Hiliary Anderson has been a Seattle Humane foster parent for more than 20 years, clocking in 178 pets fostered since we started keeping a digital record. Our foster team estimates Hiliary’s real total is somewhere in excess of 250 pets!
She was most recently moved by the call for help when Seattle Humane pulled 14 dogs from a property in Mason County tied to a terrible animal abuse case.
Hiliary typically fosters kittens, but she was so moved by the photos of extremely emaciated dogs from the case that she stepped up to help. While the photos were heartbreaking, seeing her foster dog, Lark, in person for the first time moved her to tears. Lark was among the most emaciated dogs involved in this case. He was so thin that the fat padding behind his eyes had even disappeared, leaving his eyes sunken and dull. Following guidance from our veterinary team, Hiliary helped Lark go from 39 pounds of skin and bones to a healthy 75-pound dog. She also helped Lark learn how to live inside as a companion dog. It wasn’t easy, especially when it came to potty training, but it was worth it to see him blossom into the perfect dog. Lark is now waiting for a patient and loving family to continue showing him the love he deserves and was denied for so long.
“I come from a family of humanitarians, but humans were never my calling,” Hiliary says. “I always just wanted to be with animals – any and all kinds! When I learned about the foster program through a friend, I was renting at the time and I knew that was not ideal, so I vowed when I owned my first house I would begin fostering. Literally, we had our house a week and we fostered two kittens, and then a litter of puppies, and then…”
While some pets in our care do better in a home with a yard, there are plenty of pets who manage just fine in an apartment, so we encourage anyone interested in fostering to reach out and open their homes and hearts to a dog, cat or critter in need.
As any foster parent can attest, the urge to keep those wonderful pets and bring them into your family is very strong – Hiliary got her first “foster fail” out of the way early. “Baloo was our very first foster kitten ever,” she says, “and I made a solid attempt to return him to Seattle Humane. I cried all the way home and returned that afternoon to adopt him.”
Hiliary’s love for animals started with her first puppy, Buster. While she wouldn’t encourage a family with a newborn baby to throw a puppy into the mix, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience. “Buster and I grew up together and he was my best friend until the age of 13,” she says. “He taught me the unconditional love animals have.”
Hiliary later worked at a veterinary clinic in Kansas City, Kansas while going to college and it helped inform the way she approaches caring for her pets and the ones she fosters. “She was a very forward-thinking vet who gave holistic treatments before it was a thing. I loved a lot of her ideas about treating animals in nontraditional ways,” she says.
When she’s not busy fostering, Hiliary and her family enjoy boating and motocross. They share their home with two cats from Seattle Humane, a “Heinz 57 pup” from God’s Dogs Rescue in Texas and a bearded dragon.
Hiliary encourages anyone with time, space and a strong constitution to get involved in fostering. She knows the temptation to keep them all but says it’s easier to let go when you know it will make room for another pet in need. “It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s challenging, time consuming, smelly, dirty at times, but literally the most rewarding thing I have ever done,” she says. “Knowing you are advocating for a pet that can’t help themselves will bring you to tears a lot.”
I worry this could make people think they shouldn’t foster unless they own. I think we should either cut this out or include a little disclaimer like “Hiliary is among hundreds of amazing foster parents with diverse home lives. We encourage folks who are renting to foster pets along with those who own their home.”