Many people choose to foster dogs instead of, or before, adopting a dog themselves.
Fostering a dog involves taking in a homeless dog from a shelter and caring for the dog for a certain amount of time or until the dog is adopted.
Foster parents give the dog the same love, attention, and care they would if it was their own pet.
Julie Harrison-Harney fostered Chips Ahoy, a shelter dog, intending to care for her until she found her forever home.
Chips Ahoy was a terrified and timid dog when she and her husband Brendan took her into their home.
“She would cower under the dog bed. She couldn’t relax,” Julie told The Dodo.
Chips Ahoy was always fearful and anxious.
Even when her foster mom would bribe her with peanut butter, Chips Ahoy would cower and move away from Julie.
“She wouldn’t eat anything. Wouldn’t let us come near her without recoiling or trying to find another place to hide,” Julie said.
Chips Ahoy had undergone many changes in her life, making her scared of almost everything.
Fortunately, her foster parents understood that it would take Chips Ahoy time to trust them.
They gave her the care and attention she needed without overwhelming her.
Brendan would sit beside Chips Ahoy and just pet her for as much as 40 minutes straight.
She began to see him as her protector and would sit at his feet for hours on end.
She also followed him everywhere, including into the bathroom.
Finally, they felt she had overcome her initial challenges and was ready for her forever home.
They learned that someone wanted to adopt Chips Ahoy.
While they had a difficult time parting with her, they were excited about Chips’ new chapter.
Sadly, Chips Ahoy was returned only after two days with her new owner. Chips was described as “too much work.”
Brendan and Julie took her in again immediately.
They knew that she wasn’t too much work, and she just needed time to adjust.
Chips Ahoy relaxed more around them, even taking naps during the day, which she didn’t do before.
They also learned she loved playing with other dogs.
She began to trust Julie as much as she trusted Brendan, stealing her socks to play with them.
Julie didn’t mind at all, she was just happy that Chips Ahoy was finally at ease with her.
“There is a completely different energy and pet in Chips Ahoy now,” Julie said.
They were so happy to see she was no longer a scared and timid dog.
She would even jump on the couch now to stay beside Julie.
Brendan and Julie decided that they couldn’t give Chips Ahoy to another home.
“Chips Ahoy is ours. This is our dog, and we wanna adopt her, and we want to give her our home,” Julie shared.
She also said that she was never prouder to be a failure.
Specifically, a foster failure.
She’s happy to be a failure as long as they get to keep Chips Ahoy.
We’re also happy that Chips Ahoy has finally found her forever home.
Watch Chips Ahoy go from shy dog to loving pet in the video below!
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