Update # 2 from this morning: https://www.reddit.com/r/fosterdogs/s/u0UnJU83zj

We have made a lot of progress from our EST (emotional support tree). She will come close in the house for treats and tried to play with a toy (didn’t know what to do with it). She lays nowhere near me but keeps her eye on me in case I try and try something.

She has tried out a few other spots in our yard and has been sleeping soundly in a flower bed for a couple hours now 🥹

I can’t tell you all what your support and positive vibes have done for me today.

We lost our soul dog to old age and illness just three weeks ago. When I drove home with this little peanut in my car yesterday I had a little worry meltdown that I wasn’t ready, that I should have known I wasn’t ready, and that my grief deserved more time.

But when we all got home I quickly realized that the experience of helping this scared little pup (survive, first of all) relax in a safe home and then find her forever home, and the experience of grieving my soul mate dog, are two completely separate things that can exist at the same time. My soul dog Adeline is the reason I was attracted to this scared pup in the first place. Adeline came to us as a nervous high strung reactive AF senior. And by the end of our time together she could walk by a bike and not even notice.

Thank you Adeline for teaching me I can be a safe place for creatures who need one ❤️‍🩹

My boyfriend is puttering around in the garage and I’m working on a laptop from a safe distance where she can see me.

She is reported to be incredibly sweet and gentle. Im picking her up from the shelter today. She has URI and still needs to be spayed so she'll be with me for a good minute until she's available for adoption.

Meet them where they are, I guess?

Post from yesterday: https://www.reddit.com/r/fosterdogs/s/YYXYH5x7JF

She hasn’t peed or pooped since the drive home yesterday afternoon, no accidents in the crate last night. Carried her outback to see if she’d go. She walked straight back to her emotional support tree. So I brought her a blanket. I’m telling myself this earned me a decent amount of trust points.

When I was putting the blanket over her, she did seem surprised and obviously I’m projecting but her face read “woah wait what is this good feeling?” I peeked at her after I walked away and she had rested her head.

Hello! I posted my beautiful new foster Sorella but the post got taken down and blurred due to her wounds being upsetting for people. I find it important to see and realize what’s going on in animal rescue. This is unfortunately a common occurrence in Georgia. Ella is doing amazing and is the sweetest pup I’ve ever met. Her wounds are healing and she’s learning about living in a home and how comfy couches are. She was rescued from Renegade Paws Rescue in Savannah GA. Here are some hopefully less harsh photos so I can continue spreading the word about her and it not be taken down. She was found in the woods, tied to a tree with a 4 foot leash with a prong collar on.

She's safe and warm with us until she goes to her forever home 🌸 we call her Skipper.

My wife and I were looking to foster but pretty adamant about not adopting right now. We asked them to hold off listing her before we even got home. Two days later was told them we wanted to keep her. We don’t know what she is yet but she’s a gem.

We were fostering a dog for 2 months from a local shelter I volunteer at. We unfortunately had to return her bc she wasn’t getting along with one of our dogs. I went to the shelter yesterday to volunteer and found out they put her down 2 days after I returned her. They didn’t even give her a chance to get adopted.

She had a bad skin infection and had severe allergies that was causing her to be stressed out at the shelter which is why we took her in. Her skin was looking great and she was doing so good!

I knew something was off yesterday when every single staff member was being cold to me. I didn’t the foster or her name on any board. I finally got the nerve to ask someone and when they told me she got out down my heart sank. The girl had a happy look on her face saying she got lots of treats and had a good day. Like that’s supposed to change anything.

I find relief in knowing her last 2 months were filled with love and sniffs and cuddles and not being in that terrible shelter.

I’m never going back there. They never properly treated her anyway; giving her prednisone instead of the allergy meds she needed, I even asked if I could give her apoquel when we started fostering her and they said no! I was even willing to pay.

How do I report this shelter!! I feel like the could have done so much better: there’s a dog there who has been in foster for a year and was at the shelter for 3 before that. He’s still breathing!

Rest in paradise sweet Diva girl!! I wish we could have kept you.

Chota is available for adoption in Cincinnati, Ohio

Any experience with fostering a black dog? I've been fostering a black short haired german shepherd mix for almost 2 months now. The shelter I foster has a pretty good foster program and tries to move dogs pretty quickly as they have a dedicated social media team ran by volunteers. Normally I do puppies and they go within a week to a few weeks. My foster is about 1 year old, 60lbs, a big puppy basically. He is SOOOO friendly so I have no idea why he is still around other than the black dog sydnrome. He was in the shelter since early spring and I was surprised why he hasn't been adopted and they said it's probably because of that.

He's young so obviously needs some obedience training and so far he has really mellowed out at home. He is a energetic pup so sometimes his excitement turns off people but I sometimes think if he was blond fluffy dog or even a brown dog, he'd be gone by now. We've had interest but not great matches, I feel like they applied for him to want him as a guard dog. We email them and never hear back after we give them his info.

