Okay so I got my first foster dog yesterday, she's a wonderful sweet perfect black lab and I am completely in love with her... I had a feeling I'd be very attached, however I didn't realize that the thought of her leaving my house literally turns my stomach....

has anyone adopted their foster? I will continue to foster so it's not a matter of there now being no room in my home to continue to foster... but I am seriously considering adopting her... has anyone else done this?

Oh... and I'm not a total tease.... here's her picture: http://photos-f-2.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs207.snc1/7425_1236365835288_1413500090_30664069_3859126_n.j pg

I have no advice but its those eyes, id fall in love her too

I think if you search the phrase foster failure on the board you'll find plenty of company! She's beautiful.

There are a lot of foster failures around these parts! Congratulations ;)

I'm one!

I did pretty well through my first several fosters. I cried when they left, but it was the right decision. My last fosters were a bonded senior pair and I totally failed at the fostering and totally succeeded at the adopting:D

I knew within the first 30 minutes that they were never leaving my home, just took me about three weeks to accept that fact.

It's not a bad thing at all to fail. And since it sounds like you can continue fostering, it's a wonderful and special thing. That was my only negative. Three dogs is my limit and I'm there, but I am still sure I did the right thing.

Congratulations (it sounds like) and join the ever-growing club!

Yaay!~ I'm so happy to be a proud part of the "foster failure" club!!! I actually knew on sight that I was falling in love, but when introduced to my mother who lives with us, my brother who's staying with us who went from being anti dog to wanting to go home and adopt a dog lol (key word: adopt!) and the way she interacts with my kids and my dogs.... but the clinker is my husband actually LOVES her:)

She's a beautiful beautiful girl!!! We are going to call her "Lovey" (but if you ask my 5 year old she's "Lovey Ladybug Tinkerbell Jitterbug!!"

Thanks for the welcome into your "club"... I'm so happy!~

hi

Although not a foster, the same thing happened to me. It took less than 5 minutes when Portion looked into my eyes and that was it, she was family. Some are just that way.
Congratulations on being a foster failure. Especially since you still have room to also foster.
She's a beauty.

I'm not a foster either but I did take Chad in before he ended up at the animal shelter and that was over 7 years ago! :D

YES! I fell totally in love with my first foster Freeman. He was SUCH a sweetie and just a wonderful dog. Luckily, I was able to get him adopted out to a family member.

What a great club to belong to. Lovey Ladybug Tinkerbell Jitterbug surely is a beauty.

I would have to say that I belong to that club also. But as a rescue owner we have most of the dogs inside the house, around 20 (yes I wrote 20 of big bouncing, chewing, into everything labs) and some can grab your heart.

Mike and I take in many that no one else wants because they have mange and hit by cars and to old.

My first love was a beautiful chocolate lab who was brought to us by his owners because they had just moved to Indiana looking for work. They only wanted us to keep Camass until they could find a place to live. But they never came back for him. He was the most sweetest boy I had ever met and I feel head over heels in love with the guy. We were always together, even when we went to sleep at night, he was right at my side.

Then that day came that a couple came to look at him. I had to make that hard decision was I going to keep him or let him go.

First thought I would find something in their application but it was good as gold. Then I thought when I done the home visit I would find something wrong their that we could turn them down. Nope not a thing - they were perfect for Camass. I cried all the way from Kentucky back home in Indiana for I had just let go of one special guy.

Now three years later they have become close friends with us and also a foster to many of our labs. So I get to see Camass all the time. Ellen also sends us pictures of Camass all the time.

Then came Alex from AL last summer and then Ranger this year. Both were small male lab mixes and both had mange all over their tiny bodies. My heart belonged to Ranger and his to me. I cried when I had to let Ranger go.

But I also had to tell myself that if I kept Ranger another sweet dog somewhere would die because we just didn't have room for them now. I still miss Ranger so much and always will for he was my "little man". But he also has a very good mommy now that loves him dearly.

Man, can they wrap their tails around your heart and place duck tape on the ends. And then when you try to let them go a piece of you goes right along with them, that leaves a hole in your heart.

I guess that is what it's all about. But someone sure forgot to tell us about that part or the writing was so very small we hardly could see it when we started our rescue.

But the love in others eyes or the letters we receive from the new owners telling us how "perfect" the dog that they adopted from us - well that can take the tears away and makes the heart sing. Then we know that all those tears were not just empty selfish tears. They made someone's heart sing.

My foster failure is in my siggie ; )
Congrats!

Oh-oh, you folks have me really nervous now. The rescue we're getting just went to his foster home and after reading your stories - I'm hoping the foster family doesn't fall in love with him so much that they won't release him after he's had all his vetting done :(

We'll be absolutely devastated.

If Marley had been spoken for I would never have done this... I'm sure you'll be fine:) When are you getting him?

If Marley had been spoken for I would never have done this... I'm sure you'll be fine:) When are you getting him?

As far as I know, it should be the end of October. He just arrived through rescue and went into a foster home right away and needs to be neutered, shots updated and so forth before we can "officially" adopt him. We were approved by rescue and the rescue took him in because we wanted to adopt this guy sight unseen, so this pup is supposed to be for us =)

We haven't gotten any pics of him and haven't met him in person. The rescue wants to wait until he settles in a bit at the foster home before we meet him. We're supposed to go next weekend. This is going to be the longest week of waiting, but we are totally looking forward to seeing the pup.

I guess we're just nervous that the foster family could fall in love with the pup (the foster home has kids) and decide to keep him. Are we just being paranoid?

Welcome to the club!
We've only fostered one animal - a cat - named Mew.
She's still here....three (or four?) years later!

Sweetlabs - don't worry - if the dog went into foster already spoken for, I'm sure the foster parents will more consider it a babysitting job from the get go. You should be fine! And good luck with your new addition!

yes, it is SO hard to let some of these guys go!!

I recently adopted out a dane that I would have kept in a heartbeat..if I had a place of my own... but he has a great family, i still miss him though!!

My favorite foster of all time though was a black lab named arlo, dumped at the local pound, adopted, abused, then on his way back to the pound, he ended up with me..i wish I knew where he was today, he ended up going to a lab rescue, and I haven't heard an update on him in over a year..i wish I had just put my foot down & told my family "ARLO IS STAYING" OVER a year later, I still cry about how much I miss that big guy!!

We are VERY proud foster failures.

We fostered for 16 months before we adopted one. And we helped SO many dogs in that time.