In April of 2024 our mini dachshund, Napoleon, crossed the rainbow bridge after fifteen and a half years as part of our family. With our hearts shattered into a million pieces we weren’t sure when (or if, in my husband’s case) we would ever be ready to have another dog. Six months passed and my heart finally felt healed enough to love again. My husband’s heart though needed more time. So I said, “what if we fostered a dog instead of getting our own”. He agreed and so our fostering journey began.
The Dog We Almost Fostered
In November of 2024, a local dachshund Facebook group shared a post about an older, malnourished dachshund who ended up at Maricopa County Animal Care & Control. He looked so scared in his picture. My husband and I decided to drive down to the shelter that day to see about fostering him. When we arrived, we were told he was just adopted. Happy to find out that the little guy found his forever family, we started to head out when I said to my husband, why don’t we just “take a look” at the other dogs in the shelter while we are here. If you’re an animal lover like me, you probably know what “take a look” means. It means you ARE going to go home with a dog.
This was my first time walking through a shelter. And it was sad. Half the dogs were begging for human contact: jumping on the walls, lunging at the doors or barking non-stop trying to get your attention. The other half? They looked like they had given up on life. You’d walk by their kennel and they either wouldn’t even look at you or they would lift their head and look at you with sad eyes that said “I know they’re not going to pick me”. Then they would just lay their head back down again. It was heartbreaking.
But hold on! This is not a sad, doom and gloom post. There are lots of happy endings I want to tell you about as a result of my first visit to the shelter.
Our First Foster Dog
We walked the entire shelter, looking at all the dogs. I was drawn to the frosty faced seniors. Absolutely no dog deserves to be locked away in a scary, noisy shelter but my heart especially goes out to the older guys in there. We walked the aisles, looking at dogs as I asked myself two questions:
- Which dog needs us the most right now?
- Which one is the most likely to be passed over for adoption?
And that’s when we saw Paris.
She was a 9 year old, very underweight, possible Doberman mix, with cloudy eyes, arthritis and a slight cough.
When we approached her kennel she slowly got up off her bed and walked her frail body towards the kennel door to greet us. Her head slung low, she gently sniffed our hands through the metal bars, seemingly mustering all of her strength to give us the smallest tail wag. I noticed a full bowl of kibble and chunks of hot dogs scattered along the floor of her kennel. Paris was sooo skinny yet she had no interest in eating.
She was the one. She needed us the most right now and I really didn’t see anyone else wanting to adopt her. So we completed the foster paperwork and took her home on November 15, 2024.
Welcome Home Paris
Paris was found as a stray. She had no collar and was not microchipped, so the shelter was unable to find her owners. No one knows how long she was living on the streets before she was picked up. Looking at how severely underweight she was, it appears to have been quite some time.
She had only been in the shelter for 7 days, but after living on the streets, she was stinky and needed a bath!
Time for Healing
Paris, who I ended up renaming Aurora, was very underweight. Your first impulse when you see a dog this skinny is to give them all the food. But you actually need to be careful about that. Refeeding Syndrome is a real thing and you need to put weight back on a dog through several small feedings instead of 1 or 2 large meals.
Unfortunately, Aurora had little interest in food. It could have been for any number of reasons:
- She had contracted kennel cough at the shelter and was feeling crappy
- She was on antibiotics for the kennel cough, which could cause a decreased appetite
- She was still decompressing from the shelter stress
We used to feed Napoleon a homemade nutritionally balanced, human-grade dog food. We decided to do the same for Aurora to help her gain weight. Here’s my wonderful husband cooking her meals.
She really liked the food my husband prepared and we were feeding her several small meals a day. We eventually moved to larger, less frequent meals, then started adding kibble into the homemade food. The goal was to get her healthy again and switched back over to 100% kibble since her new family may not want to cook fresh homemade meals.
Her transformation was amazing. She put on weight, had a nice shiny coat and finally got over the kennel cough.
Time to Get Her Adopted
Over the course of 7 months (Nov. 2024 – June 2025), I fostered 7 dogs. During that time I learned many things about being a foster. First and foremost is, get a new picture of your foster dog to the shelter/rescue ASAP. Second, but equally as important, write a bio for your foster. The only reason a bio comes second is because you do need some time to learn about your foster dog before you can write about them. But a picture can generally be taken within 1-2 days after getting them home (depending on their comfort level).
