Testimonials

Sharon and Pete Fischer and “Quimby”

Sharon and Pete Fischer were looking for a way to volunteer their time when Sharon heard about Fidelco and its foster puppy program. After doing their homework, that included attending a foster class at Fidelco and talking with other foster families and observing the dogs, they decided that being a foster family was right for them.

For the first three months though, they weren’t sure they had made the right decision. “There were a lot of trials and triumphs at first,” Sharon laughs. “These dogs are so smart and that’s good and bad. But they grow quickly and when you see all your work coming together, it’s so exciting.”

Pete is quick to agree. “We’ve learned a lot about dogs and their behavior,” he said. “And everyone I meet is interested in the dog. I now carry about a dozen Fidelco bookmarks with me and when people ask questions about Quimby, I give them a bookmark and tell them to visit Fidelco’s Web site that’s listed on the bottom.”

Both Sharon and Pete believe the personal reward they get from helping to prepare a foster pup for guide dog work makes having a Fidelco pup worthwhile. And they never feel alone in their endeavor. “The classes are great and the people at Fidelco are there for you whenever you need them. They always call or e-mail you right back and have answers for all of your questions. I think they must live at Fidelco.”

One additional benefit of having a Fidelco foster pup is that Sharon and Pete get outside more often. “We’re walking twice a day, especially in the summertime. We would have never been outside otherwise,” said Sharon. “It’s great for us and great for Quimby as well.”

Sharon says that their goal was to make a difference in someone’s life and that they have done the best to ensure that Quimby makes a good guide dog. They are also looking forward to seeing how their pup reacts to being with a Fidelco trainer. “Having a Fidelco foster puppy has been a great experience,” says Pete. “It’s been all positive.”

 

Paul Volpe and “Echo”

As only a three-month-old puppy can, Echo bounds around Paul Volpe’s backyard greeting visitors, chasing leaves and getting tangled in his own leash. Once inside Paul’s house, Echo decides its time for a nap and walks into his crate to lie down.

“Sometimes it’s hard to keep him entertained,” says Paul. “But every couple of weeks, I notice that he’s getting smarter, I’m getting smarter and we’re developing a rhythm.” Being a Fidelco foster is but the latest interaction that Paul has had with Fidelco. “I was a trust officer at a bank and I had a 70 year-old client with a Fidelco dog,” he said. “I was so impressed that they could match a guide dog with someone who was not that strong. So, after my father died, we looked around for a charity to support and that’s when I got to know Fidelco.”

Paul also became interested in dogs and was encouraged to volunteer as a foster. His initial hesitation had to do with having to give up a pup after 18 months or so. But as Paul says, “Sue (Brown) and Laura (Boogaert) are special people. They make you feel like you’re part of the Fidelco family and the more I observed the fosters being trained, the more excited I was.”

Paul has other reasons for getting involved in Fidelco’s foster program, “As I get older, I value independence more. I can only imagine how a person who is blind feels about having a dog that gives them independence. It must feel terrific.” He also believes that having a dog in your life expands your horizons. “I meet people; I do pet therapy (with “Sunny,” his Golden Retriever) and if you’re interested in dogs and let them teach you, they just make your life fuller. It’s truly a wonderful thing.”

 

Greg and Joanie Mirabelli and “Yuma”

Most foster families dread the thought of having to give up their dogs at the end of the fostering period.
And Joanie Mirabelli is no different but she keeps it in perspective. “I love fostering for a lot of reasons,
but mainly because you are profoundly helping others,” she said. “And as much as we love the dogs, giving them up is much easier when you talk to the graduates. They are very appreciative of the people who foster Fidelco’s puppies.”

While the thought of helping others is what drives Joanie and Greg, her husband, simply having the dogs around the house provides the couple with a great deal of pleasure. “I always wanted a big dog,” says Greg. “And seeing the differences in the dogs’ personalities is amazing.” “Olga,” the Mirabelli’s first foster pup, loved to be outside and to run in their yard. Yuma, their current dog, is what Greg calls a “floor potato.” “I like to sit on the floor with him in the evening and watch TV and he’s okay with that. And there are days when we actually have to wake him up.”
  
Joanie says that their Fidelco pups are members of the family and as they mature, you can see Fidelco’s breeding start to take over. “You get to watch them evolve into a working dog,” she says. “They become better behaved and motivated to work. It’s very impressive.”

