This is Foxy. We adopted her after she showed up at my work, when I was at the Boys and Girls Club. Since none of the kids' parents would take her, we had too. But this picture is proof that too much of a good thing can be very exhausting. The next time your kid says "why can't I have that?", show them this shot as a reminder that you can have too many toys!

I am really into dogs, and truly believe that they are angels with fur. We have four dogs, and are not allowed to go to the shelter anymore, as we would need a kennel license to have more than four dogs in our community. We are very fortunate to be able to have pets, and I know that.

But what happens to kids when they are removed from their families and their pets? I just visited Foster Club, as I do every morning, and they have a section on foster care facts. If you click on the intro to foster care, there is a page of FAQs on what happens when you enter foster care. One of the questions is "Can I bring my pet with me to foster care?". If I were in charge, the answer would be "Absolutely!", but I'm not in charge and so that doesn't happen.

But it should, just like a lot of other things should happen. We are so focused on what needs to change in the system that I think we overlook the simplest, most basic things. Like the fact that these kids may have had pets, and that the bond between the child and pet was probably very strong. The pet was probably the only one there for this child, despite the fact that the pet was as neglected and abused as the child.

I then think of the over-crowded animal shelters across the country and wonder why we can't allow foster kids to keep their pets or adopt a new pet from the shelter. Wouldn't this solve two problems? I know, it's too big an idea. How would you ever get started? And who would take care of the pets? What if the foster parents or others in the home are allergic?

I believe these issues can be resolved, and kids in care can have someone that can give them the unconditional love that they deserve and really need. We just need to make it happen.