The first time Jessica Diederich fostered a puppy, it was everything she thought it might be — puppy snuggles and
love and training — but she quickly learned the downside.
“It was really rough, letting her go,” says Diederich, who had the mixed‑breed puppy from Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary in her home throughout April 2025. “The first one was
really hard.”
But being in the room when the puppy met her new family — which had recently lost their dog — was poignant. “We were both crying. It was beautiful, and they actually keep in touch and they’ll share photos. A few [families] keep in touch with us and share photos, which is really wonderful,” says Diederich, who serves as executive director and CEO of Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity.
Just as she leads an organization focused on creating opportunities for home ownership, Diederich is offering a warm landing place for the companions that make going home special.
Diederich and her fiancé, Troy Dempsey, began fostering after deciding not to officially adopt a new dog into their busy family, which includes four teenagers and a 13‑year‑old pug named Thurman.
In the past year, Diederich and Dempsey have welcomed five puppies into their home. The dogs have stayed for as short as four days and as long as five weeks.
“I especially love puppies, and not everybody loves the puppy phase, but I think I’m pretty good at training puppies … everything about them makes my heart happy,” Diederich says.
Diederich and her family will keep the dog in their home until Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary finds an appropriate forever family that is qualified and would be a good match for the puppy.
Fostering helps puppies learn the necessary socialization skills to be adoption ready. Diederich and her family also observe behaviors and personalities, which helps the shelter find the right family placement.
“We can help get ahead of [training] for the family so that when they bring them into their home, they have a better experience right away,” Diederich says.
Dempsey, who owns The Heel Shoe Fitters in Ashwaubenon, helps get the word out about adoption by posting on the store’s social media when they have a new dog. Diederich also helps socialize the puppies by taking them to work.
“I’ve brought every one of them into the office and our team loves that,” Diederich says. “And it’s really good because then we can also get the dog comfortable with different settings. The team here usually asks as soon as we have one, ‘When are you bringing it in?’”
Foster dogs or cats:
Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary
heanokill.org/foster.html
Lucky 7 Dog Rescue
lucky7dogrescue.com/foster
