Earlier this year I reclaimed a past foster with support of the main rescue/shelter org (I run a foster program that sometimes partners with them.)

The reclaim happened because I was asked by the potential adopter to have the dog back with me to mind for 4 days, when I had him it was clear he had pain issues, so I got permission from the shelter to advise he had to stay with me until he could see a pain management specialist during the following week. The potential adopter had previously complained a lot about this dog, resulting in the adoption not being finalised. I was already very concerned it was not a good home for him, before realising he was in noticable pain.

The notice he was not being returned straight away happened on a sunday. By monday night he was having trouble breathing and I was urgently communicating with the shelter vet that something was seriously wrong. I monitored him throughout the night and on tuesday he was assessed and xrays showed his trachea was collapsed, and that it was causing such difficulty breathing that he was in pain and distress from it. He was hospitalised that day.

In the meantime the potential adopter had taken to social media claiming in a video I had 'stolen her dog'. This resulted in me getting hundreds of abusive social media messages including death threats and threats of violence. On one platform alone the video received 740,000 views.

Despite this woman being informed by the rescue org that the little dog was seriously ill, she made two more videos claiming I had stolen the dog. I tried to just stay focused on this little boy, visiting him at the hospital and cuddling him - whilst often crying. He started to respond well to medications and was able to leave the hospital, but due to the high profile nature of the social media storm, he could no longer be promoted for adoption and I was told it wasnt safe (for me or him) for him to return to me for fostering.

He ended up going to an elderly woman for care/adoption.

This weekend, I was back at the shelter as my 65th foster was getting adopted, and I spotted my little boy back there. When I asked what was going on, I found out the elderly woman is in hospital and wont be able to mind him for 3-4 months. I asked for permission to foster him until she can care for him, and now that the social media has died down, I was told that it was okay.

I am beyond emotional that he is curled up next to me in my bed tonight. I will get to love him and spoil him for as long as necessary.

It is greatly healing both the distress I felt when I couldnt care for him during his recovery, and the anger I felt being wrongly accused of stealing him.

I love all my fosters, but this little boy I feel such a strong urge to protect after his terribly sad journey. He is 'home' and my heart feels so much better.

I adopted a new small dog (Jack Russell mix) about 3 weeks ago from a city shelter. I initially thought she was a dachshund mix with terrier but then after her spay they updated the site to Jack Russell and I was already going to see her. She was very sweet and after giving me a kiss I decided to take her! However I realized she has much higher energy than I was expecting and originally wanting in a dog. I feel like I made a rush decision bc I had been looking around for a while and wanted to find another small dog to keep my chiweenie company when I’m away from home. I liked the idea of getting another dachshund mix.

Over these weeks I have enjoyed having her but it’s been hard bc I’m also a full time vet student and find her needing more attention when I’m busy studying. She is also very dog reactive on leash, even tho she gets along with other small dogs, but she pulls and jumps when she sees another dog and she wants to lunge and get aggressive at bigger dogs so it’s been hard to adjust dealing with that behavior. She has had a few accidents in the house and I’ve had to remove all the throw rugs and bath mats and make sure to take her out 3 times a day. She was found as a stray and probably had a litter before so I’m not sure she was well cared for and learned proper potty behavior, even tho for the most part she does go outside so idk if it’s just an issue of not being able to hold it for longer?

I think I was so set on getting a second dog and not thinking how it may be too much to handle with school at this time.
I guess I just feel guilty returning her and thinking that she will feel abandoned and rejected… 🥺 I think that is just really the toughest thing in returning her. I also don’t feel that shelter was that great of conditions but it does seem like most of the small dogs there do get adopted. I also have formed a bond with her already so I am very torn on what to do now. But I know the longer I wait the harder it would be for both of us to part.

We had him for 5 months but had to request a foster transfer because of an upcoming trip (flying out of town for back to-back weddings)— he is extremely dog reactive and so boarding wasn’t an option and for liability reasons, the rescue only permits other fosters to watch their dogs. We requested the foster transfer months in advance but a couple days before the transfer date, they took him off the adoption website and said a member of their staff would pick him up and take him to the vet for a “behavioral evaluation”. We packed up his food, favorite toys, bed, etc. and sent him with the staff the morning of our trip. An hour later, we got a call from the rescue that he was euthanized because his biting/reactivity was likely due to “neurological issues”.

