Dog rescue organizations and shelters know they have to define their limits and stick to them. If they don’t, they end up with too many animals. When resources are stretched too far, each individual dog does not get the care he deserves.
On a smaller level, those of us who foster dogs and cats until they get adopted have to set our own limits. That means saying no even when saying no is very difficult. If I foster two or three animals in addition to my own pets, I will burn out.
I’m not trying to knock those of you who foster three (or four) animals at once. Each individual has to set her own limit. And that limit is not defined by a number.
I have one foster dog right now, but on a daily basis I am tempted to foster a second animal. Although it’s hard to do, my default answer is always no. It has to be.
Every few days someone asks me, “Well why don’t you just adopt Cosmo?” (Cosmo is my foster dog.)
Believe me, I would love to adopt Cosmo. I’ve thought about it. But if I do adopt Cosmo, it will put an end to my fostering, and that will be very sad 
But the real reason I will not adopt any dog right now is because I do not have the time to give a dog everything he needs.
What? You’re a great dog owner! I would love to be one of your dogs! Ace gets to do everything!
No. I don’t see it that way.
Ace is a large lab mix. Although I would consider him a low- to medium-energy dog, he still needs his daily walk. He also deserves daily training and a daily game of tug. Also, several hugs.
Ace does not get these things on a daily basis.
And Cosmo is a dog who also needs a daily walk. He also needs daily training and a chance to play.
Cosmo does not get these things on a daily basis.
I also have two cats – Beamer and Scout.
Although cats are independent creatures, my cats deserve daily attention from me, whether it’s 20 minutes of playing or 20 minutes of cuddling.
Beamer and Scout do not get 20 minutes of devoted attention from me on a daily basis.
All four of these animals could also use a good brushing at least every week. Do you think that happens? 
I am also always behind on nail trims, ear cleanings, vacuuming and scooping the litter box.
Every time I add another foster animal to the equation, the attention dedicated to each individual animal decreases.
I like to dedicate a lot of time to each of my pets.
You could argue that although these daily interactions are ideal, they are not things that an animal needs on a daily basis. It’s better to be alive and in a foster home of any kind rather than living in a shelter, living in a pound – or dead.
That’s definitely true.
That’s exactly what drives rescue and shelter volunteers to stretch those limits on a daily basis. It’s what pushes us to convince our family members why we need just one more pet.
I absolutely love fostering and having my own pets around.
Caring for Ace, Cosmo, Beamer and Scout gives me a sense of purpose I can’t get anywhere else. Walking the dogs or cuddling with the cats is often the highlight of my day. I don’t want that to change.
But animal “rescue” is an emotional ride and an area of my life where I have to consciously set boundaries.
There is no end to “rescuing.” If we do not choose to set our own limits, then there are none.
How do you set your limit?
I noticed that Cosmo and Ace have the same beady, cartoon eyes. Other than that, they are complete opposites:
Recent Search Terms:
- dog rescue burn out
- DOG FOSTER BURNOUT
- tempted to adopt my foster
- animal rescue burnout
- animal shelter burnout
- labrador foster cosmo
- My foster dog Cosmo is nuts about food. He will take a flying leap into his kennel for one piece of kibble, for example.
They are so cute. They look like salt and pepper.
A good explanation of why you are doing a wonderful service to Cosmo, your own pets and Cosmo’s future forever home. Thank you for providing a foster home.
Thanks, Jan!
Lindsay, what a great post! This topic came at just the right time for me – my boyfriend and I just placed our foster dog in her forever home after 2 months with us, and we made the difficult decision to SAY NO to fostering for the near future.
We adopted our own puppy only 2 weeks before we agreed to foster a second puppy… all that puppy-ness made things around the apartment crazy-wonderful, but mostly crazy haha. Although we greatly enjoyed the foster experience and I consider it my most rewarding life achievement so far, taking on another dog right now isn’t the right choice for us. That would do a disservice to our own puppy, who deserves our full attention and energy in training her. Any new foster dog we take on would also suffer by not getting the hugs and training it would undoubtedly need. As a result, we have agreed to wait until our own dog is fully trained and older before we jump back in the foster game. One part of me can’t wait, since I know there are so many dogs out there in need and I am aching to help them. But the other part of me is really enjoying the way things are right now =)
Thanks for sharing your own foster mom outlook – it’s refreshing to have a similar point of view when many rescue organizations are so eager to press their dogs on you. Good luck with Cosmo! I love using your posts as research when training my own dog(s)!
Thanks for your comment. It’s a hard choice but you have to do what’s best for you, your family and your own pets. I’m sure you will foster again in the future when it’s right.
Good friends of mine used to foster dogs, but have had to stop because they could not give the dogs away and now have 4 of them as pets.
Yep! That’s what happens to a lot of people!
I would never, ever go past my limit
Haha! Maybe you haven’t met your limit yet!