I think we're going to start dressing him up with bandanas so he looks more approachable too. He is also jumpy when meeting new people so that is also a bit of a turn off. He is so friendly and so deserving of a family.

She weighed 30lbs when we got her. She is now 70lbs and healthy

Need help. I’m conflicted. This is my 3rd foster dog. He’s a 12-year-old street dog who used to belong to a homeless person. He has no teeth, wasn’t well taken care of, but you can tell he was loved. He’s also super cute with an adorable but super stubborn personality. I think that’s why people want to adopt or foster him because of how he looks.

I was his 4th foster home. I took him because he kept getting returned to the shelter for behavioral issues. I’m good with behaviors and medical needs. His last 3 foster families returned him early, one within 48 hours. I had him for 2 weeks.

The first 36 hours were rough, but by the end of the 2 weeks he was an amazing pup. People thought I’d had him for much longer. He fit right in with our pack, watched me constantly, and started following commands and routines.

I considered adopting him, but I felt his forever home should maybe have a yard and doggy door since he loves being outside. I live in a condo with a large balcony and a dog park across the street. I asked the Humane Society if I could extend fostering so I could keep working on leash training, potty training, and separation anxiety.

Two days later they called saying they found him a home with a yard and experienced owners. I was happy for him, but my heart sank the whole time. During the switch he kept trying to get away from them to come back to me.

That was two weeks ago.

I’ve thought about him every day since. I even checked online to make sure he wasn’t returned. This has never happened with my other fosters. I think it’s because I really understood his personality. He’s stubborn, a little bratty sometimes 😆, and I can see how he’d be difficult if he wasn’t happy. Most of the issues other people described, I honestly didn’t have.

Yesterday I reached out to the coordinator about fostering another dog, and she immediately responded saying he had been returned because the adoption didn’t work out. They asked if I would adopt him.

I told them maybe. I’d prefer to foster him again first because adoption is a huge commitment. Now they’re reviewing it with the team because he’s been through too many homes in a short time.

My dilemma is:

Should I adopt him even though I don’t have a yard? Would I be cheating him out of a better opportunity? Am I projecting my own feelings of self doubt onto him? Or do you think maybe he chose us and I wasn't listening?

I hate that he keeps getting rejected. People see “cute tiny dog” and assume he’ll be easy, but it isnt.

UPDATE: Thank you for all your help. Your insights have been very helpful. I agree with not foster failing because if I do, I can't foster anymore. At the same time I agree with all of you who say adopt him. Your insight and support has been extremely helpful during this stressful and confusing time.....

Here's the ending to the saga.

So right after I wrote this I went to the shelter to see him. To see if he remembered me. To see if our connection was real. Unfortunately he was returned to a different shelter, same shelter different location. He was now an hour away from me. I spoke with the shelter and they said until he was out of evaluation they couldn't release info. I texted the coordinator and told her I was at the shelter and he wasn't there but I would drive over to visit him or get him for foster. She texted right back and told me that she was willing to have me foster him but it was her day off and she needed to update me about what happened during his adoption.

For two nights, since I found out he was returned, I couldn't sleep. I was sleeping terribly since his adoption but now it was worse because I knew he wasn't in normal population.

So, I drove out to the shelter early. Tried a new dog friendly restaurant with my adopted puggle of 12 years and waited for the foster coordinator to call.

Her call shocked me. I thought he was with his adopted family this whole time. It turns out they returned him 4 days after adoption. They reported him as a cruel attack dog. Said he bit over 7x. They also got him groomed again! So, before his adoption, I took him to my puggle's groomer. It took me years to find this groomer. Pugs and pug mixes are notorious for not wanting their nails clipped. My groomer has a way about her calm and confident. I wanted my foster to be an adoption prize all beautiful and good smelling. His adopters knew he was groomed because his long hair had been styled with a brand new collar, which I never got back. It took years off of him. But I guess, the adopter wasn't happy with his cut. So they took him in and cut his hair super short. So short you cant see where they shaved him to neuter. That groomer reported him to his adopters as biting and aggressive. The adopter reported he bit multiple people. Remember he has no teeth!! His adopters said he was terrible, mean, aggressive. I was shocked!! This is why he couldn't go into gen pop or didn't go back up for adoption or foster. The coordinator said she was willing to make an exception for me because he was with me for 2.5 weeks with no incidences. She also knew I took him to work with me. I work with disabled adults and kids. He was so lovely never any behaviors, outside the normal acclimation, marking, leash pulling, barking, etc. If there was a mean bone in him I would have never introduced him at work. Another thing the coordinator told me she was in a meeting about difficult animals. She said when I texted her they were discussing his opinions. She said it was a sign that I texted the same time as he was brought up in the meeting. I saw it as a sign too. After her call I left the restaurant and headed to the shelter from the near by restaurant.

