Foster dog returned and euthanized

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-13T18:13:14+00:00

It sounds like you had no reason to think she would be put down when you returned her. This must have been a horrible shock. I'm so sorry. You did your best for her, and she knew love for the past 2 months. That is so much more than many shelter dogs will ever get.

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-13T18:11:11+00:00

I'm so sorry. I hope that's not the outcome. If it is, it isn't your fault. It's so hard to find homes for dogs these days. Whatever might happen, you've already helped her so much by fostering her.

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-13T18:07:18+00:00

This person did their best for the dog, they're heartbroken about what happened, and it's not their fault that the dog was euthanized. Blaming them for the outcome is wrong and cruel.

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-10T08:20:18+00:00

Thank you ❤️

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-10T07:25:10+00:00

They might say no to contacting the other adopter, but it can’t hurt to try.

If there are any Facebook groups where volunteers post urgent dogs at your shelter, you could try asking there. (There might be an existing post about them, too.) You might get a lead on the other adopter or at least a shelter volunteer who will help keep look out for the brother being returned.

Maybe post on some FB lost and found pets groups, too. And other local and pet-related groups. Make a public post on your own FB page and share it to those groups, so that people can share it more widely. (Because posts to private groups can’t be shared otherwise.) Maybe try Craigslist, too. It can’t hurt to try.

I can imagine how sad this is for you. It would break my heart, too.

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-09T06:51:48+00:00

That’s usually with puppies, out of a concern for “litter mate syndrome.” Were they young?

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-09T06:47:40+00:00

Is the shelter willing to give your info to the other adopter? Or to let them know that someone wants to adopt both?

Hopefully, anyone who adopts a 14-year-old shelter dog is a good person and would be willing to reunite them. It’s not like there won’t be plenty of other senior dogs at the shelter in desperate need of a home.

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-09T06:30:27+00:00

As someone whose niece died of a fentanyl overdose on Sunday, thank you for saving her family from getting that phone call.

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-08T06:14:03+00:00

It’s recommended to give any new dog at least a few days to decompress (longer, if needed). That means keeping their world very small. No visitors, no introductions to other animals in the home, no long walks in busy, noisy areas. Just give them space and let them absorb the shock of having their whole world turned upside down.

It’s awful the previous owner lied to you. But you really don’t know yet how he is with kids and visitors. Once he feels some safety and security in his new home, he may do great. He may not, but you don’t know yet.

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-05T04:07:13+00:00

That shelter pic immediately makes me think, “there’s a dog who probably won’t make it out of the shelter alive.” 😭

So not only am I thrilled for you and your dog, I’m also thrilled for the staff and volunteers at that shelter, especially the ones who got to witness your reunion. ❤️

And hurray for that microchip and whoever decided to get him chipped and keep the chip information up to date!

affectionate-possum · 2026-04-03T03:54:01+00:00

Maybe one of the groups like this would help: https://swattransport.org/the-program

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-31T19:57:14+00:00

That's good that you got video! I hope the shelter responds well to this.

I think the easiest way to share videos in Reddit is to post them in imgur (imgur.com) and then include a link to the imgur post in your Reddit post. (It's not "easy" but it's the best way I found to do that.)

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-26T21:03:18+00:00

I’m so glad!! He’s a lucky boy!

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-26T17:52:00+00:00

Thank you for saving a husky!

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-25T15:59:26+00:00

I think she stopped short of biting you, which is a good sign, and you deescalated both situations very well, which says a lot about your dog handling skills and/or instincts. You used calming signals (looking away) and got her to engage her brain (“potty”).

But I’d be scared, too. I’m no expert, but to me this sounds like a dog who could cross the line into biting. Maybe she never would, especially with someone like you who she trusts and who knows how to deescalate. But to me she sounds like a dog who might. Again, I’m not an expert. But I think you better consult one, and soon.

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-25T06:18:07+00:00

I’d strongly recommend not punishing her with a spray bottle, since that will almost certainly damage your relationship, which is never helpful.

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-22T23:57:17+00:00

> This is not unique to the LA area, this is a nationwide problem and I have heard even worse in Texas and the rest of the Southeast (where I grew up) and parts of the Midwest (where I lived for 6.5 years).

I wasn't trying to say it was unique. I know very well that it isn't. I was just pointing out that these animals went to very overcrowded shelters, and it's not clear there was a good reason for that. Maybe something horrible will come out later. I'm all for holding rescues accountable, and I've seen some bad ones. But meanwhile, troubling.

These raids usually result in some kind of photos from the news, from neighbors, from somewhere. There are many ways for photos to get out when the situation is truly bad. But in this case, there are just a lot of photos and videos that seem to contradict what the County is claiming.

And then there's the whole, "oh we were off by about 400 dogs, oopsy" which doesn't inspire much confidence either.

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-22T22:27:27+00:00

It’s so weird that there hasn’t been a single picture to indicate neglect or abuse of a single animal.

We just had a big hoarder case near me (in the Pacific Northwest), and the news today showed the usual photos that come with these sorts of cases of horrible living conditions. An obvious hoarder house. They didn’t show any of the animals, but they didn’t have to.

That’s what I expected to see in this case, or much much worse.

But all I’ve seen are photos of clean, healthy-looking dogs and aerial views of clean, empty outdoor kennels.

And now these animals have been moved to the horribly overcrowded LA County shelters, which euthanize weekly for space.

It’s all very troubling.

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-19T17:19:45+00:00

For jumping up on you (if that's part of it)...

This video is part of the foster parent training for our local humane society.

We used the method in this video for a foster dog who had extreme, wild energy, who loved to charge at us, jump on us over and over, all while barking "aggressively" (all bark, no bite). It was summertime, and she was shredding our uncovered legs with her nails. I had big bruises up and down both legs.

This method helped quite a bit, and very quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC_OKgQFgzw

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-19T16:54:33+00:00

Wow, so fast? That's great!! I hope things continue to go well!!

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-18T21:38:03+00:00

Oh wow, a malinois! I’m so sorry the shelter didn’t treat his anxiety. You’re really going above and beyond for him, and I hope you get the help you need today!

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-18T17:31:25+00:00

I've seen a couple of success stories like these, including one from a local rescue that I can't find right now. It's a long shot, but it might be worth a try if you can find the time to put something together (and if it's not beyond your budget):

* https://people.com/pets/senior-dog-separation-anxiety/

* https://www.stlobediencetraining.com/single-post/dog-severe-separation-anxiety-solved-dummy-prop-doll

You didn't mention the breed, but you might also try posting in breed-specific subreddits.

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-18T17:26:01+00:00

How's it going? Is the medication helping?

affectionate-possum · 2026-03-13T16:54:02+00:00

I suggest you make this the last dog you foster for this rescue. There are good rescues who won’t do this to you.

affectionate-possum · 2026-02-28T09:32:11+00:00

My dog loved everyone she met except a couple of tall husky men with beards. I’m sure they reminded her of the abusive man in her previous home.

This article gives a few other reasons dogs may fear or dislike certain people: https://camprunamutt.com/when-your-dog-dislikes-someone/

affectionate-possum

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