A Foster Dog Named Ken

On finding a very good boy his forever home.

Aug 30, 2023

Happy Wednesday my friends!

I’m half asleep as I type this – it’s been a whirlwind week to say the least. We were on vacation all last week, and coming back to work is always a struggle after being off in the mountains for awhile. But I guess I decided that wasn’t enough of a transition, because on Saturday afternoon I got an email about a dog named Ken who needed a foster family.

I showed Jacob the photo. “Should we foster Ken?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said without a second thought. “When do we pick him up?”

The only catch was that we had to pick him up that evening, with little to no time to prepare. Because it was a last minute foster, the organization didn’t have a ton of extra crates on hand. I immediately wrote into our local dog group chat and luckily a guy down the block said we could borrow his crate.

So we prepared what we could – we cleared Simon’s favorite toys, thawed some extra food. And then at 5pm we headed into Manhattan in 90 degree weather, sweating profusely the entire time.

We anxiously waited as everyone else was placed with their new foster dogs – dogs ranging from huge St. Bernard mixes to the tiniest Chihuahua’s you’ve ever seen. Finally, towards the end, they pulled out a medium sized cattle dog mix. I immediately recognized him from his photo.

“Is this Ken?” I asked. The rescue staff smiled and handed his leash over to me. It took all of three seconds for Ken to be in my arms, hugging me as if he’d known me his entire life, a cattle dog through and through.

And thus, our whole week has been about Ken! This is the first dog I’ve fostered since adopting Simon, so it’s been a totally new experience for me. Simon was an incredible foster brother with all the patience in the world, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t come with its challenges.

Aside from caring for a crazy cattle dog puppy (which is NOT for the faint of heart, let me tell you) I think the hardest part of this week was having practically no one-on-one time with Simon. Simon is pretty independent by nature, but Ken definitely took up a lot of our time and attention. I’m very excited to find Ken his perfect forever home, and I’m very excited to be alone with my boy again soon.

FOSTER Q&A

I put a question box on our Instagram the other day for people to ask any and all questions about fostering, so I wanted to answer a few below!

Can you keep him? He seems like such a perfect fit!
Technically, yes. For most rescue organizations, the foster always gets first dibs on adopting the dog if you happen to fall in love. That’s what happened with me and Simon! However, we’re not in the position to adopt right now – for one, we JUST got back into fostering and are so excited to continue helping dogs – but the bigger reason is that our life just isn’t compatible for two dogs right now. Our apartment is really small, and we don’t have a car to transport two dogs if we needed to. Also, as we all know, Simon is medically complex and the idea of potentially paying for two dog’s medical bills gives me way too much anxiety. Right now fostering is the perfect option for us. Plus, shelters NEED fosters now more than ever!
How much do you stress about the introduction with Simon?

A tiny bit, but honestly not really. Simon is so good with all dogs, and he’s totally fine having dogs come in and out of his space. Like I said before, Simon is extremely independent and has no issue sharing his toys, food, parents, etc. My biggest worry was how Ken would react to Simon – we had hardly any information about him, so we really had no idea how he did with other dogs. Luckily, they both did great! We introduced them outside on leashes and in a neutral territory before walking around the block so they could get to know each other. Afterwards we brought them in the backyard and kept Ken’s leash on just in case we had to redirect him. It took no time at all for these two to start playing and having fun together!
Can you limit the range of time and request what kind of dog you want to foster?

In short, yes. Most fosters have a minimum requirement of time that you have to foster the dog (1-2 weeks) but you can always tell them the amount of time you’re willing to offer and see if they can arrange for another foster to take over after you’re done. You can also specify what kind of dog you prefer (puppy, senior, big, small) and they will attempt to match you with the perfect dog. Of course, it’s not a perfect system – these are foster dogs, not build-a-bear workshop – but the rescue staff and volunteers do such a good job coordinating and making everyone happy.
Before Simon, did you have to tell your landlord that you were fostering?

