Mom Loves the Dogs More

For anyone who's struggled to parent a teen...and maybe loved the pets more.

Cindy Ojczyk's master plan seems foolproof: foster for a pet rescue. Surely a parade of rescue dogs will help her family heal after the loss of their beloved pup and end the sister-wars erupting between her teens.

What could possibly go wrong? Everything, as it turns out. The girls keep fighting. Doors keep slamming. And in the middle of all that adolescent fury come the diagnoses—both kids are struggling with anxiety and ADHD.

Suddenly Cindy isn't just managing sibling squabbles. She's juggling counseling appointments, advocating for school accommodations, and facing the painful realization that her love alone isn’t enough to hold her family together.

Yet amid medications, meltdowns, and muddy paws, something unexpected is happening. By helping dogs heal, the family is learning hopeful lessons. And with every successful adoption, the family edges closer to a rescue none of them expected.

Cindy Ojczyk is an award-winning writer and long-time pet foster whose work explores the emotional terrain of parenting, mental health, and the powerful bond between people and pets. She lives near Minneapolis with her husband, a revolving cast of foster animals, and a few eccentric rescues who keep life interesting. Her adult children now tend to menageries of their own. Find her work at cindyowrites.com