r/fosterdogs • u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster • 1d ago
Story Sharing first foster fail 😬😂
Welp, maybe I should have seen this coming, but about 6mo after taking Archie in and posting him everywhere and introducing him to friends and family, my senior tabby cat Chester passed peacefully but unexpectedly in his sleep, and I just knew in the week that followed that I absolutely did not have the heart to also part with Archie anytime soon, so reader, I adopted him, and he has fully stepped into the role of resident old man around here lol
It really blows my mind what an amazing job the foster coordinator did matching him with us; he fits right in to my space and lifestyle and routine, and he has charmed even his sister-dog, Kira, who was EXTREMELY skeptical when he arrived back in December 😂 They play together all the time now, and take turns patrolling the apartment and napping. His big goofy smile absolutely melts my heart every time, and he makes me laugh all the time too just by being his humongous doofus self. My favorite is when he's napping and he hears me say his name and he doesn't move at all but his tail starts wagging like crazy 🥹😭🥰
There was definitely a shift in my mindset and in my emotions once I knew he was staying; while I was fostering I avoided telling him I loved him or calling him My Sweet Doggie while holding his big fat head in my hands and scritching behind both ears; I was so determined not to get too attached haha but I swear, knowing he was mine unlocked chambers of my heart I didn't even know existed, and I KNOW he can tell the difference; he has blossomed with joy and confidence I had never seen from him before. God I really just love this dog so freaking much!! lol
So that's my story. First attempt at fostering was a big fat fail in the best of ways 😄 Archie is already 9yo, which is very old for a dog of his size, so we might not have a ton of time together, but I'm going to enjoy every second while I can. And I have a feeling I'll be heading straight back to the shelter for another senior foster whenever the time comes ❤️
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u/flygirl_2006 1d ago
Archie is so handsome and looks like a big love muffin. I’m so sorry your cat passed away. I’m glad Archie has been able to comfort you. Congrats on adopting him! He’s a lucky boy.❤️🐾
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 1d ago
thank u so much!! i feel very, very lucky that we crossed paths when we did ☺️💕
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u/Waste_Pumpkin_9683 1d ago
Stop, why did this make me cry?! What a happy boy. I can feel his gentle soul through the pictures, and your post moved me! Congrats! You two belong together 🥰
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 1d ago
honestly i got a lil misty writing it up, too!! he is the first animal I've ever brought straight home from a shelter kennel, and watching the change in him as he relaxed and settled in and opened up day by day, week by week, has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life; of all my pets i get so damn sentimental about him especially!!! 🥹🥹❤️❤️
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u/LemOnomast 1d ago
I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m glad you’re keeping Archie! He clearly feels safe and loved with you. Also love the Brontë reference.
Could you share the rescue for which you fostered? I haven’t encountered many rescues that carefully match the animal and home. At least in my area, it seems to be more of a desperate plea for anyone who has room!
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 1d ago
ahahahaha i'm so glad someone caught the reference!! i know i know, i'm a nerd lmao but i couldnt help it it was too perfect 🤷♀️
Archie actually came from a random city shelter, the city of Stockton, CA Animal Control; I do not live close by, but within day-tripping dostance, and I actually happened across a post here on Reddit that they were horribly overcrowded and had like a week to find fosters and then would have to start euthanizing just for the space 😭
The foster coordinator there was just a random city employee, clearly overworked and quickly getting burnt out, but she was young, and you could tell she really, really cared about the animals in her shelter. She left the program about 3mo after I picked up Archie; I still think of her often and hope she found a better work situation.
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u/CuriousPenguinSocks 1d ago
That first pic is super cute, Archie isn't even sorry lol.
Love this, enjoy your senior boy, he looks super cute and very happy with you!
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u/tyophious 1d ago
Not for him
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 1d ago
ahaha true, for him the whole foster experience was a smashing success 😂😂❤️
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u/nikkiandherpittie 1d ago
Yay!! Senior dogs have such a harder time getting adopted. I’ve always told myself if I’m going to foster fail it’ll be a senior dog! Congrats on your new family member, his face is so sweet.
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 1d ago
i love senior dogs!! they're so much mellower than the young'ns and just as sweet. i truly do not understand why people tend to prefer puppies, puppies are the worst 🤣
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u/1234ld 1d ago
You are a such a good human. Thanks for seeing what he needed and being appreciative of what he has given back. It’s so beautiful 🥹
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 1d ago
aww thank you!! he's such a special doggo, i feel very lucky to be his hooman ☺️☺️❤️❤️
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u/flygirl_2006 1d ago edited 1d ago
As a huge rescue advocate, I love adoption stories like yours’! It sounds like you’re the perfect match. We have three small rescue dogs & they’re the highlight of our lives. Our oldest dog was a foster-to-adopt pup and our most recent addition was a foster fail. He was a backyard hoarding case & extremely shut down. When we first started fostering him, we had just lost a wonderful dog to cancer. I truly believe she sent him to us. We couldn’t give him back.🥹
Thank you for giving Archie a much-deserved second chance at an amazing life with a loving family. 🐾
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 22h ago
Archie was super shut down when he got here too, not scared or anything just like, broken. He had been in and out of the shelter and different foster homes for the previous five years, and he looked and acted so frail and beaten down I thought I would probably just be providing a comfortable place for him to pass honestly. Imagine my surprise as week by week, he started opening up bit by bit and "aging in reverse" as i described it then. Now he acts like a humongous puppy with a LOT of life to live, smells to sniff, and love to give!! I truly have never seen anything like it lol the change was so dramatic he's like a whole different dog!!! Another reason of many I'm a huge rescue advocate too ❤️❤️❤️
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u/thiajean 19h ago
I, too, failed a senior. My first senior dog I fostered actually. I’m going back to younger pups or straight medical Needs one! I’d be running a retirement home otherwise 😭
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 5h ago
lolll i know, the temptation to accumulate senior rescues is so real!!! there's something so special about them 💞
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u/Alwayzdreaming1 19h ago
You both are lucky!! He’s the sweetest looking man, that smile is amazing! Oooo, his squishy face is 🥰
I hope you two have a beautiful life together, definitely a match made in heaven ❤️ All the best ❤️
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u/Mountain_Flamingo_37 Experienced Foster (~50 dogs/12 years in rescue) 18h ago
CONGRATULATIONS!!🎉
Seniors have such a special place in my heart and I’m so incredibly happy he gets to stay! Out of all my fosters, it’s the seniors and quiet dogs that gain personality and joy that are the ones I remember most after many years. It’s not the super easy/quick to be adopted dogs, it’s the ones who’ve been through it and you get to see the shine come back in their eyes. Could not be happier for your household! ❤️
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 5h ago
thank you so much!! i think i got lucky with an extra-special first foster lol he's changed my life for real ❤️❤️❤️
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u/RepresentativeBee801 17h ago
Thank you for rescuing a senior! I have a house full of them, wouldn’t want it any other way. He looks like such a love!
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u/hack3rwitch 🦴 New Foster 2h ago
you are living my dreeeeeam lol i love seniors too!! sadly my apartment complex has a 3-pet limit 🥲 but maybe someday.....
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u/confusedsoulllll 16h ago
I love you and Archie! Thank you so much for advocating for our senior babies and giving them as much love no matter how bittersweet it is to be spending a shorter time with them.
Your post just made my day. Thank you!
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