ARL foster parent and volunteer Ning Pan has traveled the world and is currently working towards the goal of traveling to all 50 states (with only four states to go)! But one of his favorite places to travel is ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Centre.
Ning started volunteering in October 2021 on the recommendation of a colleague. Having recently lost her beloved rescue dog Eva in 2020, Ning was once again ready to find the animal love back in her life. Fairly early in her volunteer journey, Ning noticed the critical need for foster families and decided fostering might be a good first step to welcoming dogs back into her and her family’s daily life. .
His first fostering experience was with Kaylee and Macie, two senior Rat Terrier mixes. She brought them home just before the holidays and they remained in her care for 7 weeks before being adopted together into a loving new family.
Since those first two placements, Ning has taken in six more dogs! One of them was a “family failure”, Buddy. “Foster fail” is an endearing term for when a foster parent adopts their foster animal. But of course, it’s never a failure when an animal finds a loving home, which Buddy did! Buddy was originally adopted by someone else, but later had to be returned due to a family emergency. When he returned to ARL, Ning knew he was meant to be a permanent member of his family, and they made it official by adopting him the same day he returned.
After adopting Buddy, Ning continued to take him in. Currently, she is raising a dog involved in an active law enforcement investigation. This particular dog has been in ARL care since May 2022 and has been in Ning’s care for over 6 months now!
Law enforcement Cases involving animals can take a long time to resolve, so having a foster family who can provide that animal with a safe place to land while awaiting release for adoption is absolutely invaluable. Foster homes reduce animal stress and allow them a bit of a break from shelter life, while allowing the facility to care for more animals in need. That’s part of what motivates Ning to keep favoring.
Even though many people ask her “how can you do”, “don’t fall in love with them” and “isn’t it sad” when asked about foster care. Ning is quick to explain how the life-saving impact of fostering for animals in need far outweighs any sadness she may feel when saying goodbye to an animal. She also stays in touch with adopters from many of her foster families and receives happy updates that help fill her cup of hope for other animals in need.
We are so grateful to Ning for all she does for animals in need, like Buddy and the other 6 foster families who have come and gone to her home. She makes so much life-saving work possible, and we are forever grateful to her.
Learn more about foster care and volunteering at ARL.