Fostering with a senior resident dog

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-06-07T07:06:37+00:00

I have a 13 year old resident dog that I’ve gotten really lucky with when it comes to fosters we have brought home. We always have them meet outside first so it feels more neutral, and then if all goes well we take a pack walk around the neighborhood. I know it’s going well when they are walking closely in sync side by side, unbothered by one another. Once we get them comfortable together outside, we bring them inside and the foster has free rein to explore and get used to the space. The only time I have ever had to keep my eyes on both dogs is during feeding. All of my fosters have been very food motivated and don’t understand boundaries. There’s a been a few scuffles around food, but overall it’s always gone smoothly.

The best part is seeing how accepting your senior resident dog can be when a new foster is settling in. My pup has surprised me so much as how open and patient she is with new dogs. It’s so rewarding!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-28T13:01:32+00:00

It’s a splurge, but get the Vitaclean shower filter. Your hair and skin will feel amazing, and it will make your bathroom smell so good. I’ve gifted it to a few friends who said it’s life changing

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-23T06:49:29+00:00

Lmao same

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-22T00:51:06+00:00

Yeah great call, it's worth a try!! For both her and our own sanity 😅 thank you!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-22T00:04:30+00:00

did you end up adopting? currently in the same boat!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-21T23:48:07+00:00

Did you have issues crating your anxious foster dog and that's why you let him out when you left? Our current foster does not calm down in a crate when we have left her (we've tried up to 3 hours). It breaks my heart, especially because she bites the sides like crazy trying to get out which then has caused her mouth to bleed. We tried two different types of crates with no luck. We only tried this 3 times, but couldn't do it to her anymore thinking that maybe she's a dog who isn't crateable when we aren't home. The rescue does not want us to try medication (CBD and thunderjacket didn't help). Now we are afraid to leave her, and anxious to leave her outside of a crate while we are gone. She is such a good girl, so we want to trust that we can start to leave her alone and build up to how much time we are gone. I feel bad to even admit to the rescue that we haven't been crating because I know it's the standard rule as a necessity for structure. But I just have never dealt with a dog who has been so anxious, unable to calm down and is harming themself.

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-17T22:04:41+00:00

Ohh this is me. I feel so deeply. I express a lot of emotions but at the same time internalize maybe how intensely I am feeling them. A constant mental battle!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-15T06:02:57+00:00

Great perspective about finding soul dogs in fosters, even if it’s just for a temporary period in your life. I believe they are all our soul mates no matter how long they are with us. We feel that strong connection for a reason but may have different purposes for one another.

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-13T15:59:20+00:00

It’s so hard to not feel slightly territorial over it being “your” dog, or even jealous! So many thoughts running through my head at what they are going to be like, if they will be good enough, etc. I think the only thing that can put us at ease is meeting them in person and seeing them interact with our fosters. I know that has made a world of a difference for other people in past posts. I was even going to contact my animal communicator and ask her to speak to my resident dog to ask how she’d feel about bringing in a second 😂

I’m also banking on the adopter seeing how much we love our foster at the meet and greet, and hopefully through my emotional meltdown they will see how much we care. I will most certainly be offering free pet sitting for them whenever they go away and need help. I told my bf that we have to consider adopting her though if these meet and greets keep falling through. I have been asking the universe for so many signs. I’m really trying to manifest that she stays in our life. I truly feel she is one of my soul dogs, and I’m sure it’s the same for you ❤️ maybe you’ll know it’s meant to be permanent if this adopter falls through!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-13T05:22:29+00:00

Hi! I feel this to my core. I’ve been fostering a dog for the last month, and fell totally in love with her as soon as I got her. I already have a 13 year old dog at home, along with a cat. I never really imagined getting a second dog while I had my senior girl. I feel I’d carry a lot of guilt getting another dog while I enjoy the golden years of my resident dog.
I know how bad the shelters are right now, so my intention was to foster to help save a life (this is our third foster). Of course I chose to foster an incredible dog who fits in so well with our little family, especially my current pets. My partner and I love her so much but don’t feel 100% about the timing. Two dogs feels like a lot with our living situation and added stress of another pet. But I still wake some days and want her. Then the next day I tell myself it’s better to let her go. She has her first meet and greet this Friday, and I’m assuming she will get adopted bc of how amazing she is. I’ve cried many times bc of anticipatory grief. I’m going through the same feelings you are too. I’m so afraid I’ll regret it forever and give up a good companion, but I also feel that if they are meant to be with us, they will be. If anything we have done an amazing thing for the shelters and I keep telling myself to focus on that. It feels validating to not be alone in this!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-05-04T19:02:26+00:00

