Sirius Black is a German Shepherd, and in this story he sits down with foster mom Jennifer Davis to talk of his experiences being a foster brother

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Hi people! My name’s Sirius and I’m the best foster brother ever, at least, that’s what my mom says. She’s a foster mom for Southeast German Shepherd Rescue. We just started fostering this year, after mom bought me a house with lots and lots of land to run and play on. You see, I just love to play with other dogs and mom thought fostering would be a great way for me to have a playmate without committing to having another dog forever. I mean, what if we got another dog and I didn’t like him? And then we’d be stuck with him forever!

I think fostering is a great thing to do! I was fostered by a very nice lady before my mom adopted me. She taught me lots of stuff so when I met my real mom for the first time, she was super impressed with me!  Mom said that by fostering other dogs we could help them become more adoptable so they could find moms and dads of their own. My mom loves me so much and I really want to help other dogs find that kind of love too!

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My first foster sister was named Ginny. I really loved her! We got to play in the yard every morning and every night. Ginny didn’t know a lot of stuff when she came to live with us, so mom said I had to help teach her how to be a good dog so she could find a family of her own.  I taught her how to sit and not to chase the cats and how to walk nice on the leash. And guess what? She got adopted by an awesome family that adores her almost as much as my mom adores me.

We did have to make some changes to our routine for Ginny. I don’t think she got fed very much before she came to live with us, so she would gobble all of her food down and then come over and eat mine. I’m such a nice guy, I would just back away and let her have my food too, but mom said that I shouldn’t let her take advantage of me (whatever that means). So now I get to eat my meals in the guest bedroom with the door closed. Mom says I’m a slow eater, but really I just like to savor my food and chew it thoroughly, that’s very important you know!

I was a little bit sad after Ginny left, but about a month later JP came to live with us. He was only 10 months old and full of energy. Boy, did I have a lot of work to do with him! But we had lots of fun running around and chasing each other in the yard. And after only a month, he got adopted too! Now I have a new brother named Remus. He is only 7 months old, but mom says he reminds her of me and that’s a big compliment because I’m the best dog ever! Mom says we might foster-fail and keep him forever. I really hope so, because I love him a lot. Mom says he loves me too, even more than he loves her because whenever she calls his name he runs to me instead of her.

I think that more people (and dogs) should consider being foster families. It is hard to say goodbye to your foster brothers and sisters, but there are always new fosters to meet!

Sometimes it’s hard having to share my mom’s attention with other dogs. She’s only one person so she can’t love on all of us at the same time and sometimes she needs to spend extra time with my foster siblings to work on training or take them to the vet. But I feel so sad for all the dogs that have to live in shelters without moms and dads of their own. So I don’t mind sharing my mom with other dogs for a little while until they find families of their own.