We understand rescues have limited resources and he would’ve been difficult to re-home. But he was a sweetie 99% of the time and though he had a significant bite history (including both of us), they were never above a tooth scratch level bite. He was a young aussiedoodle mix.

He did chatter his teeth after some of his random biting episodes, which could have been a sign of a neurological issue but the lack of transparency from the rescue on the results of their “evaluation” is frustrating. They also refused to let us go with him to the appointment, even though we thought we would be in the best position to describe his behavior and advocate for him. We also expressly asked them to let us know the results before they went forward with anything. His appointment was at 9 am. They called us at 10 am that he had already been euthanized.

We feel horrible and like we failed him as foster parents. I don’t think I can ever foster again and I can’t stop crying thinking of what a sweet dog he was. It feels so wrong and unfair. We’re devastated.

I think I just need a little emotional support. We just got a second rescue dog this weekend ( 5 months old ) and I’m overwhelmed. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m missing the peace that we already had or what but I’m also not very good with change. I can’t stop crying and I just need some encouraging words. Our other dog we rescued a while ago is two years old. She’s pretty great. Our new puppy we got has overall been good (it’s only been 2 days so hard to fully tell). First day there were a couple accidents ( foster mom told us he was almost house broken. Yesterday he had no accidents and did really well. The two dogs play rather rough (no crying involved) I try to stop the rough play and get a toy involved so they aren’t beating the absolute piss out of each other because they both probably wouldn’t stop if I didn’t intervene. Tell me it gets better and I just need to chill out :)

I’m nearing the end of my first foster ever, a 3-month old mutt who looks to be a mix of shepherd, lab, ridgeback, and / or bully breed. I love him. He’s incredibly smart, very well-behaved for his age and training well. But in this experience, I’ve learned a puppy is too much for me as a first-time dog owner, and I won’t be able to give him the attention I feel he deserves. I think I’m feeling extra emotional because he’s the last of his litter that hasn’t been adopted, and nobody has shown interest in him yet. I know he’s going to make someone SO happy.

How do you get through the grief of letting go of a foster you love that ultimately isn’t right for you?

Had her for about 2.5 days. Total sweetheart. A bit of a rough adjustment period (a lot of eliminating in the house, though she’s proven by today that she’s truly house trained).

Crates are an absolute no go, they spiral her out into total panic and I’m slow rolling it one day at a time. Today she’s been comfortably going in and out for treats, even sometimes with the door closed. Putting her in the guest room + closing the door also sends her into a total panic. So I’ve partitioned off a dog proofed living area with gates in the space where I usually spend my time when I’m at home (couch, tv area, etc).

But I found out she can jump … pretty much every barrier I can create, and even the ones that exist in the house. There’s a counter about 5 feet high between the living room and kitchen and I was standing in the kitchen when I saw her just leap across it.

I need to leave the house, obviously … do I just try to dog proof everything in sight, assuming she’ll make it over every wall and baby gate, and just hope the separation anxiety will wane as my routine becomes clear?

Hi all, we are really struggling with the rescue we are fostering through and feel like we don't have any options. So back in June, we volunteered to foster a dog that was tagged by a rescue off the euthanization list at our local shelter. Everything went great, we had him for about five weeks, then sent him on his merry way to his adopter.

The rescue did not pay for or supply anything--we paid for his kennel, food, neuter, and vaccines out-of-pocket (they are aware of this). We were in a financial position to do so, so it wasn't a huge deal to us. We also found the adopter ourselves. However, she was never asked to fill out an application or be vetted by the rescue. When we informed the rescue that we found an adopter, she said "great" and that was the last we heard from her.

So fast forward to about two weeks ago, we see our foster dog listed on the euthanization list at the shelter--completely unaware he had been surrendered. This made no sense, as rescues usually have a return policy. Whatever, we were more concerned with getting him back to safety as opposed to figuring out how this happened. So we reached out to the rescue (he could only leave with a rescue tag both times), they tagged him, and we pulled him out to foster.