Nope! I lived in dog friendly buildings so I just did it without telling anyone. But don’t take my word for it – every landlord is different, and you probably know if your landlord is an asshole and will care if you have a dog in your apartment. All of my landlords have been pretty hands off as long as I pay my rent on time, and my landlord now LOVES dogs. She has four Cocker Spaniels!
Do you worry about Simon getting attached?

I don’t! I know you guys see videos of Simon with Ken and automatically think, 'they love each other, it would be mean to separate them’, but you also have to remember that Simon loves every single dog he meets. He’s totally fine spending a few days with another dog, but also very happy once they leave and he can get some peace and quiet again. One day Simon will be thrilled to get a dog sibling, but until then I think he really enjoys getting a new friend every few weeks.
Do you think it’s possible to foster if I go into the office 3x a week?

I do, but only if you’re willing to find a friend or dog walker to come and take the dog out during the day. Most rescues ask that you take the dog out every 3-5 hours, and more often if you’re fostering a puppy. I would suggest fostering older dogs who are more likely to be potty trained and don’t need as much time and attention!
What’s the application process like?

It’s different for every rescue! Some just ask that you fill out an application online, some require you to do a “house tour” to make sure you have suitable living conditions, and some make you come in for an orientation to make sure you learn the process. I’m an approved foster for several rescues, so I’m able to take in a dog from any of those organizations at a moments notice.
Our dog is a little stranger reactive – would that prevent us from being allowed to foster?

No! There are so many people who foster with their reactive dogs, you just need to know how to properly introduce them and know how to navigate it smoothly. There are plenty of resources with more information on this, and the staff at the rescue should be able to assist as well.
Tips for someone who wants to foster but is scared of the goodbye?

I totally understand this fear! But I really hope it doesn’t keep people from fostering. It’s true – you fall in love with every foster, some more than others, and the goodbye is always hard. But trust me when I say, it’s SO rewarding. There is truly no feeling like knowing you helped a dog find a family who will love them and take care of them for the next 10-15+ years. YOU played such a huge part in providing so much happiness, both for the family and for the dog. Plus, I’ve kept in touch with almost all of my previous fosters so it doesn’t necessarily have to be a goodbye, just a see you later :)
Do you get a say in what family Ken goes to?

Ultimately the rescue will pair the dog with the owner they think best fits the dog’s needs, but I’m sure my opinion is taken into consideration. Actually… I’m sharing this with you guys because this is our little secret club, but Ken actually had a meeting with his potential new mom this morning. I won’t give anything away, but she’s one of our followers who fell in love with him because of our Instagram stories! We had been chatting ever since I brought him home, and I couldn’t be more excited that we connected. More on that soon!

Fresh off the Press

What I’m reading: I started book 4 (or book 3.5?) of the ACOTAR series. I know this book isn’t considered a full book but rather a novella, and I’m curious to see what the point of it is. I’m enjoying the read, but right now it kind of just seems like a lot of Feyre roaming around the arts district and thinking about potentially painting again. I don’t know how I feel about the switching of perspectives at every chapter, but again, I’m just along for the ride. At least I can expect some more faerie sex now that they’re not at war!

What I’m watching: I watched all nine episodes of the new Ultimatum season in about two days, and MY GOD, WHAT A MESS. Nearly every single person on this show is toxic and unlikeable, and yet… I can’t stop watching. Will Roxanne ever shut up about how much she works? Will Alex ever stop being a condescending jerk? Will Antonio realize his girlfriend hates him? Will Riah admit she hates having sex with Trey? Will James accept the fact that he needs to go to therapy and stop trauma dumping on his girlfriend? Will Kat ever say more than ‘yeah’? Will Ryann realize that she doesn’t need to marry her high school sweetheart? I cannot WAIT to find out.

That’s all from us this week! If you missed it, check out all of our foster videos on our TikTok page HERE. We just posted a video about Simon getting poop stuck in his butt, so there’s some exhilarating content being created over there!

Love you all! xo

Dogs & the City

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