I recently learned the word “Orso” means Bear in Italian.  That was the very word that popped into my head when I saw the lovely couple, their golden pup and their giant black orso bear walking towards me.

Shyam and Ruchita are two animal lovers who grew up never having pets themselves. Together, they decided as a couple that they really wanted to contribute something to their community and at the same time, help some animals that really need it.

Thus began their journey as foster dog parents. I wanted to know what their biggest challenge has been so far and they both agreed that they’ve been incredibly lucky with all the foster dogs they’ve brought home. None have given them any trouble. They admit the only challenge they’ve run into is understanding dog behavior and body language which they chalk up to their inexperience with animals and not having the benefit of growing up around them.

As we walk to different locations to snap some photos, I’m asking questions about their current charges, Karo the bear and his best friend Sunshine. (Best Friends Utah recently changed their names to Jim and Pam). They tell me about the unique bond these two have and why they will have to be adopted together as a pair. They’re inseparable and have come to rely on each other. There is little to no information about their story; what happened to them, where they came from, how they ended up as fosters, but it’s clear they have so much love to give and were excited to explore their new surroundings.

Ruchita and Shyam light up when they talk about the unique quirks the dogs have. Karo is all about the food while Sunshine is the more cautious of the two. Ruchita equated it to a Queen having her food tasted before consuming it herself. Once Karo makes sure it’s okay, Sunshine feels confident enough to eat her share. There’s an undeniable trust between these two and Ruchita’s eyes sparkle when she talks about it.

I asked them, for other people considering fostering, what should they know?
They responded, “We must say that every individual who are pet lovers or dog lovers should try fostering once in their lifetime. Foster a dog or pet and experience happiness and unconditional love. You will be blessed in your life. We ask each other now after fostering 4 dogs so far, what took us so long to do what we are doing now? Instead of us helping them, they are the ones who bring so much joy and positivity and discipline into our life.
They all can reach out to local animal shelters to know about the process to start fostering or if anyone has any questions related to fostering they surely can reach out to us on our Instagram: @tryitoncefostering.”

Although their names may now be Jim and Pam, I looked up the meaning of Karo out of curiosity. It’s a shrub native to New Zealand but it also means diamond in German. Sunshine was definitely like a sweet, warm ray of sunshine when you meet her and Karo is most definitely more diamond than shrub.

As of last week, Karo/Orso/Diamond/Jim and Sunshine/Pam have found their forever home.

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