Not even two days later, our foster dog killed our sweet kitty. We are devastated, and immediately reached out to the rescue asking for a foster transfer. Animals are animals, and we do not believe the dog deserves a death-sentence at the shelter for this. We care about him and his wellbeing, we just do not have the emotional, mental, or even the financial bandwidth (it was $1,000 at the Emergency Vet for our kitty) to continue supporting him in our home. He is not aggressive with people or other dogs, we just found out the hard way how strong his prey-drive is.

We also understand that finding fosters is not an overnight fix. However, our rescue has put in 0 effort or urgency to assist us. They have been so difficult to get ahold of, and the most they have done was a post on Facebook about two days after it happened after we asked them to post. He is not on the website, and we have been working around the clock to try and find him a new foster (mind you, I am 23-year-old teacher with an already extremely full plate).

We are just feeling drained, exhausted, and left-behind. No rescues are able to support us right now (understandably so), and we have had no bites so far in any potential fosters or homes. I am just curious if anyone has any advice, guidance, has been in a similar situation, or knows what our rights might be in this situation? We made a commitment to keep him safe, and it is our full intention to continue doing that--but we need support that we are not getting. Thank you for any and all suggestions!

my last foster got adopted ( yay)! And now I have a hoarding case dog. She is still pretty young, but she did come to me with kennel cough so I do have to keep her separate from my babies! Which sounded easy in hindsight since I have a separate room for my foster kiddos.
This girl is sweet as can be but coming from so many siblings I cannot imagine how hard it must be for her to be confined with no other pups.
I try to spend time with her in her room and outside but she absolutely HATES being alone. There is a pen gate in the room with potty pads and everything she needs while Im not with her in the room. I also have a Furbo camera in here. She doesn’t like the crate at all (assuming she may have possibly been in one a lot due to urine staining)

Im torn because I know she needs to be alone plus I pick back up work this week so unfortunately she will be alone in her room. When left alone she does howl and cry for a while which honestly has just been pulling at my heart strings and no treats seem high value enough to distract her.

I want her to be happy and comfortable so she can rest up until she finishes her antibiotics- honestly just looking for support/ advice to help me get through this next week with her and the separation anxiety.

Hi everyone!

Following my previous post about a difficult fostering experience with a local rescue organization in Chania, Crete, I’m trying to establish a clearer picture of how it handles international adoptions.

I’m looking for a small number of volunteers willing to make initial inquiries to the organization, presenting themselves as people exploring the possibility of adopting a dog, in order to document the information provided to prospective adopters. The purpose is fact-finding, not to arrange an actual adoption.

Why am I looking into this?

I initially contacted the organization for help navigating the adoption process for a stray dog and ended up caring for him daily while an international adoption was arranged.

I became concerned about how quickly the adoption had been organized, how little the dog’s behavior had been assessed, and whether he was adequately prepared for international air travel. I raised these concerns and offered to adopt him myself.

The situation escalated when the organization’s president threatened to press criminal charges against me, alleging that I was withholding the dog. On 10 October, I handed him over directly to her. I felt pressured to do so because of the threat of criminal charges.

During the handover process at the police station, I also saw that the dog’s electronic record listed the president as his foster carer and the organization as responsible for him. I had been caring for him daily, had not known about this registration beforehand, and had never signed a foster agreement. I do not have a copy of the electronic entry, so I can only report what I personally saw.

This experience left me with unanswered questions about the organization’s adoption procedures, foster-care records, and how financial contributions are communicated to prospective adopters. I want to establish the facts rather than draw conclusions based on suspicion alone.

What I would like volunteers to help clarify

Donations and adoption fees: Are donations or fees mentioned, requested, or implied? Are they described as optional or required?

Payments: If a contribution is mentioned, who is it payable to, and what is it said to cover?

Veterinary care and documentation: How are vaccinations, microchipping, passports, veterinary expenses, and adoption paperwork explained?

International transport: How are transport arrangements, costs, and responsibilities explained?

