Amy Isenberg holds chocolate lab Chandler. The puppy came with 10 other litter mates and their mother. Isenberg has been a foster caregiver for dogs for 12 years. She is a volunteer for shelters and rescue facilities in Kosciusko County, including One Dog at the Time and TNR, Warsaw, and New Hope, Syracuse. She loves providing a safe, happy environments for her charges. Photo provided by Amy Isenberg.

By Laurie Lechlitner
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — “I’ve loved animals since the moment I first started walking,” stated Amy Isenberg. “I remember rescuing a chipmunk from a cat when I was little, and the chipmunk bit me. Even though the little creature didn’t understand my intentions, I never stopped rescuing animals. I believe every animal needs a safe, happy environment.”

Isenberg volunteers for shelters and rescue facilities in Kosciusko County.

“Twelve summers ago, my daughter Erica left for college. My mother had just passed away and I felt as though I had no one to nurture. So, I got in touch with the director of One Dog at a Time rescue in Warsaw. I was matched with a golden retriever to foster, and I was hooked.”

When she put in the work to house, feed and socialize the golden retriever, and the animal found a forever home, she sobbed openly. “I don’t believe a person would be a good foster caregiver for a dog or cat if they didn’t miss the animal after it left.”

Isenberg is not the only member of her family who gets attached to her foster animals. “On a day when another of my dogs found a forever home, my daughter Erica was with me. We were going to a bridal shower together. We both felt so lonely after the dog left that we cried all the way to the shower.”

In the last 12 years, Isenberg believes she has fostered close to 150 dogs. “Just recently, I fostered a momma and 11 puppies from New Hope in Syracuse. They were all chocolate labs. It took a lot of time and energy. But all of them went to wonderful homes.”

Isenberg recalls her challenge of getting them all back into their pen. “Each time I’d open the pen door, the ones I’d put in would get out again. Then I tried lifting them in when the door was shut. Each dog weighed more than 10 pounds. Finally, I threw a handful of Cheerios into the pen. Mom and pups came running. I had no more problems as long as I had my cereal with me.”

When Isenberg sees the look on the faces of the new owners when they take a dog or puppy home, she knows she’s making a difference. “By that time, they have filled out the necessary paperwork, we’ve checked them out to make sure they will be good pet owners, and they’ve paid the adoption fee. They are ready to take the dog home.”

She makes some forever friends when they adopt a dog she has fostered. “Zippy was a terrier that was a little too much for most families. However, when he joined the family of a retired pet groomer with a husband who is a dog trainer, Zippy met his match.”

A note from Zippy’s human mom: “Zippy looks at the chickens in the yard, but hardly ever barks. He seldom poops in the house and has only bit three people, all family members. We are doing quite well. LOL.”

Isenberg has also volunteered for Trap, Neuter, Release in Warsaw. “I’ve trapped 13 feral cats so they could be spayed/neutered. A farmer adopted them. He keeps them in one of his outbuildings.”

Isenberg enjoys kayaking on Tippecanoe Lake, where she makes her home. She’s also a leader of her neighborhood association.