The Mirabellis are enjoying the fostering experience; and for others who are considering becoming fosters, they emphasize the support provided by Fidelco. “They are available to answer questions or address concerns,” Joanie says. “Also, the classes are wonderful as are the other foster families. You won’t be the first family to have questions and either Fidelco or the foster families have all the answers. It’s totally worth it in the end.”  

 

Amy Crenshaw and “Smoke”

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been an animal person; almost always with a dog,” said Amy Crenshaw. “I also thought I knew everything about raising dogs; that is, until I got a Fidelco puppy.” Amy is the first to admit that her knowledge and understanding of dogs has grown immensely since becoming a Fidelco foster. She now fosters Smoke, a 10-month old pup that is, according to Amy, a “beautiful, affectionate and gentle” dog and her third Fidelco pup. 

Amy has always volunteered her time to help serve others. While living in Florida, she was a prison Chaplin for 12 years. And when she and Gary, her husband, moved to the Hartford area, it wasn’t long before Amy found an outlet for her volunteer bug; an outlet that combined her need to help others with her love of dogs.  

“I did some research and found that Fidelco was in my backyard in Bloomfield,” she said. “I called them and they told me that if I came to their classes and was approved as a foster, that they would give me a puppy! What a wonderful thing to be able to do and how cool to have a dog that you can take everywhere with you.”

Amy treasures having Fidelco foster pups in her house. “First of all, it’s remarkable to see the intelligence of these wonderful animals. And Fidelco has everything covered. They make being a foster as easy as they possibly can.” She also values the end result of her work. When “Sage,” her first foster pup graduated, she got a letter from Fidelco about how much his master loved him and how Sage had helped the person get his life back. “That was so rewarding,” she said. “It meant that our efforts were having a positive impact on someone in need.”

Amy and Gary are in the process of getting their own dog; a Golden Retriever puppy. But as soon as the puppy is old enough and Smoke has taken his graduation walk, there will be a new foster puppy that will come to live with the Crenshaws.

And, as a seasoned Fidelco foster, Amy has some advice for prospective foster families. “Jump right in with both feet. Just do it. It’s wonderful!”

 

Karen and Bob Bass and “Lizzie”

Karen and Bob have been fosters since 1987 and now have “Lizzie,” their 11th pup and “Xenn,” their 12th. Lizzie is 15 months old and Xenn is 11 weeks. As foster program veterans, their words carry a great deal of weight and when Karen says, “We love it,” you believe her. “We enjoy the whole process,” she says. “It’s so much fun watching the light go on as the pups grow and learn and catch onto things. We’ve also met so many nice people through the program, including the Fidelco staff and graduates; who are the people who eventually receive the guide dogs we foster.”

Karen believes the quality that makes Fidelco pups so unique is present at birth. “Fidelco puppies are exceptional. They come to us and are so smart to begin with and they learn very quickly,” she says. “It’s so much fun when they get to the stage where you can take them out to places and watch them explore the world.”  

 As for having two foster pups in the house at once, Karen admits it can be overwhelming but that patience is a virtue and eventually everyone, including the dogs, “finds their rhythm” and falls into a routine. “Having two dogs are a blast,” she says. “They’re always together and they even share their toys. The challenge for us is to separate them and find time to work with them at their own level of training.”

Lizzie is close to beginning her formal guide dog training with Fidelco’s professional trainers, so it’s important that she travel outside the home as often as possible. Xenn is still a small pup and needs the kind of one-on-one attention that can happen only in the home environment. But the Basses have found ways to meet the needs of each dog, while attending to themselves as well.

“It’s life-changing because the daily routine turns into time you didn’t allocate before,” Karen says. “But it’s definitely worth it. The time you put into it is paid back several times over. We find it so enjoyable and rewarding being a foster family.”

 

Julie Gamble and Lucy

“I’m a professional photographer and I could never imagine losing my sight,” says Julie Gamble, who,
along with her husband Charles, is a Fidelco foster for Lucy (15 months old) and Xyla (11 weeks old.) “It was something I could do for somebody who had lost their sight and it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.”

Another very tangible reward for Julie is taking Lucy to work with her each day. “It’s definitely a stress relief for me and everyone in my office,” she says. “It’s so fantastic taking her to restaurants and seeing other people’s faces because she’s so well-behaved. I love talking with people about Fidelco and being a foster. Having Lucy with me creates that conversation.” 

Julies says that everyone at Fidelco goes out of their way to make fostering a pleasurable experience. “Fidelco takes you through every step of the way. No matter what kinds of questions you have, they’re always there to answer them.” She also believes that being involved with Fidelco has given her a better understanding of the entire process; from breeding Fidelco pups to placing them with men and women across North America.
 
