Getting over post-fostering sadness when your foster dog finds a permanent home.
Ever heard someone say, “I wish I could foster, I just wouldn’t be able to say goodbye.” Today, we’re tackling one of the most common self-imposed barriers to fostering.
The concern that you’ll fall in love is legitimate; you just might! Yes, saying “bye” does hurt. But as many foster folks discover, the rewarding feeling of doing something good outweighs the sadness, and there are simple things you can to do prepare yourself emotionally.
All foster dog parents can say that they’ve certainly felt the influx of emotions when their first foster dog gets adopted. From feeling thrilled that their rescue dog finally has a “forever home” to call their own, to feeling devastated that a dog with whom you’ve bonded is no longer in your home. These are real, valid feelings that might occur; but rest assured: you’re not alone. Almost everyone in the dog fostering community has felt this way before. Here are just a few ways to cope with that sadness and to take advantage of all the positivity that fostering provides!
If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.
Benefits
- Look At The Bright Side: You have just played an integral role in this dog’s life. You just bridged this dog to the next very happy and loving part of their life! Also, if your foster dog had a rough past, you prepared them for adoption by socializing them to a home environment!
- Foster Again: What’s a better way to mend your heart from saying goodbye to one dog than saying hello to another? Many foster dog parents can say that the more they foster the easier it is letting go.
- Celebrate: The feeling of helping a foster dog get adopted is incredibly rewarding. But who says it needs to stop there? Treat yourself! You just did a huge deed to the dog and to the rescue community! Acknowledge that you just made a big difference.
- Remind Yourself: Every dog adopted saves 2 more lives - the spot in foster and the one in the shelter from that new foster.
- Stay In Contact With New Owners: The great thing about fostering is that every dog is different, and you'll feel a bit differently with every dog. It's bittersweet, but knowing you've done your part to change the lives of the dog and the family adopting them (cause let's face it, both lives change for the better), is a really good deed to do in life