Sel Gerosa Design

Tag: Foster Diaries

A mini series reflecting on the dogs we’ve fostered.

  • Buddy T. Dog, Delinquent | Foster Diaries 2

    Buddy T. Dog, Delinquent | Foster Diaries 2

    Bio

    Name: Buddy

    Breed: lab/pointer mix

    Age: 8 months

    Quirks: perennially inside out ears

    Human Job: middle school delinquent

    Duration of Stay: 3 weeks

    Reflection

    Buddy came to us on pretty short notice. He had been foster-to-adopted, but unfortunately, his adopter’s had a dog that responded very poorly. He had to get re-homed on short notice, and luckily, we were available.

    After having him for a week, we took Buddy to an adoption event at a local brewery. He was great for the first hour, but I could see him getting more fussy and impatient as the event went on. It was easy to forget that he was just a puppy. Our first foster was 10 months, while Buddy was 8 months. I didn’t realize how much of a difference 2 months makes. Thankfully, we met the folks who would eventually adopt him at that event, and we knew he would be in good hands.

    The Highs

    Having more time with him we were able to do some training and really start to see his silly personality. Ian was really smitten and we kept thinking about keeping him. While we had him, I enrolled in an introductory training class and learned some new techniques for basic commands. Everyone in our neighborhood loved Buddy and lots of folks encouraged us to foster fail. Anyone could see that he’d be a great dog as long as he kept getting training as he got older.

    The Lows

    Tragically, Buddy had a bought of evil digestion in the second week we had him. We had a couple of long and gross nights of colitis poops. Buddy didn’t mind the week of chicken and rice meals though. I’ve never been so relieved to be able to pick up a solid poop.

    Puppy Gallery

  • Supermodel Sophie | Foster Diaries 1

    Supermodel Sophie | Foster Diaries 1

    My partner and I have been talking about getting a dog for a while. But it’s really important to us to do right by any critter we’d be responsible for. And ultimately, we realized that right now, we can’t provide a consistent and routine lifestyle all of the time. But we are available in short bursts, so we decided to look into fostering. We had met some folks from SOSARL at a big adoption event in the fall of 2025. I still had their contact info and decided to submitter foster application. Once we went through the process, got interviewed and approved, it wasn’t too long before we were assigned our first foster: Sophie!

    Bio

    Name: Sophie

    Breed: collie mix (definitely part great pyr)

    Age: 10 months

    Quirks: Immediately goes for the belly rub

    Human Job: supermodel due to her permanent eyeliner

    Duration of Stay: 1 week

    Reflection

    We knew we wouldn’t have her long since she was so pretty, so sweet, and so smart. We had Sophie for just one week. That was enough time to really enjoy her company but not so much that we couldn’t say goodbye. We were able to meet the folks who adopted Sophie, who were a great couple who already had a friendly pup with a similarly fluffy tail. We knew she’d be happy in her new home with a new brother to play with.

    The Highs

    Sophie was extremely sweet and smart, so it was really easy to love her. We think she had previously been a stray, so everything was new to her. We taught her some basic commands, how to use the stairs, and how much fun it is to run in the snow. If you walked past her, she’d always roll over and insist that you paid the belly rub tax.

    The Lows

    Sophie went on the world’s fastest crime spree. In the span of 10 minutes, she chewed through her leash, my phone charger, and Ian’s shoe laces.

    She really hated being in the car and in the crate. it was really hard to see her so uncomfortable and scared. If we had more time with her, I’m confident she would have overcome her fears.

    Puppy Gallery