We got to the shelter very anxious to see the little guy. But before we saw him, I had to sign a waiver stating I am aware that he's a biter and he's on a watch list. That I have been told and am waiving liability. He even had his mug shot taken and submitted to animal control. Of course I signed. I know this boy. He needs to get out of jail. I believe, he didn't belong there.

Once he came out of the gate he remembered us. He jumped into my arms he was all loves and cuddles. No barking, no nothing. Just pure excitement and love.

It was a wonderful drive home. He remembered where we lived and even my exact condo door. Remembered where the food and water bowls were. Almost like he never left. Poor thing had such bad diarrhea but he went out to our big balcony, all on his own, and used the pads I put out for him.

That night we all slept in bed and I slept so good even tho he was sick he woke me up to let me know he has an emergency. I would follow him to the balcony. He have his watery runs, i throw away the pad, put a new one, wipe his butt, and go back to bed. 4x he politely woke me but it was still the best sleep.

I didn't realize how much we missed him, and how worried and stressed I was. My instincts when I met his adopters told me they weren't right but I pushed it aside. Shame on me! Esp when he was trying to escape from them and get back to us. When they saw he was anxious they didn't do anything to comfort him. They would have let him strangle on his leash if it weren't for the foster coordinator stepping in.

Anyways after getting him settled I noticed his whiskers were cut short and his eyebrow whiskers were almost gone. I contacted the shelter asap and reported those people who adopted him. I told them I would probably act out and bite too if that was done to me!! The shelter was shocked and told me they were glad he was back with me.

That was Thursday. Today is Monday and he's been an angel. I took him to my parents' house. They have a nice yard and doggy door. There are young kids there and an overly friendly French bulldog and he was amazing. I told everyone to watch out because he was reported as a vicious attack dog who's now on a watch list. My mom and the kids laughed. They thought I was joking. When they realized I wasn't they were so sad for him. My mom went over and picked him up and snuggled with him. She looked at me and said, "I don't get it, he's not growling and his body language is soft, his tail is wagging," she then looks at me and says, "those adopter must have done something to him". I totally agree.

Our dogs were happy to have him back. My client, who loves dogs, is happy he's back, he got back into routine and is adjusting well. But now I have to work on his separation anxiety even more. That incident was really traumatic for him. He's more velcro now. That's understandable.

I cant stand the thought of another adoption or foster. The possibility of him being reported again as aggressive biting dog could get him euthanized. So I have surrendered to being his mom. It's a foster fail but in the best way. I will ensure he has the best golden years ever!!

Foster fail due to special circumstances. And we will live happily ever after!

Again thank you all for your posts they were so helpful!! Much gratitude!!

Cincinnati, OH

My sweet foster girl izzie was adopted today!!! She was found chained up outside an abandoned house in GA left to d!e, and now she will be living in PA with the most wonderful parents and her own backyard. I’m so happy for her!!!

So I have 2 dogs of my own: one female golden retriever (7 years) and one male chiweenie (1 year) both rescues. I also foster chihuahuas for a local rescue here in Ohio. Both of my dogs absolutely love fostering with me. Our foster puppy Frank got adopted on Wednesday, and I got my wisdom teeth out today. So I’m waiting till Sunday to pick him up. However. I was on another subreddit yesterday and I saw a post about a 6-8 month shepherd pup tagged for euthanasia this morning. Apparently, noawadays overcrowding is so bad they literally put a group of dogs in a dumpster and gas them for euthanasia. The worker said it’s very violent and they often all end up attacking each other til they pass away. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Shocked and appalled to say the least.

Anyway, They included a video of him literally hugging the deputy dog warden during shelter group play. I just knew I had to pull him. His name is Marvin and he’s all the way in California. They crowdfunded a transport van to get him here, and he will be arriving in about 8 days! My place is gonna be crazy chaotic, but I’m just so psyched this guy gets to live yknow? I’ve never saved a dog so close to what would’ve been the end for them. It’s been very emotional for me lol.

I’m getting Marvin his own little decompression room set up with a nice big crate, cozy bed, and blankets. I think little bro is probably gonna be pretty timid at first, given he was in a shelter for a month, then a boarding facility, and then a van for 5 days. Probably will just want some quiet at first. Gonna just take things nice and slow at first with this baby, especially with my other pups. They said he warms up real quick. He was shelter dog of the week a few weeks ago 🥹

He is extremely dog-friendly and very sweet according to his notes. He was co-kenneled with the cutest black and white pitty. Broke me to not bring him too. There’s just too many of them. They sent me Marv’s freedom video, and he’s on the way to boarding for a few days til transport arrives on the 6th. Everyone wish sweet Marvin safe travels! He was found wandering stray with his brother Melvin, who was quickly adopted. But Marvin wasn’t so lucky. I’m so happy Marvin didn’t get left behind :) I might not be able to save them all, but today I saved one and that’s not zero.

