Why I Foster: Meet Stephen
Stephen's fostering journey began with a dog named Will and has grown into a passion for helping some of Houston Humane Society's most vulnerable animals. Over the years, he has opened his home to senior dogs and dogs recovering from difficult pasts, giving them the patience, love, and stability they need to thrive. In this Q&A, Stephen shares what fostering means to him, the lessons he's learned along the way, and why he continues to say "yes" to animals in need.
1. What made you decide to foster for the first time, and do you remember how you felt the moment your first foster animal arrived home? We lost Cane (a male Schipperke) about a month before seeing a posting on the Houston Humane Society website for a Schipperke at the shelter. At that time, my then wife did not want another dog, but I did very much. I looked into fostering and I went in to meet the little girl, Roxy. She had a kennel mate named Will. Well, long story short, I did not get to foster Roxy, she got adopted. But I did foster Will. Will was a foster ‘fail’ and he has been the best thing in my life for some time now.
2. Was there a specific animal — or a moment — that made you realize fostering was something you were meant to do? Fostering Will led me down the fostering path because he was such a special case. He needed a lot of patience and understanding. Knowing this, I have worked with older dogs that had been traumatized from mistreatment. They require a lot of understanding and time. Working to find a “furever” home can be difficult and time consuming. I have had a few dogs for several months to almost a year before they move to their furever home.
3. What does fostering mean to you personally? It means loving a new dog as much as the two that I have committed to, but knowing that someday they will be leaving me for that final home. It is both joyful and painful, but it is the best thing for them. I miss all of the many dogs that I have had the honor of fostering.
4. How do the animals you foster seem to change between day one and the day they go to their forever home? Most of the dogs I foster are either seniors or have had some trauma in their lives. They require a lot of patience and a quiet environment to recover or start to trust someone. I have had some dogs for several weeks or months that slowly come out of their shell and start wanting attention and will ask for it. The changes are hard to see from day to day, but we notice them when we go back to the Houston Humane Society for a vet visit or a meet-and-greet event.
5. How do you think the animals you've fostered have changed you as a person? I’m becoming more patient. A lot of the dogs I foster are senior dogs that have been abused, and they require a lot of patience and love.
6. What keeps you coming back to foster again and again? Well, more than likely it’s because I like dogs more than most people. Dogs are honest and once they trust you, they will never not love you.
7. What's the most meaningful thing an animal has ever "told" you without words? That they trust me. Dogs that don’t initially accept affection keep their distance, then one day walk up to you, lay down, and ask you to touch them. You become their world, then you have to let them go to a new forever family. At that moment you see it in their eyes, they know what you did for them.
8. How does your household — family, kids, other pets — respond when a new foster comes through the door? Well, I have two dogs that are my family and both are quite different from each other. Biscuit loves every dog she meets and wants to play, while Will, on the other hand, is very indifferent. Will is the special one. He came from a hoarding situation and still shows those scars. Sometimes I catch him playing with the other dogs, but mostly he is the protector, watching over, especially the puppies.
9. What does giving an animal a safe, loving temporary home actually do for them — in your experience? Shelter life is very hard on social animals. They can feel isolated from people, which I believe does not help them find a furever home. They need the social interaction we as humans provide, and a quiet, safe space where they can relax and decompress from the noise.
10. Have you ever received an update from an adopter that made your whole day? What happened? I hear from a lot of the adoptive families in the initial few months. They tell me how the dog is doing and how well they are fitting into family life. There are a few that I hear from year to year. I also dog sit for one or two every so often.
11. How does it feel to see a foster animal find their forever home? I have mixed emotions. You get attached to some dogs more than others, mainly because they are with you for several months. Some have been with me for more than six months. Some pass through in a few days or a few weeks. When I can find that furever home for an animal that I have spent so much time and effort getting to the point that they finally find the perfect home, it is an incredible feeling of joy, but also sadness. Knowing that I may never see them again can be very painful, but I know that I cannot keep and care for every one of them in my home, and they need that furever home.
12. What would you say to someone who's hesitant to foster because they're afraid of getting too attached? Do not be afraid to get attached, be afraid that you will not. Some dogs need everything you can give them, and every one of them deserves everything you can give them. Life has a lot of highs and a lot of lows, but fostering has so many more highs and I love that I have the opportunity for so many dogs to come into my life, as well as helping so many dogs find the love they deserve.
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