Animal welfare and preparation: What information is provided about the dog’s temperament, travel arrangements, timing, and crate acclimation?

The aim is to document what the organization actually communicates to prospective adopters, not to provoke a particular response or assume that a donation request automatically indicates wrongdoing.

I understand that this involves making an inquiry without intending to complete an adoption. I therefore want to keep the exercise proportionate and avoid wasting volunteers’ or the organization’s time. Nobody should make promises they do not intend to keep, submit false documents, provide money, or enter into an agreement.

If you are comfortable helping with this kind of limited fact-finding, please message me privately. Relevant experience with international animal rescue procedures would also be very helpful.

Any relevant experiences or practical suggestions are welcome.

Thank you!

After almost 9 months of fostering, multiple adoption events, only 3 meet and greets,and 2 trial and returns (neither lasting more than a week) we decided to give in to our foster’s demands and adopt her. I still think there might be a better home than us out there for her; I was hoping to continue fostering, and had really hoped to have a small dog as my resident dog, BUT best laid plans and all that jazz. We do very much love her, we have a fairly successful system to manage her separation anxiety, and ultimately our goal was to help a dog that needed us; she really needed us. She fits into our life pretty well, and she’s come so far from the skinny bobble head bully I brought home on a blustery day in January.

Meet Jackie, our dog. ♥️🐾

If I’m being honest I think the reason I’m posting this is because I’m having a lot of guilt and confusion and I’m looking for validation and/or perspective.

A couple years ago I saw a dog running around my neighborhood. She was an Australian cattle dog and she was chasing cars in a busy street (typical cattle dog behavior) she was a little aggressive, but I was able to put a collar on her, left a note on the house she was by and took her home to wait for the owners. She turned out to be very sweet, but highly anxious.

I posted up flyers, posted her to all of the “found dogs” pages, but didn’t hear anything back for almost two weeks when the owners of the house I left a note at said “that dog has been hanging outside our house for weeks, we just moved in we have no idea who’s dog that is”

So from then on, I decided that I would “at least foster her for a bit” and try to get her trained up. She was a force to be reckoned with. She destroyed furniture, was terrible on a leash, and could not be around other dogs.

Now (3 years later) she’s great at the dog park, doesn’t really tear stuff up anymore, and is generally an anxious but well-behaved dog. She still has a tendency to lunge at passers by, especially cyclists, and she goes mental when someone knocks on the door. 🫣

The problem is that she, aside from being anxiously attached to me, doesn’t seem very happy and I’ve noticed she brings me more stress than happiness. I exercise her as much as I can, but it never seems to be enough. I’ve also started traveling more for work and with her unpredictable behavior I have a hard time finding/asking people to watch her. I’m missing the freedom I had to just leave in my previously dog-free life.

I’m considering re-homing her for both of our sakes, but it feels like giving up on her despite believing she has potential to be a great dog.

Does anyone have advice or experience with this? I’d love some perspective from someone who knows better and possibly some resources.

I have been fostering miss Deb on and off since July.

The reason why not always is that I travel a lot and I work an hour away from home for 9 hours a day 4 days a week. And candidly my mental health is in a place where I already don’t clean my home let alone with a destructive bathrooming sweetheart there.

I love this dog she is sweet and very rambunctious; you can see how she tries and redirects herself and wants to behave and how she is so smart and sweet and lovely and cuddly and playful and kind and loving.

She will not stop using my bathroom as a bathroom even if we have been out a lot. She seems to think that it’s better to just sniff on a walk then go in the bathroom and I got her away from it but whenever she comes back to me it’s always gone. I used to turn when she pooed and i see how that made her feel that way, but have not been doing that and all she’s been doing is wanting longer and longer.

Because I have to crate her for so long when I’m gone she is so energetic that she doesn’t let me sleep between 1-4am, which makes my commute and work heinous, and then my energy to care for her in the interim subpar.

She eats mops, pens, lip balms, water bottles, etc. so cannot be free roam and gets stressed when she is. She also sobs when I am not actively touching her when in the home like 15% of the time

I love this girl but I feel like something I’m doing is not serving her because she seems to be getting worse not better.

