Campus News

Foster dog offers comfort amid uncertainty

UB nursing student Alana Bayer (right) with her foster German shepard, Oso, and Oso's adopted parent, Greg. Photo: Courtesy of Alana Bayer

By CHARLES ANZALONE

Published May 7, 2020

Print
“During this time there are so many ways to help out, and giving this big dog a lot of love made me feel a little less helpless amid all the uncertainty. ”
Alana Bayer, incoming graduate student
School of Nursing

School of Nursing graduate student Alana Bayer found a way to feel a little less helpless amid the uncertainty of COVID-19 in the sweet temperament and playful appreciation of a shelter dog named Oso.

Bayer, a traveling nurse living in Modesto, Calif., “with a big love for animals,” who is an incoming student in the school’s nurse anesthesia program, read a mid-March newspaper article about an urgent request from the nearby Stanislaus County Animal Shelter for foster parents for their large dogs.

“I felt like this would be a great way to help out during this time,” says Bayer, 29. She lives with her boyfriend in a house with a fenced-in backyard. As long as the new dog could get along with her boyfriend’s two smaller dogs, Bayer thought she could help ─ just a little ─  with the state’s homeless animal problems, which have worsened because of COVID-19.

Bayer drove to the nearby shelter the same day she read the article. Once there, she found the shelter filled with nearly 200 dogs in need of temporary or permanent placement. Officials there paired her with Oso, a German shepherd who needed food and a bath, and had a bad cough.

“He was quite dirty and malnourished, but very gentle and playful,” Bayer says. “I brought him home, and gave him plenty of food and attention.”

Bayer immediately gave Oso a bath, and “he looked like a brand new dog after that,” she says. “He had a bad sneeze, so I was able to pick up antibiotics from the shelter, and his kennel cough resolved within a week or so.”

Nursing student Alana Bayer says fostering German shepherd Oso helped her as much as it did the dog. Photo: Alana Bayer

Bayer and her boyfriend prepared a place for Oso to sleep in the garage while he became accustomed to the smaller dogs. Bayer loves to run, so suddenly she found a new exercise partner.

“His stride was immense,” she says. “So he was a great dog to run with.”

She fed him extra food, and he soon put on needed weight. She smashed up his respiratory medicine in wet dogfood, and Oso loved that. Soon, the sneezing stopped.

“I tried to be the best temporary parent I could,” Bayer says.                                                                               

In two weeks, quicker than expected, the shelter called with the name of a prospective permanent owner. A man named Greg who lived near Sacramento, about 90 minutes away, was willing to make the drive and meet Oso and his foster parents.

“We met at the shelter a few days later,” Bayer says. “By this time they had fewer than 40 dogs needing placement due to the outpouring of community support. Greg fell for Oso’s sweet temperament and was able to adopt him on the spot.”

Bayer had accomplished her goal: She had found a loving, permanent home for this trusting, affectionate dog in need. Of course, saying goodbye was difficult, but she knew she was doing what was best for her new friend.

“I really missed him after he was gone,” Bayer says. “But I was so glad he found a permanent family.”

She became Oso’s foster parent at the height of COVID-19 tension. It was a small, fleeting gesture. But it helped her as much as it did Oso.

“I remember my job getting really stressful,” Bayer says. “I just felt like the world was changing, and I felt this loss of control. I knew I wanted to do something, but I wasn’t sure what.

“You are doing something for someone else, to benefit the community,” she says. “But at the same time you are giving back to yourself. At a time like this, it feels so empowering for you to do something else for your greater community. It helps take away that sense of uncertainty or chaos, to serve someone else.

“Also, it keeps you really busy.”

Bayer’s best friend delivers groceries to seniors. Her mother sews masks. Local restaurants are delivering meals to her co-workers at the hospital. When people ask if she will be a foster parent for other dogs, it’s another aspect of COVID-19 life that is unclear. Unfortunately, many shelters are closed and unable to accept animals. It’s a reason why Oso’s new owner was willing to drive from Sacramento.

Bayer will start her graduate studies at UB online this summer, either staying in Modesto or spending time with her mother who lives in Washington. She hopes to come to Buffalo to start classes in the fall. But the lessons she learned by giving her time and affection to this loving dog in need are clear. If the opportunity comes up to be a foster parent again, Bayer knows she will step forward.

“During this time there are so many ways to help out, and giving this big dog a lot of love made me feel a little less helpless amid all the uncertainty,” Bayer says. “I encourage anyone with extra time and resources to assess the best way they might serve their community.

“It’s heartwarming to see the ways in which our community is coming together to help one another.”