Humane Fort Wayne has been offering compassionate fostering to those in the community experiencing crises for several years. Now, one pup's experience in the program is helping her get a second chance.
Kookie is a three-year-old labrador mix, currently residing at Humane Fort Wayne’s shelter. She roams back and forth across the grass in one of the solitary run areas behind the shelter, occasionally chasing a ball, mostly sniffing grass by herself and getting up to some mischief, like eating rocks.
Community Relations Manager Melissa Gibson pulls Kookie away from the rocks and redirects her back towards chasing the tooth-safe ball.
Gibson said Kookie is a special case for Humane. She’s no stranger to the shelter, though she’s recently become a more permanent resident while she awaits her second forever home.
"Kookie, she’s an independent little soul," Gibson said. "And she’s quirky for all that she’s been through. Kookie is, um... I don’t even know. We call her Kooky Kookie.”
Kookie’s mom had been in and out of the hospital dealing with health issues and, while she was there, Kookie would stay with Humane Fort Wayne as a compassionate foster resident.
The program offers short-term fostering to anyone going through an emergency situation that makes them unable to take care of their pet. Gibson said, while a lot of their clients are people fleeing domestic violence, they also offer sanctuary to those who have been displaced from their homes or, like Kookie’s mom, are receiving medical treatment.
"You know if you’re going through something short term and there’s sort of a foreseeable end to it or some way that we can support and make sure that animal is safe," she said. "We don’t want you to surrender a 12-year-old pet that you’ve had your whole life – their whole life – to a shelter where they may or may not have a live outcome. We want them to be with you.”
When Kookie’s mom passed away recently, Kookie was taken to Animal Care and Control.
"Kookie is also microchipped and so Kookie’s chip comes back to us as a secondary contact," Gibson said. "And it didn’t even take that much, because our staff frequently watches the animals on the Animal Careand Control website as they come in. And our staff was just nosing around one morning and saw our girl.”
Now, Kookie has found a safe haven at Humane.
The compassionate foster program is the only one like it in Northeast Indiana. It offers pet owners going through crises related to housing, health issues or domestic violence a safe place to keep their pets while they get back on their feet.
Alison Caley is the intake and diversion manager at the shelter. She said compassionate foster programs like theirs take a lot of time, space and manpower to run, which makes them pretty rare.
“So it is a difficult program to maybe get into at certain times, but it is a super beneficial one for those who can use it," Caley said.
Anyone can come in and fill out an application for a short-term foster, where shelter staff will assess the need and decide how best to assist. The application starts as a 30-day foster with the option to extend it to another 30 days if needed.
Enrichment Lead Kristi Felkner helps the dogs settle in and feel comfortable during their stay and she said its important they’re treated with the same care and attention as any of the other adoptable animals that come through the shelter.
“So, a lot of the reasons they’re here, they may have experienced something traumatic prior to that," Felkner said. "You just kind of take it easy with them and try to assess their personality. A lot of times we will set dogs up on a decompression plan. So, we’re still gonna engage with them and interact with them, but we’re not gonna push that too far.”
For a dog like Kookie, who Gibson said is a bit harder to place in a home because of her dislike for other pets and the bond she formed with her previous owner, the compassionate foster program is helping her get a second chance.
“Certainly in Kookie’s three years of life, she’s been through it," Gibson said. "She’s had a lot of trauma, a lot of change, but she’s been so resilient that we just know that her perfect family’s out there somewhere.”
Gibson said Kookie basically had her own kennel in the shelter and, while she still had to get used to being around so many dogs and people, she’s begun to settle into her space while she awaits her next home.
