At the time Odin arrived, our foster homes were full and without a foster family, Odin was going to have to spend the night at the shelter. Luckily for Odin, one of our long-term friends and volunteers, Sally, was volunteering that day.

Having lost her beloved dog Zeke a few months prior, Sally had filled the empty space in her heart by loving on the animals at the shelter. However, there was still an empty spot at home. Having never fostered before, the idea of bringing an adorable puppy home for a few weeks was an intriguing, and eventually, irresistible idea. Odin put on the charm, so, with excitement and some jitters, he went home with Sally that night…just as a foster.

As the days turned into weeks, Sally and her husband reaped the benefits of having a new puppy in the house. Odin was sweet, smart and playful. He went for walks around the neighborhood, made friends with the neighbors, and eventually snuck into the bed at nighttime. The pitter-patter of little feet in the house again was exactly what they needed.

Before long it was time for Odin to be neutered and placed for adoption. With any foster, the hardest part is letting go of an animal they loved as their own. So, when the day came, it was no surprise that Sally and her husband were his furever family all along.

We love when our fosters adopt, and they often do, so often there is a term specifically for fosters who do adopt their foster animal: “Foster Fail.” Therefore, we are always in need of new foster homes for the animals at our shelters. With hurricane season just around the corner, our Marathon campus also needs foster homes in the event we need to evacuate our animals to safety due to an impending storm. Learn more about our foster program in Marathon and how to become a foster family by emailing [email protected], or call me at  (305) 743-4800.