u/Altruistic_Shock7761

Has anyone done match-based adoption with a hospice dog? How long does it usually take?

Quick backstory: My husband and I have been fostering a Frenchie with right-sided heart failure, heartworms, and Chagas disease, for almost a month now. She was abandoned in rough shape, but she’s been improving so much and we absolutely love her.

We just found out the rescue is going to search for her forever home through match-based adoption. We’re supportive of that and we want what’s best for her. But I’m honestly not sure what to expect.

Has anyone had experience with match-based adoptions, especially for medical/hospice dogs? How long does it typically take? Is it harder to find matches for dogs with complex medical needs? Are there things that made the process smoother or more difficult?

And real talk: if a match doesn’t come through, my husband and I are already her forever family. We’re prepared to be in it for the long haul with her, however long that is. But we also want to respect the rescue’s process and see if there’s someone out there looking for exactly what she needs.

Any experiences or advice? I’d love to hear what others have gone through with this!

reddit.com
u/Altruistic_Shock7761 — 4 days ago

Anyone have experience with hospice foster? Struggling with the emotional side 😔

My husband and I are relatively new to fostering; she is our second dog (our first was about a year ago), and honestly, this experience is hitting us differently...

We're fostering a sweet 6-year-old Frenchie who was abandoned in the valley. When she arrived with us, she'd already had 2 liters of fluid drained from her tummy. Through ultrasound, we discovered she has right-sided heart failure. Then we found out she also has heartworms and Chagas disease.

The good news: She's been with us for a little over two weeks and she's doing so much better. Watching her improve and feel loved has been incredible.

But here's where I'm struggling: This feels different from traditional fostering because we won't see her full journey to a forever family. She is our forever family now, and while my husband and I are genuinely happy and honored to give her the best life possible in the time she has, it's a different emotional weight. We love her so much already, and knowing there's a timeline we can't change is harder than I expected.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's fostered a hospice dog; how did you process the harder moments? How did you balance the joy with the sadness? Any advice for making peace with this kind of foster experience?

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom. ❤️

u/Altruistic_Shock7761 — 17 days ago