Fiona

Fiona joined the FOWA Rescue foster program in July of 2017. Her foster family spotted her adorable photo on Facebook and was immediately touched with her story. Fiona was living at the Newark shelter. She was a young and energetic pup struggling to survive in a shelter setting. Fiona sat for months with no interest and was nearing the point of being "at risk" due to the shelter's overwhelming intake of dogs. That is when Lisa reached out to FOWA Rescue and said her family would be happy to take Fiona in as a foster to help give her the chance at a brighter future. It wasn't until bringing her into their foster home that Fiona's health problems came to light. She has a collapsed trachea, which comes with a loud honking sound, a hip issue, and severe skin/food allergies. No one was expecting the list of medical issues, but everyone was dedicated to doing all we could to get her healthy. She had a full health exam, an orthopedic work-up, and a full allergy test. Turns out, our Fiona is pretty much allergic to everything except rabbit, potatoes, and mosquitoes. This requires special food and treats, as well as daily Apoquel, a dog allergy medicine that controls itch and inflammation for allergic or atopic dermatitis. All are very costly. We also realize that future expenses may arise down the road, due to her hip and trachea issues. Fiona never knew all the health problems she has. She just knows she was in a home, feeling so much better, loving the attention, chewing bones, and shredding plush toys until the squeaky was found. Fiona is making the most of sunny days on the deck and warm cozy nights by a fire. She is safe! After some time and seeing her in different situations with other animals, it was decided that Fiona would be happiest as an only dog. Because of her hip and trachea issues, she will never be able to take hikes or huge walks, but she does need to get that energy out and her person needs to know not to push her and think of different ways to make this puppy spirit tired, but in a safe way to avoid further damage. Fiona gets super excited and although she likes to think she is a perfectly delicate lady, she is more like a happy bull in a china shop, so we would be concerned about her being in a home with small children or seniors. We have had her up for adoption hoping the family she needs would come along, but sadly, when her quirks were discussed, most people backed away or it wasn't the right match and it was time to start all over. As weeks turned into months and months into years, we wondered how could we give Fiona the best life possible? Sanctuaries were briefly discussed, but her issues with other dogs made that pretty much impossible. Plus, we felt she would struggle and ultimately would fail to thrive in that kind of environment. But what we did notice was that Fiona has transitioned into a family member in her foster home. Unfortunately, her foster family cannot afford to adopt her due to the monthly burden of her medical and dietary needs. After many conversations, her foster family is prepared to care for her, so the idea/concept of a new approach to help harder to place animals emerged -- 4ever foster. They agreed that Fiona would be welcomed as FOWA's first 4ever foster dog and perhaps the start of a new program! Accommodations have been put into place as hope started to dwindle for her adoption and it appeared that she may be a long-term foster. Her foster family is ready to move forward, loving her as much as they have for the past four years and now we want everyone who wants to be a part of her lifetime commitment to be able to help! We hope that you will be able to join us in this new journey of giving Fiona the longest and best "settled" life. We want to remove her from the “adoptable dogs” status. Fiona and FOWA Rescue are looking for sponsors/supporters -- a village of foster family members. Commitments of monthly food, treats, and supplies can easily be purchased off Fiona’s Amazon Wish List. Just copy and paste! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/CSD2ML9VGZPM?ref_=wl_share In addition, monetary support to be used/saved for her specific needs is welcomed and can be sent by PayPal to [email protected], Venmo to @FOWA-Treasurer or @FOWA-Rescue, check to FOWA Rescue (c/o Fiona) at PO Box 3701 in Wayne, NJ 07470. You can also go to our website at http://www.fowarescue.org and go to the donations tab (make sure put a comment in that it's for Fiona). Fiona has her own private Facebook page, where her extended foster family networks, so you will always be apprised of what's going on with "your foster." And the best part, you don't need to walk her, feed her, pick up her messes or worry about dog sitting for vacation! LOL. She will attend FOWA events when she can, so you can see her in person. Best of all, she will have a family, a FOWA family. Thank you from FOWA Rescue, Fiona, her foster family, and all the dogs out there still waiting for a chance.