In each issue this year, meet a local foster parent and discover why they open their home and heart to pets in need.
After fostering more than 100 dogs, Micah Lahl knows the heartbreak and joy that comes with opening her home to animals in need. For her, every goodbye is worth it when it means a foster pet is heading to a forever home.
by Micah Lahl
I always wanted to foster, and my own personal dogs were getting older. So one day in early 2025, with the encouragement and help of my friend, Kristyn Kysar, who helped me get started on my fostering journey, I went to Tulsa Animal Services, picked out a puppy and picked her up two days later to foster until she found a home with my brother.
I’ve always loved animals and have worked in the veterinary field, but fostering is where my heart is. Helping dogs that can’t speak for themselves is important to me. I’ve always wanted to help the ones who were sicker than the others, who came from a hard past — like the dog on the side of the road no one wants.
The stories that stay with you
While fostering is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it’s also one of the most rewarding. It is heartbreaking to know Oklahoma is in such a crisis, and I wish more people were aware.
I fostered a brother and sister around the Fourth of July in 2025, and they were my first fosters for Oklahoma Alliance for Animals. They came to me sick and full of worms. We were worried about them dying, and I would watch them around the clock. Some of their siblings passed away, and I was terrified it would happen to them too.
When a foster pet finds their forever home, it is the best feeling. Knowing I was able to love them while they needed me most and knowing they have a forever home is the best. It’s so rewarding to watch that dog thrive in a home because I took a chance on them.
Taking the first step
Some people have misconceptions that they have to pay for it and that they have to do it long term. There’s short-term fostering, like the work I do with Paws in Need Tulsa. Foster pets typically stay with me for three to four weeks at the most while they wait for transport to a new home. The organization helps Tulsa-area homeless animals escape euthanasia through out-of-state transport.
To those considering becoming a foster, I would simply say take the chance. Saving a life is the best thing you could ever do.
A goodbye worth celebrating
I’ve fostered more than 100 dogs, but one of my favorite foster success stories involves two brothers named Hamilton and Scotty. I had Scotty eight months before he went via transport to Iowa and Hamilton nine months before he left to go to the same place. They are both adopted and very loved, and I’m still in contact with their family who keeps me updated.
A message to future fosters
Just try it. If it’s not for you, you don’t have to keep doing it. One thing that allows me to support animals is my own amazing support system. My husband and children have always helped me, and without them, I couldn’t help as many animals as I have.
