See Difference in Rescue Dog After One Day in Foster Home: 'True Potential'

A before-and-after picture has shown just how important fostering is for rescue dogs as one pet made an amazing transformation on his first day with a loving foster family.

Four-year-old Remington was discovered by Lynchburg Animal Control Officers in Lynchburg, Virginia, and taken to the nearby Lynchburg Humane Society. But, despite being safe, he was noticeably withdrawn, huddled in his kennel and unresponsive to people passing by.

To try to help him, the staff began what they called "social time" to help Remington build confidence, even sitting with him in their breaks at times. But, despite their best efforts, Remington wasn't handling shelter life well.

It quickly became clear that Remington would do better in a home environment, and the staff set about finding him an appropriate foster placement.

"Remington spent 20 days in the shelter before we found his first foster placement," Claire LeFew from Lynchburg Humane told Newsweek.

"After spending a little over a week in foster, he came back for about a month, and we were able to pair him with dog friends while here, which helped him open up even more. He just hit the 50-day mark of being back in foster and is loving every minute of it," LeFew added.

In two pictures, the team shared the difference between Remington's first night at the shelter, compared to when he had been in a foster home.

Sharing the pictures on Facebook, the shelter staff wrote: "His whole world was flipped upside down and he didn't know where he was or why. Under those levels of stress, a common response is to shut down."

The shelter staff added: "If we wanted to see Remington's true potential, he had to get out of the shelter. Thankfully, we had many willing fosters step up."

From a terrified dog with shut-down body language to a smiling pup curling up in comfort—the foster home has been a world-changing place for Remington.

"Remington's biggest hurdle was learning to trust his human friends," said LeFew. In his foster home, surrounded by the support of other dogs, he has discovered that humans are good, and he is making great strides in overcoming his past fears.

Fostering plays a crucial role in this transformation. LeFew said: "No matter how wonderful the staff and the facility are, a shelter is a stressful environment for any pet." Foster homes provide a respite from the loud and overstimulating shelter environment, allowing pets to heal and grow, ultimately making them more adoptable.

However, fostering isn't as common as adoption, with fewer people prepared to take on animals for short periods of time.

"Fostering is a labor of love. It takes a special type of person to foster because you're caring for a pet that typically has a special need," said LeFew. "They're also, usually, planning to bring that pet back to be adopted or help find them an adopter, which is extremely rewarding but also hard to say goodbye."

Remington's story is a testament to the impact of fostering, and the shelter staffers hope that his journey from withdrawn and fearful shelter dog to a confident and loving pup serves as inspiration to others.

"We hope that Remington's story will inspire more people to try fostering," said LeFew. "There are so many dogs in shelters that would benefit from even just a short break.

"Remington also teaches us that it's difficult to see a dog's true personality in the shelter environment. Oftentimes that shy or fearful dog just needs someone to take a chance on them and show them love to open up," she added.

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