Don't be spooked from fostering a dog
Have you wanted to foster a dog but you're afraid? Are you afraid you will automatically adopt your foster dog, and you're not sure yet if you are ready for a dog?
For me, fostering a dog could have been a valuable boot camp experience. A few months ago, I wrote some of my thoughts about how lucky we have been with Cleo, and how fostering might have helped me.
Transformation. The experience of fostering a dog can transform you, so you will always want to foster. Why would you want to cut off the tide of dogs, you might save otherwise by adopting every dog you foster? Many foster parents have pets already. They would not dream of adopting another dog, because then that available spot they have would be filled. People who foster feel it is their duty, their responsibility, to keep this space in their life and home open to a needy animal.
You also meet other foster people, and you see how fostering can be part of the education process of having a dog.
Yes, you can! Enjoy the positive rewards of a dog without the responsibility, because you know as a foster it is temporary. Also, being a regular foster with a rescue or shelter, you can work with them on a schedule, and take a breather when you need one.
By not being afraid to foster a dog, you make a difference in more lives than if you adopted. Your observation of behavior and other issues that might not be apparent in a kennel makes a difference.
Don't be spooked - Your willingness to socialize the dog until they get adopted, helps the dog know that they are loved, until they find their forever home.