Portrait Photo Essay 2026
The Fosters
Jennifer and Princess
Jennifer's writes:
"Why do we foster? I don’t know if I have a succinct answer.
I think it has something to do with loving something that isn’t technically yours. There’s something powerful about that. You open your home and you know from the beginning this is temporary. The placement is temporary. The love isn’t.
It’s a roller coaster. You get attached. Of course you do. You worry about them. You celebrate tiny things -the first real nap, the first tail wag, the first time they lean into you. You learn what they need and what makes them tick. And then, just when it feels normal, you hand them to someone else. It’s heartbreaking and completely right at the same time.
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There’s something about caring deeply for a being you don’t get to keep that changes you. It softens you. It challenges you. It makes you sit with impermanence in a very real way.
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The joys are in the small shifts. Especially with seniors. Seniors really have my heart. They come with so much history in their bodies. When they finally exhale - when they sleep deeply, move through the house without fear, play a little bit, show some pep on a walk - it feels like witnessing something sacred. Like they’re remembering safety.
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And it’s not simple. There are behavioral challenges. Medical stuff. Logistical chaos. The goodbye never gets easy. You just get more
practiced at holding it.
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What I didn’t expect was how much fostering would connect me to community. Rescue is this web of people - transport volunteers, adoption counselors, vets, donors, neighbors - all doing small parts of something bigger. It reminds me that we belong to each other. That care isn’t supposed to stop at our own front door.
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Being close to this work has also opened my eyes to how deeply animal welfare overlaps with bigger social issues - poverty, housing instability, racism, classism, misogyny. So many animals end up in rescue - not because they weren’t loved, but because their people didn’t have support. The same systems that fail people, fail animals. Once you see that, you can’t unsee it.
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Fostering has taught me patience. It’s taught me to tolerate uncertainty. It’s taught me that healing is slow and layered. We may only hold them for a season, but the love changes us for good.
And every dog leaves something behind in you. Princess definitely has.”
Jennifer has fostered 23 dogs since 2022 in partnership with NY Pet Rescue. She lives in Larchmont NY with her husband, two children and their dog.
More about Jennifer's dog CC
Jennifer writes:
"Our little one is a female - her full name is Connie Corleone, but we call her C.C. We adopted her in 2018 as an adult, so we’re not exactly sure of her age, but the vet guesses she’s around 12 now. She came from an animal hoarding situation in North Carolina, and so many of her instincts were impacted by neglect. She was afraid of human touch, grass, airplanes, even drinking water! It took almost three years for her to be fully housebroken.
Over time, we’ve learned she loves burrowing under soft blankets, eating cheese, sniffing around in nature, and confidently bossing other dogs around. Genetically, she’s mostly rat terrier, and just as much poodle as she is chihuahua. She’s the least demanding dog I’ve ever known - maybe because she learned early not to expect much from people. It’s truly my joy and honor to give her the comfort, enrichment, and steadiness she didn’t always have.
Whenever I bring a foster home, she gives me what I can only describe as her version of an eyeroll - but I think she secretly enjoys living alongside a friend in need. She shows them the ropes and she isn’t afraid to get a little spicy if a foster dog crosses a boundary!"
More about Princess
Jennifer writes:
"Princess is estimated by the rescue to be around 10, though I have a feeling she may be a little older. Her owner died, and from everything we’ve heard, he adored her. When she arrived at the kennel, she came with a duffel bag full of outfits and accessories - even a stroller. It was clear she had been someone’s girl.
At the same time, she arrived needing more support than she’d been able to receive. She has significant arthritis and struggles with incontinence, and she needed some long-overdue medical and dental care. It felt less like neglect and more like the reality that love and resources don’t always line up in the way we wish they would.
Since she’s been with us, we’ve tried to create a steady, gentle rhythm around her - good food, medication, massage, slow walks, and as much comfort as possible. She absolutely loves to eat and somehow transforms into a puppy at mealtime - bright-eyed and animated. The rest of the day she likes to be nearby, napping deeply and snoring softly (which is honestly everything)."
Princess has found her forever home!
For more information on adopting or fostering a dog contact:
NY Pet Rescue, Harrison NY.
https://ny-petrescue.org/
More images of Jennifer and Princess