“To see the training that goes into the dogs and be a part of that is a wonderful experience,” she says. “You get to meet a lot of other people who have already gone through being a foster and you meet the people who actually use the guide dogs. It’s really very wonderful.”

According to Julie, Lucy and Xyla have distinct personalities and to see them together is both fun and instructional. “Xyla is a bundle of energy,” she says. “And even at 15 months, Lucy still has a lot of puppy in her that comes out when they play. But you can see that Lucy is maturing and it won’t be long before she goes back to Fidelco for training.”

People often ask Julie and Charles if they will be sad when Lucy leaves. “I answer that when you meet someone who is blind with a guide dog, that you realize that this is what this dog was meant to do,” she says. “Lucy seems happiest when she is in her (Fidelco foster) vest and working. It is a joy to have Lucy and Xyla as part of our lives.”

 

Fred Timme and “Iso”

When we asked Fred Timme to talk with us about his experiences as a foster, he went a step beyond and provided us with some first-hand (and somewhat tongue-in-cheek) thoughts on the subject.

“So, why do you do this, this fostering thing over and over and 13 times over again?"  This is a question that I often ask myself and over the years, I have come up with a variety of intriguing answers.

1.  To apply canine training to improving relations with my mother-in-law;
2.  To bedevil my family;
3.  To bedevil the Fidelco staff;
4.  And to take a stand for canines. Fortunately, there still aren't any guide  cats.

“The less obvious reason is that my daughter wanted a dog.  And I was looking for an activity that we could participate in together.  We agreed on Fidelco.  I told my daughter that the most difficult part of this experience would be giving up the puppy after raising it for 16 months.  And it was difficult.   But the heart is a muscle and the more exercise it gets the stronger it becomes.  

Best friends are going to move away, boyfriends are going to dump you and just as inevitably the sun will still rise in the morning and your puppy will survive without you.  It doesn't mean that you don't put your heart out there; it means that you can cry, for the moment, and still move on.  There is always another cute, furry one in the pup house ready, willing and able to make a mark on your heart.   That's how we started.  And we have just kept on going.”

When asked for advice he would give to people who are considering becoming a foster, Fred shares these thoughts.

“I'm not much for advice but instead I would ask a lot of questions.
 
1.  How will you balance your own inadequacies and frustrations with the competency and compassion of the Fidelco staff?
2. Will you be able to divorce your puppy's slow progress from your Herculean efforts to have her featured as the Poster Girl on The Traveling All-American Guide Dog All Star Team?
3. Can you accept helping some unknown person at your own emotional expense?
4. Are you willing to let your heart grow stronger?
   
And finally the most important queston: What time next Saturday can you pick up your puppy, and could you take two of them?”

 

Diane, Chris, Matt and Michelle Terry and “Osbourne”

“Liz Greenwood was a co-worker and had ‘Yodi’ as a foster pup,” says Diane Terry. “I was so impressed with Yodi’s behavior at work and how well-trained she was that we were encouraged to look into the foster program. And Liz has become a friend for life and tremendous support system for us.”

Now with their fifth foster pup, the Terry’s dedication to raising Osbourne is obvious. And it’s a family endeavor. “You have to take responsibility for the dog,” says 13 year-old Michelle. “You have to train it, feed it and take care of it.” Matt, who is nine years old, is also an active participant. “My mom makes me feed him, walk him and tire him out at night. He always wants to play.”

The Terrys believe that fostering has been a very positive family experience. They also give Fidelco high marks for the support they provide to foster families. “We think the foundation is just incredible, says Chris. “There’s never been a time when we called Fidelco with a question that it wasn’t answered immediately. And we’ve met some good friends through the program.

Diane adds that fostering requires lots of love and patience and an ability to “roll with the punches.” And, as Michelle says, “It’s rewarding knowing that we’re helping someone live a better life.”

According to the Terrys, the most difficult part of fostering a pup is having to give it back to Fidelco for its formal training. “The pup is part of the family and when they go, the ride back from Fidelco is a little slow,” says Chris. “But we reminisce, break out the picture books and wait for the graduation walk (the last time the fosters see the dog prior to its being placed with a Fidelco client.)

“It doesn’t get easier but tears of sadness become tears of joy when their dog is teamed up with a person whose life will be made better,” says Diane. “The pride outweighs the grief.”