Picture Day
Most potential adopters begin their search online and a good photo of a dog can make all the difference. Aurora was my first foster dog. Had I known then what I know now, I would not have waited 15 days to get a new photo of her to the shelter. I wanted Aurora to look good in her photo, so I waited until she put on some weight. By November 30 she had put on some weight but as you can see, still wasn’t anywhere near her ideal weight. I took a photo regardless. Anything would be better than her current shelter photo.
Aurora’s future mom Kyle would tell me:
I saw that foster photo and fell in love. I knew she was the one for me.
Foster Dog Bio
The other thing just as important as a new photo? A bio for your foster dog. I can’t stress its importance enough. The photo gets a potential adopter to stop and click, but the bio is what sells them.
Sadly for Aurora, I didn’t get her bio written until Jan 2 (46 days after bringing her home).
Well, I guess I should actually say, “sadly for Kyle” (her future mom). Or sadly, “for the other dog out there” who I could have fostered if Aurora had found her new home faster. It wasn’t sad for Aurora. The entire time she was with us, she was loved and cared for and happy. So the delay in writing that bio really only means that Aurora’s new mom missed out on that extra time with her.
Aurora’s Bio
Hi, my name is Aurora and my mom says I am the sweetest, goodest girl. I am very calm and quiet. Because I’m older, I’m not into playing with toys anymore, my favorite pastime is just lounging around wherever my foster mom and dad may be. I don’t ask for lots of attention, I’m just happy to be in the same room with my family. I am a very good girl when I am left alone; I’ll just sleep in my dog bed dreaming about you. I love to lay out in the yard and watch my foster mom do yardwork. Sometimes I go outside by myself, to bask in the sunshine and make sure I get all of my vitamin D. When I decide I want to come in, I don’t bark or paw at the door. I just lay by the door and patiently wait for someone to see me. I know how to sit and shake. I am housebroken. I take treats very gently. I enjoy going on short walks and I love car rides. I don’t try to get on the furniture, I am perfectly happy sleeping in my dog bed. During my time in my foster home, I’ve only met 1 other dog. I was excited to meet her, there were lots of tails wags and sniffing. We got along just fine; I just wasn’t interested in playing. I have not come into contact with any cats, so I am not sure how I feel about them. My foster mom says I would be a great dog for any family because I am so well behaved. But since I am not much into playing with toys or other dogs, I would probably be best for family that wants a quiet, loyal companion to spend time with them.
Aurora’s Timeline
As I mentioned before, I had seven fosters over seven months. Five of the seven were adopted out very quickly after fostering, in comparison to the number of days they spent inside the shelter. As you can see, Aurora and Blue were my outliers (spent longer in foster than in the shelter) but I think there are very specific reasons why for each of them.
Aurora had 2 things going against her that all my other foster’s did not have:
- Aurora was in foster care during the holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years).
- People are insanely busy during this time. I don’t know of many people who are thinking that time of year is a good time to bring a new dog into their home.
- I took 46 days to write a bio for her.
- For all my other fosters I had a bio written with days of bringing them home.
I submitted Aurora’s bio to the shelter on January 2.
- Just four days later, someone wanted to meet her!
- Three days after that (7 days after writing the bio) a second person wanted to meet her.
- Eight days after writing her bio, she was adopted.
| Fostered | Bio Written | Potential Adopters Contacted Me | Adopted!!! |
| Nov. 15 | Jan. 2 | Jan. 6 & Jan. 9 | Jan. 10 |
This is when I realized the power of a bio. Aurora was with us for 45+ days with not a single person reaching out to meet her. Then within 4 days of writing her bio, I had someone interested. From then on I made to sure to have a bio written with days of bringing each foster dog home.
Aurora’s Adoption
As I mentioned, Aurora had two potential adopters. Both were single, partly-retired, senior women. I thought a senior would be a great match for an older, quiet gal like Aurora, so I was really excited. The first woman really liked Aurora but it was her size that became a concern. Back surgery limited the woman to lifting only 45 pounds. Aurora’s weight was listed at 41 on the shelter’s site (her weight at intake). By the time she met with this woman she was 48.5 pounds and still needed to gain maybe 3 more pounds. The woman was concerned that if she ever needed to lift her, she would be unable to.
