Shelter Dogs Find Forever Homes After Being Fostered During Snowstorm

While most area residents were scrambling to grab milk and toilet paper ahead of the forecasted winter storm in January that threatened to have them snowed in for days on end, Claudia Roll, director of Anne Arundel County’s Animal Services, and her crew were thinking of the animals in their care.

“With the severity of the predicted storm, we were concerned about the number of staff who would be able to safely get to the shelter to care for the animals,” Roll said. “Fewer animals at the shelter would mean each one receives the necessary attention from a smaller care team.”

Animal Services put out an urgent call for animal fosters on its social media platforms, hoping residents would open their warm homes to an animal in need, Saturday through Tuesday, just before the first snowflakes flew.

Arnold resident and dog lover Gwen Willms saw the Facebook post and knew despite having two toddlers and other dogs in her home, she and her husband, Adam, would be up for the short-term foster role. Willms and her daughters headed to the shelter the morning of January 24.

“We started that Saturday with 39 dogs at the shelter. Eleven were not eligible for foster,” Roll explained. By the end of the afternoon, all 28 adoption-eligible dogs went to foster, including a handsome and loveable dog now named Bear.

“We arrived a little late and there were only three dogs left to choose from,” said Willms, who added that her 4-year-old daughter, Carter, refused to leave the shelter without a dog. “We took him (then named Bayard) for a walk outside and he seemed a little aloof. He didn’t react to the girls, which I thought was fine if we were only going to have him for four days.”

Once he got to the Willms’ SUV, Bear was a different dog.

“He jumped in the back seat, sat between two car seats, and immediately perked up!” Willms exclaimed. “His demeanor changed immediately; he was happy and ready to go!”

Bear arrived at the shelter as a stray on November 5 after being found running loose near a school. He was anxious during his time at the shelter, which along with him being labeled a pit bull mix, likely affected a lack of interest as potential adopters looked at the available dogs.

Willms said she didn’t know anything about pit bulls, nor did she have any bias toward the breed one way or another. But one thing was for sure: Bear stole their hearts during his first three days in their home and became a foster-fail. He has taken to the young girls and serves as their protector, even blocking a crawling baby Brooke from getting near the top of a staircase.

“In the end, we saw what is so common … the animals in our care who are especially stressed here just need that new person or family to help them feel safe,” said Roll.

Bear was one of four dogs adopted by their fosters after the snowy weekend. Fifteen of the fosters decided to keep dogs as regular fosters until they were adopted, and only nine dogs came back to the shelter after the storm.

The snow and ice aren’t the only things that have melted since January, but the hearts of the entire Willms family have as well.

“We call him the ‘Manny,’” Willms joked, using the term for a male nanny. “He is a Staffordshire bull terrier, and they are known as the ‘nanny dogs.’”

She added that Bear is focused on the girls, who love him dearly. “He is meant to be around children. He’s so tuned into them, very calm, obedient and protective. He was definitely ready to love and to be loved,” she said.

Roll said, “(January 24) was a wonderfully hectic day as the community responded to our call to action. There were staff and volunteers who left that day crying happy tears. It is inspiring to experience such strong public support. Thank you to everyone who participated in the snowstorm foster event, and also to those who shared our social media post. And a special thank you to Bear’s new family. Congratulations, Bear!”

To learn more about the foster program at Animal Services, go to www.aacounty.org/animal-services/pet-adoption-fostering or visit the shelter at 411 Maxwell Frye Road in Millersville during viewing hours.