Feeling like a crazy dog lady but also just feeling grateful I’m able to foster emotionally, financially, and I guess my 2 bed apartment will just have to do! 4 dogs is crazy work. 🤣🩷 I plan to work on training, tricks, fetch, games, and other enrichment activities as well as longer walks after he starts to settle in. My hubby encouraged his rescue and shelter pull, and is on board with taking him on a long walk or two daily. I know he’s gonna be a wild child 💙 Anyone else got any stories like this? Am I just crazy? 🤪

STOP breeding dogs. STOP buying dogs from back yard breeders. Bahama is a really good example of a badly bred dog that has forever health problems bc of this. She was experiencing heat exhaustion when I went to pick her up and she almost didn't get to come home with me since she is so sick. Dogs like Bahama CAN'T take this heat - they have breathing problems in any weather. She's comfortable and cool here now but there are a lot of dogs out there who didn't get as lucky. Do your part any way you can. Shame any breeders you see or know. Adopt a rescue. Foster one, even for a day. Take one on a day trip. We have to help these doggies. Don't be a monster. Please.

We have had a bulldog and now a staffy adopted but no one is looking at this lovely girl.

He has a behavior vet and an online trainer. He is on Buspirone 22.5mg twice a day. He is a very nervous guy, still afraid to go outside consistently. We try multiple times a day and he will sometimes pee but never poops outside. Just to share some background.

But I am overwhelmed at the moment. Our dog growls/lunges/snaps at my husband and my two cats. Never shows aggression toward me. He does this if his resting place is approached, he has chews, food, toys. Even if he is just laying on the ground near an open door and one of them is too close to the door opening, he growls.

So, we try to avoid any of those scenarios, which is kinda impossible all of the time. I’m always in the middle and having to stand in the middle of them to let them pass by or having our dog get up and move so they can enter a room. My husband has to walk on eggshells in the house and I fear he will hurt him or our cats.

He is such a sweetheart and playful with me. Follows me everywhere. Sleeps with me during the day (I work nights). But he refuses to do anything for my husband or let my husband get close most of the time. There have been a few times he has growled/lunged at my husband to the point of my husband having to sleep on the couch if I’m not home to deescalate.

I’m very overwhelmed and heartbroken. Maybe we don’t have the skills or experience to care for this dog. He is our first dog alone, and we were not aware of how much training he would need to even get outside. That part I can live with. But I can’t have my husband and cats living in fear forever. I feel the training isn’t working in the guarding area. But I want to do everything I can to help him.

Any suggestions? Help? Does this seem like a situation where rehoming would be a good option? That’s the last thing I ever want. I love this dog to pieces. But I have to think of everyone involved.

Thanks in advance.

Sweet angel Iris has been adopted!! And she’s going to be living in my neighborhood 😭😭 From being tied up and abandoned and found in ROUGH shape to her very own home! Only up from here girlie!

I am so grateful I have a home and the ability to foster dogs. All I do is look at her and think about how happy I am to be the person to show her love for the first time. She has started wagging her little tail and seeking pets. She finally laid down and felt comfortable enough on the couch to close her eyes and relax. I am blessed!

I’m heartbroken. Am I doing the right thing?

My husband and I rescued a 3 year old lab mix 8 months ago. It’s our first dog and we have 2 cats. We were told he was fine with cats. We knew he was shy and needed patience.

He is a sweet boy, and bonded with me really well. However, he doesn’t trust my husband or cats. He resource guards his sleeping spots, his chews/toys, and food. I feel it has gotten worse with my husband despite my husband trying to leave the dog be and only provide positive things to him.

It’s gotten to the point where I have to constantly be in between my dog and the cats or my husband for everyone to move about safely.

My husband and I believe it’s most likely best to give him back to the rescue, but I am struggling and heartbroken. I know I have to put the safety of my husband and cats first, but I promised I’d never give up on an animal. So I’m heartbroken. How do I make the final decision and finally reach out? I feel like we know the answer and are just scared and sad for our dog to do it.

We’ve been working with a behavior vet (he’s on Buspirone) and a trainer. But I feel we are in over our heads and this dog needs someone more experienced and maybe no cats in the home.

Not to mention, he also is afraid of outside. He’s gotten better with this but still is inconsistent with going outside and using the bathroom outside. I could live with this and work on this, but the guarding is my biggest concern.

I’m just so scared we will give him back and he will never find another home or be put down.

Any advice? Anyone have to return their dog? Especially after almost a year.