Woman Shares Reason She Didn't Adopt Foster Dog She 'Fell In Love With'

Life and Trends Reporter

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A social media video that chronicles how a woman ended up saying goodbye to the foster dog she'd fallen in love with, instead of adopting her, has broken hearts across the internet.

The viral video, which has been viewed more than 2.4 million times since it was first shared to TikTok on December 12, introduced TikTokers to Addie the foster dog and detailed the reasons why her foster mom was unable to go ahead with adopting her.

The video's creator, April Butler, who goes by @winniethecattledog on the social media platform, shared that while she "fell in love with" Addie, if she hadn't let her go at the time she did then she would not have been able to save Ned, who is her current foster dog.

@winniethecattledog
Why I didn’t keep the foster dog I fell in love with ❤️‍? While fostering Addie, there were no shortage of questions and comments from people about keeping her. “Surely you foster fail, she fits in so well” and “How you could you possibly give her up when her and Winnie have bonded so much?”. When people say stuff like this, it reminds me of all of the dogs I’ve had to say goodbye to in order to help the next. The truth is, Winnie and I fell in love with each and every one of these dogs while they were in our care. As hard as it was to say goodbye to Addie, I knew that doing so would allow me to open up our home to save another dog, just like her ? If you’re considering fostering and it’s within your means - do it. With holiday season upon us, the number of puppies and dogs in shelters is overwhelming - not just in Australia, but all over the world. Not only do you directly change a dogs life, but every dog that is safely placed in a foster home takes pressure off rescues and shelters, and creates more space for them to save another dog. Falling in love with your foster dog is normal. Just remember that saying goodbye to that foster dog will allow you to say hello to many more dogs worthy of help in the future ? Follow @winniethecattledog to keep up with the stories of our fosters, tag a friend, and share with someone that fosters or is considering fostering ? Thank you @WeThreePitties for inspiring this video ❤️‍? #fosterdog #fosterdogs #fosterdogsofinstagram #fosteringsaveslives #workingdogs #fosterdogmom
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The viral video traces Butler's fostering journey over the years, and explains how each dog she temporarily saved and rescued enabled her to go on and foster more.

While most animal rescue shelters aim to place dogs in adopted homes, fostering is still of great value and is of huge help in supporting dogs, particularly anxious dogs or victims of abuse, to get used to living in a home with other people or dogs.

The fostering of companion animals is invaluable in helping prepare them for a happy life with their future family. Butler expands on this point in the clip, by sharing that if she hadn't say goodbye to Toohey the dog in May she would never have been able to rehome Addie until October. While her time with each pup has been short, it has been impactful.

Butler wrote in the post's caption: "While fostering Addie, there were no shortage of questions and comments from people about keeping her. "Surely you foster fail, she fits in so well" and "How you could you possibly give her up when her and Winnie have bonded so much?".

"When people say stuff like this, it reminds me of all of the dogs I've had to say goodbye to in order to help the next. The truth is, Winnie and I fell in love with each and every one of these dogs while they were in our care. As hard as it was to say goodbye to Addie, I knew that doing so would allow me to open up our home to save another dog, just like her."

"Falling in love with your foster dog is normal. Just remember that saying goodbye to that foster dog will allow you to say hello to many more dogs worthy of help in the future," she continued.

Dog — A file image of a dog. A viral video of a dog fosterer's journey has broken hearts online. Getty Images

Since it was shared to the social media platform on December 12 by @winniethecattledog, the TikTok post has been liked by over 409,000 users and commented on more than 1,700 times.

One user wrote: "From one foster to another, our hearts break a little, so theirs never have to break again. Thank you for the lives you've saved by fostering".

The TikTok post can be seen here.

Newsweek reached out to @winniethecattledog for more information via TikTok.

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