The Wolfer Pack – A Family of Rescue Heros

I had the privilege of meeting Malia Wolfer and her family when my husband and I adopted our sweet girl, Remi.  (In case anyone needs a reminder of how incredibly cute Remi is, I’m including her baby picture, again!)

I want to tell you all about their beautiful property, but in my interview with Malia, she does a great job of describing it herself.

One thing I do want to make sure I say is that this is no ordinary family.  They are truly extraordinary, supporting multiple rescues, fostering many animals, and providing a loving home to their children (furry and human.)  Quite honestly, Malia is the kind of woman, mother, person, and rescuer I want to be like when I grow up.

Each Wednesday, I’m hoping to feature an interview with a rescue organization or foster.  And this week I was lucky enough to interview Malia.  Enjoy!

“I am Malia Wolfer, avid animal lover.  That just about sums me  up.  Seriously.  I have been a total animal lover ever since I was a  little girl.  I was raised on a ranch where we had all kinds of  animals.  I used to roam around in my diapers eating out of the cat food  bowls and walking under horse and cow bellies.  I was best friends with my  very first dog, Queenie, a German Shepherd.  As a young girl, I used to  donate my allowance to the North Shore Animal League and knew that I always  wanted to help animals.

Even in college, I would sneak animals into my dorm to live with me.   I had two birds, a guinea pig and a kitty.  My roommate thought I was  crazy.  In college, I would visit the local rescue and take treats to all  the dogs and give them snuggles.

Even into my present life, I am  surrounded by animals.  We currently live on a farm of 11.5 acres with  horses, a donkey, chickens, turkeys, guinea hens, ducks, pigs, dogs, cats and  fish.  We have even rescued a goat and a turkey from our local  shelter.  All of our animals live peacefully and get along wonderfully with  each other.

In my opinion, I have three of the best occupations ever… mommy, teacher  and animal rescuer.  I have taught at both the elementary and middle school  level and am currently teaching both US and World History to middle school  students.

I am currently working with two local rescues, BullyPaws Patriots of  Fredericksburg, Virginia and Old Dominion Humane Society of Fredericksburg,  Virginia.  Both are wonderful rescues who do amazing work getting  abandoned, injured and homeless dogs into loving homes.

Reason I started rescuing/ fostering:

I knew in my heart that I wanted to start rescuing with my family.   All of us (Mike and Victoria and Julia) are huge animal lovers.  I felt  that rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals is a wonderful way to instill  compassion and responsibility within our daughters.

Ever adopted a foster:

While all of my fosters have a special place in my heart, there is always  one or two that you feel you can’t live without.  I certainly have felt  that way about all the mama dogs.

But with Kyra, my daughter Julia fell  head over heels in love with her.  She has a soft spot for seniors and Kyra  was also facing difficult medical issues.  There was only one thing on  Julia’s birthday list and that was to adopt Kyra.

The other “foster failure” was Juliet, our beautiful mare from Middleburg  Humane Foundation.  She came to us off the trailer with extreme laminitis  and after 4 months of rehabilitating her, we made the decision to adopt  her.

Quite honestly, I knew I would never be able to give her up after  meeting her day one.  🙂  She has the most gentle spirit and calm  nature.  Just being around her settles me.

Single best moment while being a foster:

While I don’t think there is a single best moment, I do believe that it is  when we find the perfect home for one of our foster dogs, seeing the joy and  excitement in the eyes of the adopter.  It is the joy of spreading the love  that we got to experience into the lives of someone else who will love that dog  forever.

Characteristics of someone who would be a good foster/adopter:

I believe that a person with patience, compassion, responsibility,  and a passion for animals are important in becoming a foster/adopter.

Unexpected benefits of being a foster:

The unconditional love that you receive from your fosters are so  rewarding.  And with each foster, I have learned something different… a  life lesson.  For example, sweet Georgia taught us what it is like to  sacrifice yourself for your children.  She did everything to keep her pups  warm, safe, and fed while she was starving and uncomfortable.

Express rescuing/fostering in one word:

Rewarding!!”

What a great lady, right???  One thing I want to add is that Malia mentions instilling responsibility and compassion in her daughters through rescuing and fostering.  After meeting her sweet girls, who made me sculpted versions of Bella and Remi, scarves for my pups to wear, and other adorable dog-oriented items, is that Malia has accomplished her mission.  Her kids are amazing and to be quite honest, I wish more adults were like them!

I hope you enjoyed today’s post and are bundled up with some hot cocoa and or even Irish coffee (if it’s that kind of snow day).  Come back tomorrow for a little piece on Bella, Remi’s sister.

Pittie Kisses,

Grace