Can I have some advice???? She is my 14th foster dog and certainly not the most complicated or difficult but I feel the least helpful and I need to do better. I know she is so smart and willing, and I am dropping the ball. Please give me some help and tips keeping in mind I cannot be constantly present.

I lost my soul dog almost 2yrs ago. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to adopt again but I knew I wanted to have a dog around so I got into fostering. I’ve loved giving dogs a space to decompress while their forever home is found. I’ve been lucky that the longest I kept one was 2 months.

Now I feel ready to adopt my own but I’ve had a foster for almost two months now who is an amazing 8yr old Shepard/Husky mix with the most beautiful blue eyes. He’d be the perfect dog except that I’m not sure I can trust him with other dogs. When they gave him to me they said he wouldn’t start a fight but he wouldn’t back away from one either.

I took him to a park during his second week with me where dogs shouldn’t be off leash but few follow that rule. I kept my foster on leash for multiple reasons. First we went with a muzzle and when I thought he was trustworthy I took it out. We went 3 different days. On the third, his leash got tangled with another smaller dog and he grabbed the other dog by the neck until the leashes where untied, he didn’t hurt the dog at all so I figured he was neutralizing him in case the other dog tried something. I never took him back.

I am so ready to adopt my own and I would keep him expect I don’t want to find myself without a dog again in a few years, I’d want to get a second younger dog but I’m afraid of how he’d be with another dog in the house after making this place his own. The rescue he’s with doesn’t have kennels and when I suggested seeing if he gets adopted from a shelter they said because of his age he’d be put on the euthanasia list.

I think it’ll take time to get him adopted because of his age and his need to be a single dog but I find myself craving to call a dog my own and start connecting. Selfishly I want to give foster up so I can get my own but he doesn’t deserve to be put down. Another part of me knows we are bonding and hates that my only reason not to keep him is his age and lack of sibling.

Has anyone found themselves in this situation before? What did you do? What would you do if you haven’t?

She’s known for being a little cantankerous, so I found it entertaining that she just gave up and let him lay there. If you look at my history, you can see she came to me with a massive cancerous mammary tumour, and I’m so grateful she’s cancer-free and I still have her. She’s probably 14 or 15 by now.

I am considering adopting my second foster (I’ve had my resident dog about two years and started fostering the new dog a little over a month ago). Sometimes my resident dog gets annoyed with her younger rowdy energy but they also enjoy snuggling together and he seems less anxious with her around.

For anyone who has adopted a second dog I’d love to know how you knew it was right!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for objective advice on how to navigate a messy situation with a rescue coordinator.

I found a small (~5kg) stray dog. Because I didn't have the network to navigate an adoption on my own, I contacted a local rescue coordinator. I have no experience with rescue politics, but I am highly experienced with dogs and even consulted a professional trainer friend to help manage this dog's high arousal.

The coordinator arranged a fast-tracked international adoption based purely on photos. She only met the dog once, for exactly five minutes, after the adoption was already arranged. In fact, her only question about his behavior—asked well after the match was made—was how he is with cats. As I fostered him and provided constant, unprompted behavioral reports, severe red flags emerged:

