Older siblings are the stars in the sky that younger siblings look at every night before bed.  Young Ciara Epstein had stars in her eyes as she watched her brother foster a dog from a local dog shelter, Pooches in Pines. Her brother had just started high school and needed volunteer hours. However, this volunteer project turned into more than just getting hours– she started to foster animals simply just for the joy that came out of it. 

The first animal the Epstein family ever fostered was a dog that brought a world of happiness. Ciara was eager to help her brother with the dog; feeding, walking, and playing with him. Over the next few weeks, the experience had led Ciara to love the dog as if it were hers to keep forever. Suddenly, once the dog finally had a home to go to, a wave of realization hit as she quickly realized that these dogs were being sent to other homes. Yet, instead of sadness, she felt joy because these dogs were being sent to safe homes with families that would love them as much as her family did. “It makes me feel good knowing these animals are going to safe homes with their new loving owners,” she expresses.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Now, Ciara is a sophomore and around the age her brother was when he first fostered a dog. To this day, her sky is still filled with the love for fostering animals. About a year ago while she was still the age her brother was when he first brought the world of fostering to her house, she switched from dogs to bunnies to try something new. She voices how enjoyable the fostering experience is and how it brought her attention to the problems around us. She also states how although she enjoyed fostering a new animal, dogs will always be in her heart. “Dogs are mainly the animals I foster, and I think they’re one of the sweetest and cutest animals a person could ever have.”

In the end, her older brother brought a sky full of stars to her. The joy of fostering animals has stayed with Ciara since the 5th grade and will continue to shine with her. She expresses “I encourage all my friends to help out and foster animals, not only for hours but to feel good about themselves by doing the bare minimum to help out a single animal’s life.”