Nicole has been an amazing volunteer and foster with DPA! She decided to get more involved on the backend after fostering with us for a while. She serves as a foster representative and foster application vetter and excels in both roles. Due to her background, she is able to provide honest, considerate, and compassionate advice to those interested in fostering, or currently in the process of fostering. No problem is too big and she will work tirelessly to find the answer. The foster team is so lucky to have her on board! – Stefanie Steiner, Foster Director for Dallas Pets Alive!
This is why Nicole Huff is one of Dallas Pet’s Alive!’s PAWesome People!
How did you get involved with Fostering with DPA!?
We fostered a couple of times when we lived in Houston, but didn’t get a lot of support from the organization we worked with, so I wasn’t sure about doing it again. But a friend through Facebook, Jackie Spivey, who fosters with DPA!, kept posting dogs in need, and finally, one of the dogs sucked my husband and me in. It was the support we got after we started fostering that kept us doing it.
Tell us about a few of your fosters.
Rocket was an owner surrender who had a minor skin issue and was not getting attention at DAS. Turns out he was the sweetest, friendliest pup ever! He got along with every person, child & dog and couldn’t be more wonderful. In fact, he impressed everyone so much at an adoption event, he found himself on a transport shortly after we got him. He was adopted within 5 days of arriving and is now living the good life as a New Yorker.
Estrella, or Star Baby, was a heartworm-positive owner surrender I found when going to DAS to visit a couple of other dogs who turned out to already be tagged by another rescue. I knew I wanted her when I met her and DPA! worked with me to get her assessed so I could tag her. She was so sweet, cute, and fun! She needed to be spayed and get HW treatment, so we thought we’d have her for a while, but her new mom fell in love with her online, and even more so when she met her, so she took over her medical treatment. They are so happy (I get regular updates).
Our current foster, Jeffrey Leonard, was an owner surrender with heartworm. His original foster decided it was too far to take him to treatment and asked for a transfer. We stepped up (I was the foster rep) and got him into treatment immediately. He was very skittish and spent the first week with us downstairs alone, but three weeks later he has started to open up, joins us on the couch, and is working on an appreciation for belly rubs.
What is your favorite animal adoption story?
I don’t know about favorite, but most recent was Quill. His new mom saw him across the Farmer’s Market during an adoption event and ran over to see him. She had a bunch of friends there, who all said he was exactly her kind of dog. She put an application in that night and within a week there had been a meet and greet and the adoption was finalized. They are SO in love! The updated pictures she sends me are amazing. It was so meant to be.
What do you love most about fostering with Dallas Pets Alive!?
I want to save all the dogs, and DPA! lets me do my part. Also, the support and structure sets me up as a foster for success and makes it easy to keep saving lives, even when things get tough. There really is nothing like knowing a dog that was close to not even living at all, is instead living an adored and happy life!
Give us a fun fact about you!
Here’s a couple
– I’m a total foodie and am fortunate enough to be married to man who not only loves to cook, but is amazing at it (and the dogs get some yummy nibbles too).
– I’m an avid SCUBA diver and have 4 certifications and have been diving in over 8 countries.
Be like Nicole:
Sign up to foster with Dallas Pets Alive!
