From Dori Almann, Public Relations Manager:

Our Rottweiler saga continues. First, we adopted a rescue puppy we named Tula; now, we're fostering. All because of the Internet, where one thing leads to another.

In our search for Tula, I bookmarked all of the Rottie rescue sites I found. During the months that followed, I busied myself training Tula and watching her grow up into a well-mannered, impish dog with a sparkling personality. Several months ago, when she turned two, I checked out all those Rottie rescue sites again. While Mo (emphatically) and I (reluctantly) concluded that, given our schedules, a third dog might be A Bit Much, we talked about the many dogs in rescue programs that need "forever homes." When I surfed around, I kept returning to one rescue site in particular, and noted that foster homes are always needed.

The more we talked about it, the more becoming a foster family seemed a good idea. We love Rotties. While getting another dog wasn't an option, we wanted to do something to help. I printed out the three-page foster application, which asked questions about everything from number of children in the household to the type and height of fence around our yard; from our veterinarian's name and telephone number (she was called), to the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three references (ditto for all three). We then had our home inspected. Finally, we were approved, and we're now a Rottie foster family.

Bear, our first foster, has been with us for a month and a half. He was rescued from our local animal shelter. Although he's about a year old, we're his fifth family. The only reason we can think of for his having had so many homes is that he's big; his paws are the size of my palms, and his legs are as thick as my wrists. But his size is matched by an easy-going, good-natured, total mush of a temperament.

Part of being a foster family involves sales effort: It's a good idea to try to do things that give your foster pet visibility. I wrote a long bio about Bear and posted it, along with some pictures we took of him, on the rescue group's Web site. We set up a site of our own for Bear that boasted even more pictures. I also took him to an adoption-day event one Saturday.

Adoption days give potential adopters a chance to meet potential adoptees and to talk with those doing the fostering. I found the experience fun and a lot of work. The adoption day was held in a huge pet-supply store. Scores of people streamed by the table we had set up. Several people attended specifically to meet Bear. They had read about him on our Web site, liked his pictures, and were eager for a chance to interact with him and ask me questions.

For those interested in adopting, the event gave them insight into how the dog behaves in a very public place. It's noisy; the dogs are surrounded by lots of strangers who are milling around, some pushing shopping carts, others walking dogs. Little kids, running around and making a lot of noise, are among those present. Some of these people love Rotties, some don't. If, after spending four hours in such chaos, the dog is either stretched out on the floor asleep, or still playing with its toys (as was Bear), you know the dog is a calm, sensible creature with steady nerves.

Since becoming involved with Rottie Rescue, we've learned that volunteers have organized rescue groups for every breed of dog. While many of the dogs in these rescue programs were removed from abusive situations, others (our Tula, for one) come from homes where the owner's situation has made it impossible for that owner to care properly for the dog. All rescue dogs are temperament-tested; all are spayed or neutered, and all are looking for a forever home.

Bear found his forever home. A couple who came to the adoption-day event thought he sounded like a great dog based on his Internet bio; after meeting him, they were sure of it. We're now making arrangements with them to transition Bear to his new home.

Dori