INDIANAPOLIS — An animal rescue service in Speedway is helping dogs find new, loving homes after their owners have passed away.
Furever We Love, located at 6110 W. 25th St., near Crawfordsville Road, is giving these dogs a second chance.
Baby, an aging beagle, is getting to know her foster family after Furever We Love adopted Baby when her owner got sick and could no longer care for her. Instead of ending up in a shelter, the rescue finds new homes for dogs like Baby who outlive their owners.
"One of the things that makes me so happy is that anybody who adopts from me will continually update me on how the dogs are doing," said founder Robin Clark. "It allows any remaining family members to see that the dog is part of a new family and doing well. It also makes me feel so happy to see how other dogs are doing with their new families."
Julie Schmidt, one of Furever We Love's foster moms, said it can be challenging to calm a scared and confused elderly dog that recently lost its owner, but knowing she's saved a life makes it all worth it.
"It's always a joy. These animals have suddenly lost everything that they ever knew," Schmidt said. "It's always learning. It's always sharing. And for me, the biggest thing is just knowing that that this anxious dog or this scared dog that's afraid of its own shadow or the one that's just kind of pacing because its world's upside down … just to know that they're not in a shelter where they would probably be euthanized. It makes every life moment with them worth it."
Since Clark started the organization in 2019, the rescue has found forever homes to 156 dogs.
The process can be emotional for families who lose a loved one and can't keep the animal themselves.
"It's hard to have to say goodbye to a dog that's been part of a family. It's hard to know that its past mom or dad is no longer living. It's painful," Clark said. "But I think that once they need us and feel comfortable, they know that what they're doing is in the public's best interest and for their family, and knowing that they'll be able to follow the life of their family's pet adds a lot of security and comfort to the family that's remaining."
Furever We Love, which also covers vet expenses for the dogs that are in foster homes, only has a handful of foster families and is always looking for more volunteers to help give these special dogs a second chance at family.
Click here to learn more information about volunteering or how to donate. Dogs available for adoption can also be found at this link.
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