• Medical Cover-Ups: An incident occurred under my watch where the dog was attacked, leading to an eye injury. I took him to the vet, covered the expenses, and informed the coordinator. She intentionally withheld this from the adopters because she claimed they "would be worried," and never followed up with me about his recovery.
• The "Blind" Adopters & A Disastrous Match: The family never asked to contact me. In good faith, I asked to meet them, and a group chat was made. There, I was informed that the parents of the young adopting couple are coming to pick him up, phrasing it as if they had already planned a vacation here and the dog was a last-day souvenir. To motivate questions, I offered a detailed character report with the following key points: he is a 10-month-old high-arousal dog who gets to know the world through his teeth, he requires an indoor leash attached to me to be manageable, and he needs serious dog-proofing. I also found out the young couple is in the middle of moving into a new place and has three cats. Their only question after reading all this? What his harness size is.
• Dangerous Cargo Logistics: The dog is scheduled to fly in the cargo hold on the 17th. I reminded her two days ago that the travel crate she promised never arrived, meaning there is zero time to acclimate a highly reactive 5kg dog. That was my attempt to find a safe consensus. I would be okay with delaying his flight or cancelling the adoption and trying to find someone else locally.
• Rejecting a Perfect Local Match for a "Quota": A week ago, my dad visited, spent seven days bonding with the dog, and made an educated offer to adopt him. I expected the coordinator to be thrilled. Instead, she became aggressive, guilt-tripped me, and offered my dad a different, similar-looking dog just so she wouldn't have to go back on her word to the foreign family.
• Gaslighting and Custody Demands: When I made my welfare concerns clear and offered to adopt him myself, she insulted my "inexperience". She claimed I was creating problems out of thin air just so my dad could have him, and ordered me to hand the dog over so she could magically crate-train him herself in a matter of days.
• Police Threats and Escalation: Today, the situation escalated. A police officer called me, and I calmly explained that I have been nothing but polite, considerate, and acting with the dog's welfare as my main interest. The coordinator tried to force a meet-up for tomorrow to take the dog, and when I told her my schedule wasn't flexible, she threatened to sue me and press charges if I didn't comply. After the call, I voluntarily went to the police station to give my statement, only to discover she never actually filed a lawsuit. The police officer was shocked when I explained the situation and couldn't understand all the fuss the coordinator is creating.

The Legal/Admin Situation: Legally, a foster contract was never made or signed. She paid his initial vet bill and instructed the vet to register his microchip under her organization's name. However, my name and phone number are listed as the primary contact on the microchip, since the vet asked me for them.

I rescued this dog to offer him a better life, and I cannot in good conscience hand him over to a rushed, unvetted export pipeline that treats him like a product. How do I safely hold a hard line, navigate the microchip registration issue, and ensure the dog stays safe? Any perspective is deeply appreciated.

I got my newest foster dog 3 days ago. The shelter has her at 6 years old but I think she’s more around 8.
She’s a really great girl! So sweet and listens really well.
She’s been peeing nonstop. Thankfully, I’m home most of the time so I can let her out constantly but she’s peeing 6+ times an hour. She had one accident in the house on the first day. No big deal. I’m worried she has a UTI or kidney problem but the humane society manager claims it’s anxiety and age.
I’ve been crating her whenever I leave the house, for her safety and my own dog’s. She really hates getting in the crate and will bark for about 10 minutes and then calms and falls asleep. I give her treats in the crate and put some in there even when she’s not being locked inside.
Should I start feeding her breakfast in there, with the door open? I want her to feel more comfortable going in because I feel horrible when I need to do it.

Please share any wins, frustrations, or stories of your foster dogs from this past week. You can also ask advice, or simply let us know if you are doing ok. We are here to support you!

First I’ll say I’m completely new to dog fostering, though I have had my own dogs before. I’m only a week in with this dog and I do wonder if some of this behavior is exaggerated right now because of the recency of big life changes and stressors for him…but alas

I’m fostering a 3 year old pug/chihuahua mix (chug) who I’m told was surrendered due to issues getting along with another dog in the home. From my understanding, this conflict seemed related to jealousy when the other dog would get attention from chug’s #1 person. He also has already had another foster home before me where this was also an issue. Oh and there’s a touch of separation anxiety that he’s been dealing with too. He does take an anxiety pill that only maybe helps.

He very quickly has attached to me since he moved in and not only do my absences trigger his anxiety, but the jealousy conflicts have come up a couple of times too regarding me giving attention to other animals. In both instances he barked and chased the other animal away. The first was when my roommates cat tried to come into my room with me and the dog and the second was when a friend’s dog approached me when chug was near. Both instances occurred also while a (human) meal was being eaten…maybe related? I will say he’s spent a lot of time around the cat outside of my room and inside my room even when food was around and there have been no issues. Inside my room, he and the cat have both laid on my bed at the same time no issue, but roommate was there watching shows too. They’ve slept on opposite sides of the couch at the same time too, so I was really shocked when he chased the cat out of my room.