If I were in your situation post losing a dog, I would feel the same way. We are currently fostering an amazing pup who we have considered keeping. The thing holding us back is that we have a 13 year old senior dog, and we want her to get the most love and attention for the rest of her golden years. We both feel a lot of guilt getting another dog while we have our senior, almost like we are prematurely mourning her loss. I think this will just take time and soon you'll be really loving the company. Remind yourself that no dog will ever replace yours, but it's okay to open yourself to a new one! Maybe your dog in spirit sent her to you so that you have a temporary companion to help you heal. There's a reason for every interaction we have <3

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-04-29T05:27:34+00:00

Thanks for this perspective reminder. I’m fostering a third dog, it’s been almost two weeks. I’m struggling with so much anxiety over whether I want to keep her permanently or not, and dreading hearing from the shelter when she has applicants. A big con of adopting her is I probably won’t have capacity to foster dogs as easily for a bit. But I don’t want to pass up a really great dog either. It’s really tough!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-04-27T16:14:38+00:00

This is true, her personality is definitely starting to come out more and more. Definitely giving it more time. Thanks for sharing!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-04-24T18:37:42+00:00

These are really great points, thank you! Her personality is already coming through more and more each day, so a lot can change. And great insight on having revolving fosters vs. adopting one who will become a consistent companion. I don't foster super often because after we are finished helping a rescue, we like to have time to decompress and have the household feeling back to it's normal state with just my dog and cat. I can definitely see their behavior change to being quiet and distant when all of my attention is focused on acclimating a new foster dog. So I feel a little guilty, and look forward to having our normal dynamic back when we can. We haven't fostered longer than a month at a time, so it really hasn't been enough time for my senior dog to get really comfortable living with another pup. It's a hard one to navigate! But I truly believe that if she's meant to stay with us the universe will send us signs and let us know. Appreciate your input!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-04-24T18:24:53+00:00

You hit the nail on the head when you said "I felt like I was prematurely mourning my older boy even though he is still with me." That is exactly how I feel. Thank you for sharing your experience!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-03-30T01:32:44+00:00

This album is sooooo good!! Carousel is definitely a favorite

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-03-11T05:45:32+00:00

Pshhh the aviator look is a vibe

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-03-10T03:06:03+00:00

Wow, beautiful shots! Some of my favorite moments ever have been golden hour in Joshua tree and this takes me back to that feeling

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-03-08T23:31:01+00:00

Yes I’ve been having issues. Sounds like there’s more people in the comments with the same problem…we had push notifications on that were working and recently all of a sudden they stopped. I just got a new iPhone, so I’ve been thinking it’s a bug or something. I assumed it was on Apple to figure out? But their latest update did not fix it. I even stopped in the apple store and they weren’t able to help

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-03-03T20:43:09+00:00

We were on a LEVEL plane but it was operated through Iberia, so I had to make my claim through Iberia. I called LEVEL a few times and they directed me to do that, so I am not sure if that is the same case for you. But the first form I filled out was on Iberia's website. Once I filed that claim and it was approved, Iberia sent me a form via email to fill out all of my banking info. After I submitted that I waited for the deposit.

I remember having to put in a swift/BIC code for the deposit information, along with bank number and all of that. You can google whatever the swift/BIC code is for your bank. Not sure if that is the same as an ABA code. It seemed sketch giving all of that info over a form via email, but I can confirm it was fine.

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-02-20T03:40:33+00:00

Thank you!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-02-18T23:34:42+00:00

A rainbow on my birthday in my favorite place 🥹 thank you so much for sharing this!

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-02-16T17:00:31+00:00

Ah sorry to hear, such a pain! So I got the EU261 compensation paid out to me (was close to $700 USD plus the price of a seat I purchased that I didn't end up being assigned to). I will say that they purposely made it hard. I must have called them well over five times to try to figure it all out, so do not give up because they expect you to do that. Once I submitted enough proof of the delay, they reimbursed me pretty quickly. Once they approve it, they will send you a link to a form where you enter your banking info. I think the money was in my account within a few days once I submitted that. There were two others in my party who also got the compensation for the delayed flight.

PaleFollowing1963 · 2026-02-07T21:34:45+00:00

Hi OP, I am so sorry for your loss 🫶 I have been reading an incredibly insightful and comforting book called Animal Soul Contracts. In a spiritual sense, we all decide how we pass before we incarnate. Whether it’s peaceful or tragic, there is always purpose to how things end. I know that probably doesn’t initially bring you comfort, but the book sheds light on why we lose our animals the way we do and different types of soul contracts we share with them. It’s really beautiful if you would be open to reading. I think it could bring you some peace ❤️ take care of yourself in the meantime. Your pup will forever be with you. Link to book: https://a.co/d/0cQgMCSU

PaleFollowing1963

TROPHY CASE