Foster Carer Reduced to Tears After Discovering Who Dog Has Been Adopted By

A foster carer was reduced to tears after discovering the identity of the person adopting the dog she had been looking after.

Danielle Ault had been caring for Fabian, who is a mix of Siberian husky, American pit bull terrier, rottweiler and Labrador retriever, for six weeks when she finally got the call from the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino in California confirming he had been adopted.

During that time, Ault and her family had grown attached to Fabian and were understandably hesitant to say goodbye. However, everything changed the moment she reviewed the application and realized who had applied to give Fabian the forever home he so desperately deserved.

Foster carers make a huge difference to the lives of shelter dogs. A 2018 study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science concluded just 15 minutes of petting was enough to provide a shelter dog with a much needed boost to their mental well being.

If that's what just 15 minutes provides, you can imagine the benefits an extended stay in a home with a human can offer. Becca Edwards, dog kennel manager at the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino, believes fostering is "crucial" to their work in rehoming dogs.

"It reduces the risk of disease especially in young puppies and reduces the stress of living in a kennel environment," Edwards told Newsweek. "It also creates more kennel space onsite allowing us to increase the amount of animals we can help each year and reduces the workload for our staff, allowing us to provide more attention and care to the animals that are living onsite."

Foster carers also gain a unique insight into how a particular rescue dog works. "The information we learn about the animals while in a home setting is crucial to helping us find them forever homes," Edwards added. "Foster families also expose their foster animals to new opportunities and fans who support them on their journey to a forever home or in many cases adopt them!"

Fabian wouldn't be where he is today without the efforts of Ault. She began fostering him back in July. A week or so later, her parents came to visit from Idaho and met Fabian for the first time. The rescue dog's stay with the Aults could not have gone much better.

"He's such a cool dude, an old soul, and demonstrated his chill behavior after only a week of being in our home, with a house full of people, not even two weeks removed from the wild," Ault told Newsweek.

But even better was to come. When it came time to hand Fabian back, Ault was invited to review his adoption application. It was then that she discovered, to her joy, that he had been adopted by her mom.

That moment of realization was captured on camera by the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino with Ault shown breaking down in tears after finding out the news.

While it was a surprise, it was something she had previously discussed with her mom. "My mom wanted to adopt him then but I poo pooed the idea as she already had her hands full taking care of her elderly dog," she said.

However, when her mom's beloved canine passed away, Ault once again mentioned the possibility of her taking on Fabian, who was still in her care.
"I didn't want to pressure my Mom but I had to say it, I couldn't help it," she said. "Maybe there was a reason we still had such an awesome dog after so much time."

Part of the reason was that Ault was so convinced they were the perfect match. She recalled posting appeals for adopters to come forward on social media, explaining that Fabian needed to be "outdoorsy" as she "pictured him sitting next to his person on the deck in the morning for coffee and then again to watch the sun go down. "

One day, a lightbulb went off in her head. "It occurred to me that my description of Fabian was similar to how I would describe my Mom, outside from sunup to sundown, very outdoorsy, and even an avid rock collector," she said.

Ault had been planning on surprising her mom by traveling to Idaho, where she lives, to pay her a visit and bring Fabian along. However, unbeknownst to her, her mom had already put the wheels in motion to adopt the much-loved rescue dog.
Having been dreading the idea of having to say goodbye, Ault is delighted to know that not only has Fabian, now renamed Stan, found a home, but she'll also be able to keep tabs on him and pay him a few visits too.

"We are incredibly fortunate to watch him grow while being connected to him forever," Ault said. "He's a ranch dog now, has his own special spot in the pickup, goes camping, shopping, and on all kinds of road trips. He is a good boy with a great heart and he deserves the life he has."

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