Named "Best Running Club" by Philadelphia Magazine!
Foster Testimonials...
Curious about what is really like to be a foster family and what we find most rewarding about it? Our fabulous fosters share some insight...
"I have a different perspective than many fosters because I’m also a volunteer at our city’s open-intake animal shelter (ACCT) and I see the hundreds of homeless dogs there on a weekly basis. I met Lila there and was advocating for her as best as I could – trying to raise awareness of what a good dog she is and that she needed to be rescued. When the day came that she was included on the list of dogs that urgently needed to leave the shelter or risk being euthanized, I knew that I couldn’t wait for someone else. What if no one came for her? It came down to this: The pain of knowing that I could have done something but didn’t was far greater than readjusting my life and my schedule for a couple of weeks to accommodate her in my home as a foster dog. I knew that my Miler family had my back every step of the way to answer questions and offer support. It was tough to say goodbye when she moved on to her forever family but I know that she will have an amazing life. My husband and I will always be the people who took action to save her and who gave her the opportunity to be the awesome family member that she deserves to be."
Kathryn, B (Miler volunteer and previous foster)
"My moment of realizing I was doing something good was Champ's victory leap onto my couch, tangled in the throw blanket, then backwards summersault and head thump off the coffee table...all while wagging his tail. Seeing him crash into a deep sleep after a bath and in front of the space heater was very rewarding on his first night out of the shelter. He knew he was safe, he knew he could be happy and I helped to save this goobers life. Everywhere we went, people loved him. On a daily basis I was reminded how lucky I was to save this guys life and share him with other people. Someone walking down the street stopped me and told me how happy my dog looked. I told her that he was a foster and she said, "You're doing something right then!" Deciding not to be a foster failure was very hard and very emotional but being involved in the selection process and knowing that he went to a family I knew would love him and treat him the way I would want helped to solidify I was making the right choice. Connecting with his adopter and maintaining a friendship, she calls me his fairy dog mother and shares pictures and stories with me, I can't wait to meet him again and see how happy he is!"
Katherine B. (Miler Foster)
"I've fostered for various rescues in Philadelphia, including The Monster Milers. The one question I always get is, "How do you say goodbye?" I think it's a mindset. When I rescue a foster, I go into it thinking, "This is temporary. I am important in his/her forever story, but I am not the ending." Think of it as a pet sitting assignment, except the added bonus of saving a life! "I'm taking care of this dog right now, but he/she is not mine." Keeping that in perspective, allows me to fully invest in this specific moment of rescue - the time in between his/her stay at the shelter, and his eventual adoption with a fovever home. As a foster family, we know we've saved lives beyond our two resident dogs, and that's a wonderful feeling. It makes the bittersweet goodbyes worth it. (And it's really cool when we get updates about our previous foster dogs!)
Carrie M (The Monster Milers Founder and Foster)
The awesome Leah Milito (a member of the Miler Lifesaving team) introduced Tim and I to this handsome dude at ACCT, Patrick. I can’t rave enough how Leah made the whole process easy and smooth. Tim and I had some special needs because of our work hours and our other kid –our cat Rudy. Leah took everything into consideration. Being new to fostering a dog, I really had no idea how anything worked. Rescue means not only the action of adopting an animal from a shelter, but also the team effort it takes to help our furry friends—–aka The Monster Milers!!
Erin M. (A Miler volunteer & Foster)
