03 Feb Foster Testimonial – Amanda S.

I have been wanting to foster dogs with 4 Luv for several years. The idea that our family could help out dogs in need while having their food, veterinary care, and boarding/sitting covered was appealing.

After our senior dog passed away in 2019, we went almost a year without having a dog in the house. When the pandemic hit and 3/4 of our family was home all school year, we adopted a puppy from 4 Luv who has been one of the best if not the best dog we’ve ever had.

The desire to keep helping never went away and in the summer of 2023, I became a building volunteer, where I heard about foster babysitting and kennel breaks.

In order to babysit dogs for fosters who are going on vacation, or give building dogs or boarded dogs a break from living in a kennel, you have to be an approved foster. I applied to foster and babysat a different dog almost every week over the summer. We watched a variety of dog breeds and ages of dogs that we may not normally have met or brought into our home. This allowed our whole family, including our kids, to experience different dogs and their personalities and also allowed our resident pandemic puppy to socialize.

Foster babysitting is a great way to start fostering since there is a hard beginning and ending to their stay in your home. There is also more flexibility because you can choose dates that work for you.

My first true foster came along unexpectedly. I offered to give a dog a kennel break who was in a boarding facility. In less than 24 hours, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to bring her back to boarding at the end of the weekend. She was a great first foster and was only in my care for 10 days.

People always say “Oh, I could never foster, I’d want to keep them all! How do you do it?” While it’s best to never say never, so far, there has not been a dog that we’ve brought into our home that we’ve wanted to keep. I know that by letting them go, I can continue to help more dogs. Keeping a dog reduces the number of foster homes available to the dogs in need in our community.