You will not be a foster failure!

I’ve fostered countless dogs over the years and every single time I do I hear this phrase, “Oh, I could never do that. I wouldn’t want to give them up.”

That thought couldn’t be more wrong. Or, perhaps, it is the wrong way of looking at the concept of fostering. I foster because it means one less dog will have to spend the night in a shelter. It means one more dog will be saved. It means one more dog will find a loving home and one more space will be available in that shelter because, sadly, dogs do not stop coming in.

I think that phrase comes from the mindset that you are getting a dog, you are accepting this dog into your home, and then someone comes and takes him or her away. Ouch. That does sound sad and would be a hard thing to accept. But that is not what fostering is.

Think of fostering as dog sitting for a friend. That friend is the person or family who will eventually adopt your foster dog. You are opening your home to the dog to keep her safe until that “friend” comes to pick her up. It’s that simple. Because the dog you foster isn’t always necessarily the best fit for your family in the long-term. You don’t spend time picking out your foster dog. You simply take the dog in need and you don’t always know what you’re getting.

Fostering is so fulfilling and foster families are so important to rescues. Fostering isn’t for everyone, but if you’re holding back because you think you won’t be able to give up the dog, please think again and consider dog sitting for that friend!