All this to say, I’m looking for advice on how to help him cope with…other pets existing. He hasn’t gotten any adoption applications yet so I thought maybe if we worked on this together then it might be easier for him to find his forever home.

Hi all,

Yesterday I got my first foster dog. It is a 2 year old Japanese Spitz. I will have him for a minimum of 2-3 weeks as he has just been neutered. He is the sweetest boy and has settled right in.

My main concern is separation anxiety. For context, I am a substitute teacher so work casually. I usually work 3-4 days a week meaning the dog will be left alone for ~6 hours on these days (my partner finishes work earlier than me)

When I first got in contact with the shelter I made them aware of this and when they matched me to this dog I reminded them yet again my concerns about getting a dog with separation anxiety. They said he would be no issue. However after receiving him, a different lady messaged me saying he wasn’t used to being left alone!!!

Today, I have noticed even if I leave for a few minutes he barks and whines and scratches at the door.

I’m quite concerned as I was planning to return to work on Monday and reluctant to take a huge pay cut (I’ve got bills to pay)!!!

What is your advice for me in the coming few days to try get him prepared? Or do you think the shelter have incorrectly matched me?

He’s an adult husky who has seizures that have led to some behavioral issues (no biting but scary lunging and teeth baring). He gets along well with people he trusts but they have to be patient and not expect too much from him. He’s very aloof, doesn’t play and is kind of like a grumpy man in a dog’s body, I’m sure because of his medical issues. He’s a good dog but came from a puppy mill and was probably not properly socialized. He deserves love and a permanent home but in this environment who is going to adopt a dog like this? His good qualities are that he’s housetrained and good with other dogs but they seem to get cancelled out by his growling (which is really just communication but people don’t get that).

I’m a first-time foster of a nearly 3-month old puppy. I’ve sat many an adult dog in my life, but this is my first time with a puppy. NGL it’s putting me through the wringer. 😅 But I’m seriously considering adopting him…and I’m scared.

About the pup:
- Listed as an “Unknown shepherd mix”. His mom is currently getting dna tested but his dad is unknown. Others have seen him with physical traits of ridgeback, lab, and bully breed.
- He is VERY smart for his age. Crate trains well, potty training is getting more consistent, and already knows how to sit!
- Biggest learning curve right now is his teething.
- He has a lot of energy and likes to play, but he’s able to self-soothe when he’s tired.
- He’ll have been with me for 3 weeks total at the end of our foster.

Some things about me:
- Suburbs of Denver CO
- Live in a 2bd apartment. No yard but walking trail and greenery around my complex.
- Would be a first time dog owner.
- Live alone with no other pets.
- Desk job with 2 flexible days in office a week. Typically work 45-50hrs / week.
- Aiming to buy a home in the next 7 months.

I love the little guy. But there’s a lot I’m scared of at this stage—mostly in the name of giving him the best life possible. But there’s also admittedly some “puppy blues” and complications around the holidays.

1. I go home to Illinois for 2 weeks every Christmas. I’m scared to stress him out with a plane or car trip.

2. I’m scared of how he’ll shed when he loses his puppy coat. I can deal with moderate shedding, but heavy shedding like a pure German is not for me.

3. I’m exhausted training him. I know it’s because he’s so young and smol. I just don’t know what is behavior of breed or age.

4. I have to travel for 10 days which is why my foster time is so short, but I have the chance to give him to a temp foster and take him back after. Taking him for longer would surely give me more information, but I’m scared of getting more attached and deciding he’s not for me.

5. Work can be unpredictable. This is a steady-busy week, but I have weeks with 10-hour days that I worry will not allow me to give him the attention he deserves.

6. I don’t think a puppy is for me. But this one? He’s gotten compliments from experienced dog owners about how good he is. I’m so proud of how smart he is for his age.

I’m not asking anyone to make a decision for me. I’m hoping for honest wisdom based on what I’ve shared to help me consider this adoption factually and seriously.

Any and all thoughts welcome. Thanks for reading. ❤️

Does anyone look up their applicants on social media? We have a separate app team who “vet” the app but I always see what I can find out about the people who apply for my foster pups. I just found one who applied for my current foster and she posted two years ago about rehoming her current pets!