I know better than to try fostering. As soon as I feed the first bowl of food, the animal is mine.
Congrats on your new addition!
StG
I have to say how much I admire the people who raise guide dogs for the blind. I’ve thought about it, and I know like I know my name I could never let the dogs go. To devote a year or more to raising a dog from puppyhood, spending oodles of time with it to train it, then let it go? Important purposes be damned, I’m just not that good a person when it comes to dog-love. Once I have my heart wrapped around a dog, I ain’t letting go. And there’s no way on earth I could raise and train a dog for a year and not be hopelessly in love with it.
I admire anyone who fosters a dog, whether they keep it or allow it to be released for adoption. My last two dogs were fosters, and definitely benefited from living in a house with people and getting used to household life rather than spending their time in a kennel, no matter how well-run the shelter. Taking the dog out of a cold concrete and wire pen and showering the dog with love works out for both the dog and the adopter.