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Lab Rescue: Giving Foster Dogs the Love they Deserve 

Emily Giansante Student Contributor, Loyola University Maryland
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at LUM chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Thousands of dogs have no home, no family, and no vaccines and they need more support from the community. Lab Rescue LRCP is a nonprofit volunteer organization that is committed to rescuing and finding homes for hundreds of dogs along the east coast. Lab Rescue was established in 1991 and partners with Best Friends Animal Society

Lab Rescue and Best Friends work together to ensure the safety of many dogs by providing foster families for them, while also paying for necessary vaccinations and food. Lab Rescue is especially important to me because my family has adopted and fostered through them for years. 

My mom is a big animal lover, so fostering dogs was always talked about. We started in 2022, and for the past three years, my home has been filled with happiness and love because of the many four-legged creatures that have walked through it. If you or anyone you know is interested in fostering, here are a few reasons why it’s the best decision one could make: 

It was bold of us to take on two dogs for our first foster attempt, but it turned out to be entirely worth it. Thor and Loki are a bonded pair from Lab Rescue and were looking for a home in early 2022. They were adopted after living with us for a month by an older couple. They love their home! 

Smokey was also from Lab Rescue, and she was having no luck finding a home. She was old and moved slowly, so we didn’t have much hope for adoption. Smokey was with us for a couple of months before a lovely couple adopted her! She lived her last few months on a large plot of land, where she enjoyed taking laps in the field. 

Next up is Maggie, our first foster-fail. The one downside to fostering is that you will want to keep them all, and sometimes you do! As soon as I met Maggie, I knew that she was staying with us. She is energetic and loving, and the best thing to come out of fostering with Lab Rescue. 

Marley is a gentle giant who needed a foster, so of course, our family welcomed her in. She was adopted after many months and is loving her family and the other dogs in the house. 

These dogs are only a few of the many that have been in my home, all because of Lab Rescue. Best Friends and other organizations need more support as their spaces are limited. Fostering is not the only way to help, as these organizations also need volunteers to transport dogs, donations for supplies, and more. Find out how you can help here

Hi everyone! My name is Emily Giansante, and I am a first-year student at Loyola University Maryland. I have loved writing since I was young, English always being my favorite class. During my sophomore year of high school, I took a yearbook class, and by the end of that I knew I wanted to major in journalism. I took yearbook my junior year, becoming an editor for the book. I also took journalism that year, writing for my school newspaper. I was selected to be an editor halfway through the year, becoming a senior editor the next semester. I was in Quill and Scroll Honor Society and was selected to speak at the 2024 induction ceremony. I was in numerous clubs, including National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, and Rotary club. I also managed women’s basketball for three years and played varsity tennis for four years. I was selected to be captain my senior year. I finished my high school career with a 4.0 unweighted GPA.

I started working at my parent’s restaurant when I was 12 years old, taking phone calls and bringing people to their tables. My sister and I were the hostess-duo, working there over two summers. I worked as a spa assistant from 2022-2023, cleaning beds and doing laundry. I also helped customers find the right rooms and assisted them with anything they needed. From 2023-2024, I worked as a cashier at Dick’s Sporting Goods. I checked out apparel and accessories and helped customers with any questions they needed answered. I am currently trying to find a job on Loyola’s campus, hopefully related to journalism or news.

I have many interests, one particularly unique one being math. I have always loved my math classes and was always in the most advanced ones in high school. I am planning to minor in mathematics at Loyola! But to speak on a more normal interest, I love trying new restaurants and bakeries. I love bread and iced chai, so I am always looking for a new café to try.

I am beyond thrilled to work on Her Campus and look forward to seeing everyone else’s pieces!