Fostering to Adopting A Dog | MayBee
When I took her on walks, she was amazed with every person that passed by and was so eager to greet them. When she saw other dogs, she became beyond just excited to meet a new, potential friend. The neighbors loved seeing her. She made a lot of friends instantly around the block. When she saw people biking, she wondered what that 2 wheeled machine was. She looked up at the sky wondering what that airplane was doing so high up in the air. I don’t think she had ever been shown the outdoors.
I thought to myself, “Ah, maybe I should have kept her. Maybe I still can? Nah, we already found adopters. Maybe I can ask? Or maybe I made a mistake?”
MayBee is my current dog that came into my life by surprise. She’s the fourth dog I’ve had, but also “my first dog”, in terms of financial responsibility and care being solely under me. She’s a goofball full of happiness. I feel like I got incredibly lucky with her, which I explain why later.
She’s definitely a mystery though. She was found in the streets of Downey, CA by animal control. They picked her up, and dropped her off at the shelter. She was matted, dirty, and covered in fleas. It was clear that she has never been taken care of, yet she still loved life and was very well socialized— so much so that animal control described her as “friendly” and “happy” at the shelter. I find this so funny— what dog is happy at the animal shelter? LOL
But no one came to pick her up at the shelter after being there for weeks, so she went up for adoption. And someone adopted her. Few weeks later, she became my dog, and it’s been a good life since.
Here’s all about MayBee and how she came into my life through fostering.
Growing up, I always had a dog by my side. My parents adore animals— they particularly love dogs. I had Candy, who was a bit crazy, Pixie, who was very sassy, and Bella, who was very loving.
After Bella passed away in December 2018, I decided to try something new and foster rescue dogs to keep my mind off Bella.
Fostering is where you take care of a rescued dog for a dog rescue. Dog rescues, as they are named, rescue unwanted dogs and place them in foster homes so that the dog isn’t abandoned on the streets or stuck at the shelter and become at risk for euthanization. The fosters take care of the dog, give it food, a shelter, and love (most of these dogs have been through a lot) while the dog rescue searches for a potential adopter. Typically, the rescue group covers all costs for the foster in exchange for the foster’s time. These rescue groups are ran by truly amazing people.
I volunteered with multiple rescues, and ended up fostering 8 dogs. It was great— I got to take care of these dogs knowing that these dogs are going to eventually get adopted into loving, happy homes. It was just what I needed as I got over not having Bella in my life and not wanting to commit to adopting a dog just yet.
Left to Right: Blue, Morning (now Luna), Roscoe, Murphy, Liberty (now Sassy), Leo, and Benny.
I fostered these 7 dogs (above) from January 2019 to September 2019. Every single dog I fostered had their own little, cute personality. No dog is the same just like how no person is alike to another person— name me one of the foster dogs and I can tell you a funny story about them.
I was scrolling on Facebook one night, and I noticed that the dog rescue I was fostering for posted pictures of their recently rescued dog named Fluffy. They needed a groomer pronto because Fluffy was so matted after being found as a stray on the streets.
It was weird because I looked at her picture for a real long time, and I felt inclined to message the rescue group and ask about this dog and her rescue story.
The rescue group told me that she was pulled out of the dog shelter after being found as a stray. She was wondering the streets of Downey, CA. No person came for her while she waited at the shelter. She was put up for adoption, and one of the fosters for this rescue group adopted Fluffy to get her out of the shelter, place her in the dog rescue, and then hopefully get her adopted out to a forever home.
I was told she’s young and playful, and currently being fostered by the person who got her out of the shelter. I asked if I could help in any way— they told me I could foster Fluffy if I was interested because the current foster had a handful. I immediately said yes. Again, it was weird because I didn’t sought certain dogs to foster (I took in whatever dog fit what I was capable of taking care of), but I felt inclined with this one.
So I drove to Fluffy’s foster’s home which was about 1.5 hours away. I remember meeting Fluffy for the first time, and thinking she was bigger than I thought. She ran up to me, excited to see a new human, and went about being curious about the front yard and the people that passed by. Nothing special about her in particular—she was just a simple, happy dog.
As I thanked the foster, I carefully placed Fluffy in the crate I brought along in the back of my car. She laid there peacefully, and slept the entire way back home. That was a first— most dogs I foster get anxious and wonder where they are going next, in fear they are being abandoned again.
She immediately entered my home with excitement and curiosity. Not one bit of worry or fear. She loved smelling the new place she just entered and roaming the backyard. She played with the toys I had, and adapted within seconds. She slept so peacefully the first night.
When I took her on walks, she was amazed with every person that passed by and was so eager to greet them. When she saw other dogs, she became beyond excited to meet a new, potential friend. The neighbors loved seeing her. She made a lot of friends instantly around the block. When she saw people biking, she wondered what that 2 wheeled machine was. She looked up at the sky wondering what that airplane was doing so high up in the air. It was quite fascinating— I don’t think she had ever been shown the outdoors, yet she was incredibly sociable and not scared of anything new.
Weeks eventually passed, and the rescue group asked if I wanted to adopt Fluffy. There were over 80 applications for her waiting. I thought long and hard about Fluffy. She was perfect— potty trained, socialized, friendly, crate trained, loves outdoors, house trained, doesn’t shed, and young & healthy. Despite these perfect traits, I told the rescue group that she’s better going to another home. It just felt like Fluffy wasn’t the dog for me at that time.
Understandably, the rescue group found the perfect home for Fluffy. This picture perfect family that lived in this beautiful home near the beach with kids and another fluffy dog. I was ecstatic for Fluffy. I told them I would be happy to transport Fluffy to meet her potential forever home that next Saturday.
