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Foster Spotlight - Jennifer StoufferThis week let’s give it up for our wonderful fosterer and Profile Coordinator, Jennifer Stouffer! Although Jennifer has only been with GPG for a little less than a year, she is no novice to fostering. Jennifer and her husband used to foster before her son was born. When it was time for their first baby, they decided to take a little break to concentrate on being parents to their non-furbaby. After about two years, they decided it was time to get back on the wagon and searched for rescue groups in the Metro East. When she found GPG and heard about their mission for East St. Louis, she knew this was the rescue they needed to help.

Jennifer is fostering with the help of a loving husband, Jordan, and their two-year-old son, Rylan. They also have two dogs. Both are four-years-old and believed to be Border Collie/Terrier mixes. Their names are Bailey and Molli. Bailey was adopted from a shelter in Carbondale and Molli was an inevitable foster failure. When people ask, they tell them that they are sisters but not by blood. Jennifer is lucky and gets to stay at home with Rylan and all her dogs to give them love all day long. She is also a proud Air Force spouse to her husband, who is a family medicine resident for the Air Force.

In Jennifer’s short time with GPG, she has already had six puppies go through her home! Mop and Flipp were the latest. Jennifer sees the benefits of fostering adult dogs (like being able to sleep through the night) but she has found fostering puppies works best with their current lifestyle. Rylan has a strong love for dogs too. He loves to hug and kiss any dog he meets and they find that puppies are the perfect fit for him too!

The most memorable experience since they began fostering again was to be able to see fostering through the light of their son’s eyes. Fostering after the birth of her first child put a whole new perspective on the experience. Her son gets so excited with each new set of puppies she brings home. He even prays for each and everyone to get a new home every day!

When it comes to advice, Jennifer tells new foster parents the one that seems to be the most common. It may be very hard to adopt out a foster you have let into your home and loved, but it is so worth it in the end. Not only are you saving lives by letting these animals into your homes, but you are also giving their new families an amazing gift. Each puppy brings so much happiness into your life and it is a feeling like none other to be able to see the happiness they will bring to their forever families.

We are so glad that Jennifer found GPG! She has done so much for this organization by welcoming puppies into her home and by getting every rescue dogs’ profile online. With this, she gives them the best shot at finding their forever home. Thank you for everything you do!

If you are interested in fostering, please visit our Fostering Page to learn more!

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