The second woman, Kyle, who originally told me she fell in love with Aurora after seeing her photo, ended up adopting Aurora. They were the perfect match and now they have their happily ever after. Two days after adopting Aurora, Kyle sent me this text:
OMG! You weren’t fooling when you said she is the goodest girl! Tonight my two kids stopped by to meet her. She was as good as gold. She went up to them and wagged her tail. She was respectful of them. They were so impressed how good she is. While we were eating dinner, they asked is there really a dog in this house? They were so used to my other two who would be right there at the table. She socialized with everybody, and then she went and laid down.
Kyle ended up renaming Aurora to Dora (a little easier to say) and I still keep in touch with her to this very day. Actually I keep in touch with all my foster’s families. I am an animal lover through and through and every foster has touched a special place in my heart.
This is a photo that Kyle sent me in May. Doesn’t she look so happy!
Why I Never Want to Stop Fostering
Fostering has been such a rewarding experience. When I tell people that I foster, they always ask, “Isn’t that hard to do, don’t you get attached to them?” Truthfully, the answer is yes. It is hard to do, but it’s SO worth it. While I do feel sad each time one of my fosters leaves our home, the amount of happiness I feel knowing they now have a forever family FAR outweighs any sadness.
- Because I fostered they didn’t spend any extra time locked away in a kennel
- Because I fostered they all now have families who will love them forever
- Because I fostered, two of them who were scheduled to be euthanized are still alive
Blue and Chance were both placed on the euthanasia list. I found out about Blue on February 26. I was actually on my way to the east county shelter to pick up my next foster when I received a text from a contact at the Desert Dog Project asking if I could save Blue’s life. He was scheduled to be euthanized later that day for medical reasons. I changed course and headed to the west shelter to pick him up. Blue is currently a happy boy, living with his new forever family. More on his story in a separate post.
Chance was scheduled to die on May 11 for kennel stress. I was out of town on May 8th when the shelter sent out a plea asking for a foster to save his life. Luckily I was slated to return on the 9th and I went straight to the shelter to get him. He is also living a great life with his new forever family.
Blue and Chance are both such wonderful dogs, it’s unimaginable to me that they almost lost their lives. Fostering saves lives. Please get involved if you can.
How You Can Become a Foster
Contact your local shelter or rescue to sign up! Usually all it takes is filling out a simple application. Here is a directory of animal rescues that always need fosters.
Most shelter/rescues provide you with food, a collar, leash and a toy, all you have to do is provide the love! Fostering a dog doesn’t always have to mean you keep them until they are adopted. For instance, Maricopa County Animal Care & Control , which is who I currently foster through, also allows short-term fostering.
Short-term Fostering to Get Your Feet Wet
Short-term fostering means you can foster for just a couple of days if you want. Even a few days out of the shelter can be really beneficial for a dog. It gives them a much needed break and it gives you the opportunity to get a good photo of them to replace their shelter photo. In addition, over the course of a few days you’ll get to learn about them so you can write a bio for their webpage.
Check out my Foster a Dog – Save a Life post to see just what type of an impact fostering has on adoption rates.
Not Ready To Start Fostering? Try Doing a Dog Day Out Program…
Several shelters across the country offer Dog Day Out Programs designed to provide shelter dogs a break from their kennel with a fun “field trip”. Maricopa County Animal Care & Control offers day foster/field trips also know as Tails Around Town. Spend the day with one of their shelter dogs, allow them to be seen in public with their “adopt me” signage and then get to know a little bit about their personality.
Several of the dogs I have chosen to foster, I chose because of their tails around town notes. It helped me understand a little bit about them and their personality to help me choose a dog that would be a good fit for our home.
When in Chicago, I participate in the Dog Day Out Program at the Anti-Cruelty Society. This is Draco, a sweet boy we took for a dog’s day out. After spending many months at the shelter, he now has his forever family.
Through their program you can fill out an online questionnaire after the dog’s field trip to give them notes about the dog’s personality. These notes are extremely helpful to potential adopters which in turn, helps a shelter dog get adopted sooner.
Contact your local shelter/rescue and see if they have a Dog Day Out program. Or make it a team building experience! Bring your team to the shelter and take several dogs out for a few hours. Not only will the dogs appreciate a break from the kennel, but your team will enjoy participating in an extremely rewarding experience! Get involved. Save a life!
Author: Nicole Bolin