In an ideal world, dogs would have a safe home to go to as soon as they are rescued. In reality, they are often stuck in overcrowded animal shelters that do not have the space or resources to provide them with the quality of life they deserve. In the space between shelter and adoption is where fostering lies.
That’s where Sarah Brasky comes in. Young and fresh out of college, Sarah desperately missed having a dog in her life, but couldn’t commit to adopting yet.She decided she wanted to foster a dog, but quickly realized there were very few resources that allowed her to do so.
She could have done nothing. But Sarah has a unique ability to turn an obstacle into an opportunity. In other words, she didn’t just see the problem. She saw the solution.
There were plenty of resources dedicated to rescuing dogs and adopting dogs, but very few of them were devoted to fostering a dog, an essential part of the rescuing process. Fostering was not as common as it is today, and Foster Dogs NYC has helped to change that.
Sarah realized that there was a desperate need for a user-friendly website and organization dedicated solely to foster care. In doing so, Foster Dogs NYC has become the connection between people who want to help a shelter dog with the people and dogs who need help.
What started as a blog is now a rapidly growing non-profit organization, but more importantly a supportive community dedicated to providing potential foster owners with the knowledge and resources they need.
In addition to a seamless website, their social media presence is extremely impressive. For FosterDogsNYC it isn’t about likes, favorites, or retweets. “Every new follower is one person closer to finding a dog a home,” Sarah told BarkPost. They are active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Vine. By utilizing social media they are able to advertise adoption events or educational workshops, which often encourage people who may have been on the fence to foster. “You don’t always know which route will work until you try a few,” she explained. In other words, Sarah doesn’t wait for people to find her. She finds them.
Want an IRL example? Just recently, Foster Dogs NYC received a desperate plea from a rescuer about Trooper. They posted this picture & information on Instagram at 11PM on a Friday night:
By Saturday at 2PM he was safe in a home!
While talking with us, Sarah stressed that while Facebook, email lists, and digital marketing have undoubtedly played a crucial role in expanding the foster community, it’s the connections made in person that truly make it what it is.
They go above and beyond for foster dogs and owners by anticipating obstacles and removing them. For example, transportation. “If someone comes to pick up a dog and the car is the obstacle, we’ll pay for it,” Sarah told us. They also help cover cab rides for dogs that are too big for the subway so they are able to attend adoption events.
Sarah said the most common concern people have about fostering dogs is that they’ll get attached, to which she responds, “That’s a GOOD thing.” It’s simply a matter of looking at the big picture. Of course you will feel sad to say goodbye to a dog, but that’s nothing compared to the joy you feel by saving a life.
In addition to saving thousands of canine lives, Sarah has shifted much of the public’s pre-conceived ideas.
A lot of the time people for whatever reason people assume they can’t. Foster Dogs NYC assures them that they can. And if they need help, there’s a community to guide them through it.
In that vein, Foster Dogs NYC wants to continue to save and help foster dogs and people through education. They have plans for a program designed to teach children who may not have pets the right and wrong ways to approach or treat animals.
Most recently however, they have some awesome apparel that is currently available online. 20% of each item benefits Foster Dogs NYC, which uses the money to allocate its resources to foster dogs. They have t-shirts, tank tops, and most importantly, this tote bag. featuring the one and only @chloekardoggian.
“What’s better than knowing you were the bridge between a dog needing a home and a dog getting a home?” Sarah asks. In our view, nothing tops that! 🙂
