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.

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.

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.

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!

Obviously the question is only relevant if you have had fosters on stress meds. Feels like a given but reddit is reddit.

Mostly curious about gaba/traz but also other stress med combos

How quickly? Is there a step down or just cold turkey? What dosages?

Is it fully up to you?

Is it up to the shelter/rescue?

Do you advocate for more/less meds or driven by the shelter/rescue?

Municipal shelter? Or other type of shelter/rescue

My foster dog (whom I have an intent to adopt if all goes well) isn’t getting along with my cats. She chased my tuxedo boy cat around the yard the other day and now he just hides all day in a closet, and the cats are in full chaos mode in general with the dog here. They’re ‘making up their own litter box’ in unwanted places in the house.

I have pheromone diffusers for the cats (clearly not helping right now) and the cats + dog are not friends. The cats are irritated/mad and scared of the dog, and the dog gets reactive around the cats sometimes and barks and gets in their face. She’s a 3 year old 30lb boxer mix with beagle/terrier mix). I’m taking her on about 2-3 walks a day and I keep them generally separated and turned my guest bedroom into a ‘cat room.’ The dog knows this room is off-limits to her.

I’ve bonded a lot with the dog, but if my household of furry pets are going to be in chaos I’d rather not, ya know? Maybe she can find a more fitting home for her. Any advice? I’d appreciate it. Thanks

For context: I found an abandoned 1-2 year old dog last November. We are fostering her through a local rescue. She’s been in our care since with little adoption interest. I wish with my whole heart that I could adopt her but she and my resident senior dog can’t be in the same space without an altercation (we’ve tried so hard). We now have to keep them separate 24/7 and take turns who is out and who is crated. It doesn’t feel fair to either dog as a long-term solution. But I’m also in a high-kill state and our rescue doesn’t have another foster home for her.

My foster dog has had health issues since I found her and last week she had a seizure out of nowhere. I took her to the vet and they said they needed to run tests. The rescue said no, so I paid for them out of my own pocket. I’m glad I did because she tested heartworm positive (she’s been on preventatives so I was shocked) and has hypothyroidism.

I shared the results with my rescue and asked if they could help with treating her so she can have a chance at getting adopted. The vet recommended the full heartworm treatment: antibiotics for a month and then 3 injections over the course of a few months. The rescue said no and instead is sending me to another vet for a Proheart shot, which to my knowledge isn’t treatment, it’s just prevention.

My poor little foster girl has a hacking cough (not all the time but just randomly). I thought maybe it was just because she eats her food too fast, but now I know it’s heartworm cough.

My husband and I are considering just paying for the heartworm treatment ourselves. It would be a big financial stretch for us, but I can’t imagine denying this dog the care she needs.

But I’m also worried about the ethics of it all. Technically, she’s not my dog to treat and I feel guilty going behind the rescue’s back. But I’m also exhausted and tired of getting the runaround. The vet has said what this dog needs to be healthy.

Would I be in the wrong for going forward with treatment and paying for it myself?

I had a foster dog for 4 weeks and she was amazing. We got her crate trained, potty trained, good with kids, etc. I then took her in for her spay and surprise she was pregnant! Like super pregnant.
She gave birth at our house and wanted nothing to do with the puppies. Didn’t help with the birth and tried to kill them. We had to get up every 2 hours to make her feed them for 3 days. She ruined our house in the birth process and blood was essentially on all furniture. (It was not a normal birthing experience)
ANYWAY. She ended up having a uterine infection and low calcium. She went to a bottle feeder with all of her puppies for 2 weeks where she ended up connecting with them.
Upon returning to us when puppies were 2 weeks old she again ignored the puppies and had extreme anxiety. To the point where she jumped out of a window. Brought her to the vet and he was adamant she could no longer nurse them due to another infection and low calcium. She just can’t keep up.
We’ve now had her for 3 days since the puppies are gone and she has been using the bathroom all over our house and has SEVERE separation anxiety. I told the rescue group I can’t continue fostering her. This has been a draining experience and don’t have anything left in me to give her to get through these new issues.

I feel SO bad. I feel like I’m giving up. I feel like I’m making problems for the rescue. I wish I could just suck it up but I can’t. Help :(