I had one week left with Fluffy, and I started to feel uneasy. But I reassured myself that’s just what fostering entails— the goodbye part. That one week you have left with the foster dog is always dreaded and hard. So I pushed through that week.
But I thought to myself, “Ah, maybe I should have kept her. Maybe I still can? Nah, we already found adopters. Maybe I can ask? Or maybe I made a mistake?”
On the night before Fluffy’s adoption, I took her on her last walk, and I passed by my neighbors. They asked me if there was any update with Fluffy’s adoption, and I told them that she has a potential family she might go home to the next day.
I felt uneasy telling them that. Really uneasy, as if I was giving up my own dog (not a foster dog) to give to another person. I casually told the neighbors, “Yeah, I regret not adopting her. She’s a really good dog, and I don’t know. I feel weird with this one and to see her go”. I remember feeling like I made a big mistake, and all around heartbroken.
The neighbor told me, “Stop overthinking— ask the rescue! Ask if you can adopt her! Who says it’s too late? And what’s the worst that can happen?”.
I ran back home with the neighbor’s advice.
I immediately messaged the rescue group asking if it was too late to adopt Fluffy (also called Vee from the shelter).
I remember looking at my phone for a long time in anticipation for the response that Friday night.
The rescue group replied back telling me they would love for me to adopt Fluffy. My smile instantly took over my entire face.
And just like that, Fluffy became MayBee and a part of my family. MayBee is her name because I thought so much about maybe adopting her. I added an extra E though, hah.
I can confidently say adopting MayBee was one of the best decisions I’ve made. She carries this energy that’s just so positive, fun, and healing to be around, if that makes sense.
MayBee is a very simple dog. That’s what I like about her—she lives life with a simple mind and is just blissfully happy. She’s a bit weird, she doesn’t care what other dogs think, and doesn’t care to be the leader of the pack. She' just goes with the flow , hangs loose, and is sometimes is in this world of her own. She wakes up happy, eats happy, sleeps happy, and runs around in happiness throughout the house. She doesn’t live life in fear of anxiousness. She knows I will return home when I am gone. I can take her to the beach, and she will adapt and learn to instantly enjoy the waters. I can take her to a store, and she’ll find ways to entertain herself or others.
I suspect that MayBee lived in a backyard of someone who did not really care for her, and MayBee escaped out of the yard? I am not sure, but that’s my best guess because she’s not street smart to have lived in the streets for long. I can tell she was never really cared for beyond not knowing much about the outdoors because she eats like there is no tomorrow and at the beginning of adopting her, she loved eating dried poop (we’re still working on it). I think she ate dried poop because that’s what she ate when she was not taken care of. She’ll eat weird things like flies and spiders without a thought (see below of her eyeing the fly)— I think this habit formed from the lack of care and malnourishment she went through. She came in at 16lbs and is now a healthy 21lb girl.
Granted, it’s not all bubbles and butterflies— I’ll save that for another post about what it takes to take care of a dog (i.e. vet bills, her eating poop, tapeworms, allergies— the stuff we don’t post on social media), but overall, she’s an incredible dog, and I’m so thankful for her, the rescue group, and for that neighbor that encouraged me to ask.
Why I recommend fostering
When it comes to finding the “right” dog, it really comes down to compatibility and your preferences.
Fostering was such a great avenue for me to figure out my preferences. I got to take care of 8 dogs, the 8th being MayBee, and get them ready for their forever homes, and on top of that, potentially adopt any one of them if things worked out. After fostering, I can’t see myself adopting a dog any other way.
Don’t me wrong, I actually don’t think buying a dog is bad (I bought Pixie and Bella— they weren’t adopted)—although I personally don’t prefer this way anymore after fostering. So as long as the buyer does a shit ton of research and finds the best breeder, then I think it’s fine:
One of my friends bought their Australian Shepard from a breeder in another state and they drove for 3 days to meet that breeder, see how their dogs live, look at the health certificates, and they drove back for 3 days with the newly bought puppy because that breeder refused to ship the dog to ensure the dog wasn’t stressed out and in good health.
To each their own.
I prefer to adopt through fostering. Yes, you save a dog’s life and create more room for the shelter to save more dogs, but that is not the only reason why. When you foster, you get the chance to see if you and that dog are compatible all while teaching the dog what it’s like to live a good life as you foster it. MayBee was incredibly compatible with my life as she was adaptable to do anything— shopping outdoors? She’s cool with that. Going on a hike? She loves that. Going on a bike ride? She has no issue going in the dog backpack as I cruise. Sitting in a car-ride? No problem, she sleeps through it. Eating with friends? She’ll patiently wait and let passerby pet her. Potty trained. Socialized. Outgoing. Simple Minded. Happy. Check.
Of course, fostering is not for everyone. I can tell you puppies are the most work in general, and overall, a lot of time goes into fostering. Most of the dogs are hurt, abandoned, or confused so you really have to be gentle and patient for them to open up. In addition, I got some damaged floors from accidental potties and some damaged doors from some fosters who were very scared at first. Just wanted to mention that because not all fosters are like MayBee.
I typically fostered each dog for about a month long. Saying goodbye was incredibly hard as well.
Beyond fostering to adopt, I highly commend people who adopt straight from the shelter. They don’t know what the dog will be like when they bring it home, and they are taking that risk which is truly admirable.
Any who, that’s the adoption story of MayBee! She’s an incredible dog, and if you’ve ever had a dog, I’m sure you understand the obsession with dogs. They are just pure joy. If not, and you’re considering adopting a dog, fostering is a great way to learn about what it takes to care for a dog before committing.
Hope you enjoyed this read and learning more about MayBee!
Sarah