I’m one over my limit right now, but it was a very special circumstance. Wyatt was supposed to go to boarding, but then we thought he had some health problems, and I begged that if we would still take him, he could come to my house. He is fine other than a little bit of a narrowed trachea/occasional cough, but I wanted him at my house to watch him. He is great – probably the easiest and just nicest dog I’ve ever fostered – and already has someone that wants to meet him!
I really like Wyatt (based only from his pictures). I’m such a sucker for black, shorthaired dogs! Allie is very cute, too.
You would love Wyatt, he has a great personality. Allie is beautiful but it’s harder to get good pictures of her. She’s doing great learning about living in a house though – hardly ever barks at the tv any more. LOL.
Haha! Cosmo growls at the TV if he hears dogs or other animals on it.
They do have the same eyes!
I wish all people would realize this.. If everyone could it would probably stop people from getting too many pets and unintentionally becoming hoarders.
I can see how someone could easily become a hoarder.
Your life sounds like a parallel to mine. Two cats, a dog, and a foster dog. At least, that’s how it usually is. This week, though, I had to clean up an idiot backyard breeder’s mess by taking in three puppies with parvo. They were foster dogs number 49, 50, and 51. I had just said I was going to take a break, but nobody else was available to help these guys. It was a tough week because between vet visits, I had dress rehearsals for a circus (yes, I said circus – a story for another day). I had to scramble to find help to watch the dogs and tend to their needs, and I couldn’t believe that even my parents were saying, “Oh, Kyla. This was really a bad idea.” Like I WANTED three parvo puppies this week!
I’m sorry, folks, but rescue isn’t always convenient, and saving three lives was more important to me than circus practices. If I had to choose, I would have chosen the dogs again and again. Anyway, my takeaways from the experience were A) I don’t like fostering more than one dog because I just can’t give them the attention they need, and B) Everything works out in the end. I was able to find help when I needed it, and most of the puppies went to their forever homes the morning of the circus.
Kyla,
Thank you for all you do for the dogs! I don’t know how you do it!
Yep – I know exactly what you mean. Just because you COULD have more animals doesn’t mean you SHOULD. We could have another dog but Gus really needs to be “only dog” so we chose to be responsible and make sure we take care of him. It’s hard but it wouldn’t be fair to another dog or Gus if we adopted another.
Yeah. Ace seems to like being an only dog, too. I definitely push it by fostering dogs. Ace likes to be the center of my world (he’s spoiled).
He loves when other dogs come over to visit for a few days if we pet sit or if a friend’s dog visits for a few hours. However, he usually “pouts” when I have a foster dog. He can tell something is different with them, like they’re going to stay longer or that there is no owner attached to them or I treat them differently or something. Since Cosmo pretty much keeps to himself, Ace doesn’t seem to mind having him around.
I completely agree. The other week I ended up with 4 animals in my apartment: my 2 cats, my foster dog, and I was babysitting my friend’s golden retriever. Within a few days it became clear that the animals were not getting to attention they needed. One cat became extremely needy, the other one wanted constant company (and she NEVER wants company), the golden was moping because she was used to being the only animal and doesn’t have an owner who’s attention was divided amongst 4 animals and a boyfriend. Needless to say, 3 is my limit. Two cats and the occasional foster sounds perfect to me
Yeah it gets overwhelming at times. When there are too many animals, it’s stressful for everyone involved – the humans, the cats and the dogs!
I love your post this week!!! We have our two and I have thought about fostering for our local pound but am worried because our two sometimes don’t get the time I think they need from me! With two horses at different barns and two dogs with the occasional house sitting job its hard enough! It is always good to know your limits and to stick to them! I could easily have too many dogs but thankfully have a sane person in the house to tell me no. This past weekend was kind of fun, my fiance had to work out of town and took his dog so it was just us Girls this weekend! It’s amazing how different they are when they are apart from each other with their person, but last night they were cuddled up on the couch together, telling each other what they got to do this past weekend.
I also have a fiance who reminds me we already have too many animals in the house. Without him, I would easily keep adopting more!
Before I moved in with my human, she used to do some voluntary work every week at a dog shelter. But then after she realised just how much exercise and attention I need every day she had to give that up. There is no way she would have the time to look after a rescue dog as well (although I’d love a friend!)
Luckily, you can support charities and rescue dogs in other ways too, I try and support their campaigns on Facebook whenever I can for example.
Yes, there are unlimited ways to help rescues and shelters through volunteering at all of their fundraising and adoption events; donating food or pet supplies; exercising, training or socializing the animals; or donating money.
thanks for this gentle reminder. i have one foster spot in addition to my own dog’s spot in my home, but i’m about to start having more space and time after we move. it’s going to be important to think about everybody’s needs and my own sanity rather than succumbing to the self-imposed pressure to foster more dogs just because i theoretically could.
great thinking and great writing!
Thanks for stopping by. I love your blog and will be visiting often!