[Clyde_Dexter]

I completely understand where you are coming from right now. I have fostered five dogs in the past three years, and I must say that, emotionally, it is a very difficult process.
And every single dog that came into my home I developed some sort of attachment to (except for one, but that is a long story). Which made it extremely difficult to give them up when the time came.

Bella was the first dog to come into my home. She was a Scottish terrier. I developed a very similar attachment that it sounds like you have developed with your foster. When the time came to let her go I went kind of numb about the situation for awhile, but when it finally hit me that I had lost her it struck me hard. I'd let such a precious dog go from my life, but for what reason?

Like your situation, Bella was not suited for my life. I really wanted to keep her, but something in my mind kept listing the reasons why it wouldn't work out. And nothing would have changed those reasons. there was nothing wrong with Bella. SHE WAS THE EPITOME of the perfect dog, but it was very apparent to me that it wouldn't really work if I did keep her. I was given time to consider whether or not I wanted to keep her before she would be adopted out. I had her in my home with me for eleven months. And in those eleven months I kept trying to fit her into my life, but she really was not well suited for my life style at all. In the end I decided to let her go to a new home. I used to miss her everyday single day.. and when she left I always had this feeling like something was missing from my life. Having said all of that, though ...... if I had the situation to do over, I would make the same exact choice. Bella went to a FANTASTIC home that had Scottish terrier experience. She travels the country with her owners and she is spoiled rotten. She has made such a huge difference in her new owners life. They fell madly in love with her and they said she brought so much spark back into their life. On top of that, I would have NEVER gotten Dexter (my second yorkie) if I had kept Bella. When I brought Dexter home I finally lost that feeling that something from my life was "missing". Dexter and Clyde are 100% the dogs for me. I couldn't imagine my life without them. With Bella, though.. it was almost as if I couldn't imagine my life with her, no matter how much I wanted to (because she wasn't suited for my lifestyle).

Sometimes letting a dog go is the hardest decision you will ever have to make. It will hurt and you will definitely be heart broken. There will be a lot of regret. That is just the burden foster dog mommies and daddies have to bear. But sometimes that decision is for the best. It will open up your heart and home to another dog in need or for a new permanent family member that is more suited to your life to come in.


What I recommend, if you choose to adopt her out, is become apart of her adoption process. Ask the rescue if you can help interview people, and search for people who are looking for that breed of dog. Being apart of Bella's adoption process really helped me cope with giving her up... because if you know the home she is going to and the life style that she was going to live, it would let you know that she was going to be living in a safe place where you know she would be taken care of. I also recommend adopting her out to people that would be willing to keep in touch.

I'm not saying that you should make the choice to give her up. I don't know your exact situation, so you might be able to adjust your life style to accommodate keeping her ... You will know in your heart and mind when the time comes if you should let her go or not.

Best of luck with the situation. If you ever want to talk about the difficulties that come along with being a foster dog parent feel free to send me a PM or something! Hope I helped a little. I just thought it might help hearing the outcome of another similar story.

-Sarah, Clyde, and Dexter