me. You’re probably wondering how I got here.

Since 2014, I have fostered 92 dogs and 24 cats. That is 116 animals who have lived in my house rent-free, contributed absolutely nothing financially and, in many cases, actively destroyed the property.

My poor husband Nic didn't realize he was signing up to operate an unlicensed puppy hostel when he met me, but here we are. For more the better part of a decade, he has tolerated a revolving door of puppies, dogs, cats, crates, baby gates, mysterious smells and me saying, “Okay, but LOOK HOW CUTE!!!!!”

Bottle babies Folsom and Big River

FOSTERING IS NOT GLAMOROUS. I've cleaned up more pee and poop than any person without a veterinary degree reasonably should. I've cleaned up other bodily fluids that we don't need to discuss here. I've lost shoes, rugs, baseboards, sleep and probably years off my life.

One foster destroyed my couch. Not a cushion. The couch. (With Thelma’s help of course!)

And yet, I keep doing it. I'm in it for the love of the game. Because underneath all the chaos, I really, really love it. There is nothing like watching a scared animal realize they're safe, watching a sick dog get healthy, or watching a foster leave your house with a family who is completely obsessed with them.

Partners in CRIME (2016)

But somewhere around foster #95, I had an unfortunate realization: I cannot personally foster every animal in Texas. I know. I was surprised too. I really wanted to get a bus to pull up at all the shelters. 

The bigger realization was that we can't rescue our way out of the animal crisis in North Texas. There are too many animals entering shelters and rescues, too many unwanted litters being born and too many families struggling to afford the pets they already love. Rescue will always matter, but we also have to do more to prevent animals from needing rescue in the first place.

Potato pups 2017

And that's a huge reason FLEAS means so much to me. FLEAS lets me help animals before they need to become foster #117.

We help families keep food in their pets' bowls so a difficult financial season doesn't mean giving up a beloved pet. We help fund spay and neuter surgeries to prevent unwanted litters. We provide free microchips to help lost pets make it home. And we support animals at the Little Elm Animal Shelter when they need medical care and extra help.

Basically, FLEAS lets me channel my inability to mind my own business when it comes to animals into something scalable. (Not because I love pet food, my car currently reeks of cat food) 

Weekend pet food bagging

This organization means so much to me because I've seen what happens when we intervene earlier. Sometimes helping an animal doesn't mean bringing them into rescue. Sometimes it means buying a bag of food. Sometimes it's paying for a spay or neuter surgery. Sometimes it's helping a shelter animal get the medical care they need. Those things aren't always as visible as bringing home a box of puppies, but they are how we start changing the bigger problem.

So for North Texas Giving Day, I'm asking my friends, family, coworkers, people who have adopted my fosters, people who have endured my approximately 8 billion animal posts and anyone who has ever made the mistake of asking me how “the rescue stuff” is going to please support my fundraiser for FLEAS.

Me and my fospice girl, Fiona

I mean it when I say this organization is incredibly important to me. I've seen what a relatively small group of volunteers can accomplish with limited resources, and I want to see what we could do with more. If you're able to make a gift to my fundraiser, I would be so grateful.

Do it for the animals. Do it for the couch.

Do it for Nic. He would LOVE fewer homeless animals (and fewer in our house.) 

Nic & Janis