Two Marblehead women have taken on the selfless task of fostering dogs for a North Shore rescue, as the state faces a growing crisis of lost and abandoned dogs and cats; a phenomenon that exploded after COVID hit in 2020, overcrowding shelters and tapping out the number of people willing to foster.
“What do we do with all of the animals in need when there are not enough people to adopt and pay for the life of the animal?” said Cynthia Sweet, the passionate and vibrant founder of Sweet Paws Rescue, currently based in Groveland. “It’s an equation that doesn’t add up!”
Lisa Miller, who lives in town, has fostered about 150 dogs for Sweet Paws in the six-plus years since she signed up. She learned of the rescue through a friend and decided that since she is an at-home mom, she could open her heart and home to help.
“My heart lies with the pregnant moms and babies,” said Miller, who primarily cares for expectant dogs and has delivered 19 litters of dogs at her home.
“When a dog comes into my home, withdrawn, terrified, abused, not knowing what a toy is, they are like a shell. I’ve slept in bean bags on the floor next to the dogs who are often struggling. And as time passes, and I see them pick up a toy, or they crawl into my lap and put their head on me, finally feeling safe — it’s like magic, and it’s my privilege.”
Three puppies in Miller’s care were adopted two weeks ago, with the smallest pup, Abby, a black and white mixed-breed, finding her home through a Sweet Paws adoption event.
Following a significant vetting process, Sweet Paws provides training for fosters and all supplies, foods, toys and covers the cost for all veterinary care.
“The only thing Sweet Paws asks the fosters to do is to provide love and care,” said Miller.
The notion of fostering had been percolating for over two-and-a-half-years for lifelong resident Kate Thomson, after she adopted her dog, Finn, from Sweet Paws through Miller, who was fostering the Pyrenees mix at the time.
She had recently lost her longtime golden and knew that she may not be ready to take on the feat of fostering. Feeling that she is in a good place now, Thomson last week picked up her second foster, Marvin, an 11-week-old, cinnamon-colored puppy found abandoned with his littermates on the side of the road down south. As a new foster, Thomson is navigating how to best deal with what can be a very emotional venture.
“My job is to be a lily pad,” said Thomson. “On my lily pad, I have to convey to the dogs the knowledge that humans are kind, until they are ready to move on to the next lily pad and the next lily pad. And my takeaway is all the puppy snuggles.” To learn more about adopting Marvin, click HERE.
Sweet, the only paid employee, has high praises for her dedicated crew.
“Our fosters and volunteers are the backbone of this organization. Without them,
we would not be able to operate,” said Sweet.
During COVID, when everyone was holed-up at home, many decided to adopt a pet, said Sweet. As time went on, some of those who adopted couldn’t make ends meet with rising housing costs and others losing their jobs. Some didn’t take into consideration the costs for feeding a pet and veterinary care. As a result, many animals have been surrendered or abandoned, she said.
Sweet Paws Rescue is entirely foster-based, without a brick-and-mortar shelter, which is by choice, said Sweet. Her belief is that animals do better in foster homes, where they are less stressed and their true personalities can come to light, so that they can be perfectly matched with a home. The rescue is not eligible for public funding, so they rely entirely on donations and fundraisers.
The rescue has been operating a holding facility since 2011 in Groveland where dogs are quarantined for the required 48-hour hold for the dogs and cats brought up by a transport company. The strays then go to either a foster or doggie day care until they are successfully adopted out. While the group has 100 fosters in Massachusetts and another 100 down south, it’s not enough to meet the demand.
In Massachusetts alone, the percentage of the number of strays the rescue serves has increased to 50%, up from the 3% it was prior to 2019.
There are exciting plans on the horizon for the rescue since Sweet purchased a 20-acre farm in Boxford a couple of months ago. Sweet has made her home here, drawn to the property with the dogs in mind by its sprawling barn and access to miles of walking trails in the abutting Wild Cat Conservation Area.
Plans are in the works to renovate the barn for use as the new Sweet Paws Rescue holding facility for the animals transported from the south.
“Our volunteers have to maneuver a main street in Groveland when they go to feed and walk the dogs,” said Sweet. “Our facility has served us well, but there is no green space, and the strays are frightened by the passing trucks. In Boxford, we are surrounded by nothing but woods. There will be off leash outdoor and indoor space. Our volunteers will be able to walk the dogs on the trails. It will be wonderful.”
To learn more about Sweet Paws Rescue, visit sweetpawsrescue.org.
