03/19/2023
Hi. Happy Sunny Sunday! 😎🌞🌻 This story is to all you fosterers out there. Even though I’ve had my mom since I was 8 weeks old, we also foster to help out other furbabies with their transition to their furever home. I’m responsible for showing them how to be a diva (or divo as the case may be!).
Rescue doesn’t sleep… and sometimes it involves more than just the pups… please take the time to read this middle of the night note from Marti:
Hello Fellow Dog Lovers,
At 10:00 tonight (Saturday) I received a message from an ER nurse at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. I don't know how she found me or BFK as I have no association with that hospital.
She was calling because they had just admitted a lady who had fallen and had a fracture in her back. The lady had, like many of us, her two precious dogs in her car when the accident occurred. She and the pups (Milo and Jack are their names) were taken to Long Beach Memorial. The nurse called to see if we could foster these boys while the owner was being cared for in the hospital.
I spoke with the owner who told me about her precious boys who she has owned for 10 years, what they were like, what she fed them, how they were, and are, her babies.
The nurse said the boys are crated and currently staying in the hospital courtyard. While they were searching for a way to care for Milo and Jack, the staff has been 'visiting' them, giving them food and water and helping them not to be overly anxious (since they are not with their owner.)
I've been on the phone ever since waking up a few rescue friends while calling and texting others, trying to find a way to keep the dogs safe and not have them brought to a shelter. I believe I have found a fellow rescue group in the area (since we are 100+ miles away) that can help the pups as of tomorrow (Sunday) morning.
On behalf of BFK I committed to pay for their board and care while the owner is getting medical treatment. The hope is that they can be reunited and find a place to live together. (Did I mention that I also learned they had been recently living in the owner's car due to a tragic circumstance? The hospital staff is also trying to find housing for them.)
Receiving a call like this one out of the blue is both a humbling and scary experience! I had been sitting here earlier today feeling a bit sorry for myself, as it is now two years since Jim passed. Yet I have my health, a roof over my head and my FurKids. The call from this nurse made me realize "There but for the grace of G-d go I."
It is obvious that the nursing staff at the hospital, despite all the trauma that they see day in and day out, wants to help -- and they reached out. They understood how much the dogs meant to their owner. We also understood, wanted to help and reached out.
BFK was founded with the motto "Making a Difference in a Dog's Life." Never has that been more clear to me than tonight. Rescue has so many emotional ups-and-downs but extending ourselves to help others has always been so very important!
In this time when there is so much upheaval and tension in the world, we can make a difference for a lady (and her four-legged family) who is down on her luck --but not a victim. The nursing staff realized that and so do we.
If you would like to make a difference, please consider making a donation at https://bichonfurkids.org/donate/
Thank you, always, for your support of BFK and what we do.
Gratefully,
Marti
