Currently, millions of dogs and cats are in animal shelters across the U.S.
According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.1 million dogs and 3.2 million cats are surrendered to shelters each year. Many of these animals need foster care while waiting to find their forever homes.
There are several reasons why animals need foster homes. One, a puppy is too young to be adopted and needs a safe and caring place to stay until it is old enough to find a permanent family.
Another reason is that the rescue dog is not socialized and needs to get used to other people, possibly other dogs also, before being suitable for adoption.
Lastly, the shelter may be running out of space for them to keep any more rescue animals. This situation is when they ask individuals to foster a dog or cat temporarily. Unfortunately, shelters are forced to euthanize animals when they are full.
Fostering a dog can help shelters accept more rescue animals.
Rolo is one of these rescue dogs that needed a foster home.
When Tracy, his foster mom, first got him, he was terrified to be around people.
“I would get close to him, and he would kind of back up,” Tracy told the Dodo.
In the video, you can see that Rolo keeps his distance from her, even if his tail wags happily. You can tell that he is nervous and anxious.
He often retreated to his crate and saw it as his safe place.
He would go out of his crate, peek around the corner, and then retreat back inside. Tracy would sit beside his crate to get him more comfortable around her.
Tracy figured he did not have a lot of contact with people before she rescued him, which is why he was uncomfortable around others.
To help Rolo adjust, Tracy introduced him to her dog Lily.
Fortunately, Rolo immediately liked Lily. He went up to her and started cuddling her neck, which Lily didn’t mind. The older and bigger dog was patient with the young rescue puppy.
They became playmates and would run around together everyday.
Rolo immediately loved Lily and constantly followed her around.
They played together and immediately formed a bond with each other.
When Tracy saw them together, she knew that Rolo would enjoy his time with them and wouldn’t be so scared all the time.
By his third week with Tracy, Rolo was a completely different dog. He left his crate and followed her around the house more often, even inside her bedroom.
He also began asking her to pet him, which he never did before.
Soon, someone reached out to Tracy about adopting Rolo. While sad about this, she understood that this is part of fostering a dog, and she knew that Taylor, his new owner, would be a great fit for Rolo.
“I was ready to bring him home and start the journey,” Taylor shared.
Taylor and her family ensured that Rolo felt right at home immediately.
Her son immediately bonded with Rolo. Her dog Dolly also connected with Rolo right away. Dolly leads the way out of the house in the mornings, and Rolo immediately follows.
Today, Rolo is happily living with his forever family.
We’re so happy that he found a new home that fully embraced and welcomed him.
Please consider fostering one of the millions of dogs and cats waiting in shelters. Like Rolo did for his foster family, we guarantee they’ll bring lots of love and joy to your home.
Watch the video of Rolo transforming from a shy puppy to an outgoing dog in the video below!
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