#FosterFriday – A Little Love Goes a Long Way!

One of our Foster Heroes was so excited that her foster pup came out of his shell and found a loving home, so we wanted to share her story with you!

“The first time I met Finn in the foster office, he was shaking from head to toe. Because he was my first Trust Building & Socialization foster and I didn’t know what to expect, I had created a private corner for him in my apartment. It had his crate, food, water, toys, and anything else he would need – in case he needed a secluded space to begin feeling comfortable around us. Within an hour of bringing him home, however, Finn began playing with toys (for the first time since he had arrived at the SPCA of Texas!) and exploring all the nooks and crannies of the apartment. 

After two days, this shy little boy had opened up so much that he got put up for adoption – and almost immediately had 6 potential adopters interested in him. Although he was still very shy at his meet-and-greets (new people are scary!), he ended up going home with a woman that was ready to take on his further socialization needs. Now he’s best friends with a 75 pound Great Dane and living his best life!

Finn is a great example of how instrumental fostering can be in an animal’s life. The shelter is scary and often doesn’t let the animals show their true personality, but bringing them into a home can help them be themselves. I honestly fell in love with Finn and almost adopted him myself, but I realized that I can impact more animals’ lives by continuing to foster. Then, when the time is right, I hope to have my own foster fail.”

Many of our animals just need a home with a family where they can learn how to live in a house. These shy or fearful dogs and cats just need a little love to get them ready for adoption – it’s scary going to a home for the first time and it helps to have a temporary home to get used to home life instead of waiting in the shelter. If you think your home would be the perfect place to help a fearful animal learn how to relax and open up around humans, visit spca.org/foster to learn more and sign up. The holidays are a perfect time to open your heart and your home to an animal in need. If you can’t foster right now, we would also greatly appreciate supplies to support our foster program – see our wishlist here!