Gelato’s Rescue Story | Life with Snow Dogs

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I started fostering Gelato as a last-minute rescue for Arctic Rescue in Utah, and he was a lovely, chaotic adventure. After 3 weeks of living with us we found a perfect family for him and he was adopted, so here’s Gelato’s journey to his forever home…

When we picked up Gelato, I was instantly in love. He was a scared, quiet, and gorgeous little furball. He was very much a puppy, but only weighed about 20lbs because he was husky/pomeranian mix- so he would stay pretty small his whole life.

I brought him home and gave him some quiet time to decompress. He stayed in my office while I worked, away from my other dogs. After a few hours, he started feeling a bit more comfortable and started exploring. He could hear Leo & Graham downstairs, but I never like to rush introductions so we decided to wait til the next day to introduce them.

Although puppies are adorable, they are not my top favorite to foster because they have a huge need to chew, need potty training, and have lots to learn. Gelato turned out to be exactly that- during his first day he ended up destroying a toy and having ~3 potty accidents while he learned the routine. 

Yes, but we set them up to have the best possible chance to! Dogs all have varying reactions to bringing in a new dog into their house, but I would always recommend on using a slow introduction! 

Here is how we introduce new dogs to our home:

1. Take them on a walk outside. We start off walking in a random street not near our house on opposite sidewalks. They notice there is another dog there, and we walk together.

2. Let them walk side by side on a walk together. This way they can sniff & get used to being around each other in a fun activity.

3. Inside the house, separate with a baby gate. This gives them a chance to sniff each other and get used to having the new dog in the house, but being able to have their own space still.

4. Short, supervised & positive interactions with NO toys or treats. The next step is allowing them to play together once they’re used to being calm around each other. I do no toys or treats because I don’t want any of the dogs to worry about resource guarding. These play sessions are always supervised by me & last only a couple minutes so they can have fun together and remember it as a positive interaction.

5. Longer & more frequent play sessions.

Keep in mind we spread out the above steps over days and weeks if needed. We wait until each dog is ready & comfortable to avoid any negative interactions as those tend to have more lasting impacts.

I’d also highly recommend talking to your rescue or dog trainer to go over more specific behaviors & intros with your pups.

After doing a slow introduction, Gelato got along the best with Leo. They loved to wrestle together and play, it made it that much harder to get ready to say goodbye when he got an adopttion application.

A couple of weeks into fostering Gelato, I had to go on a weekend trip I had previously planned. We were able to find a temporary foster for the weekend and they were hoping to adopt. It seemed to line up perfectly so Gelato could find his perfect home. However, it didn’t end up working out and he came back to me after the weekend.

When he came back, we had a neuter appointment scheduled that would finally make him adoptable.

Gelato ended up with a record-high number of adoption applications. The Arctic Rescue applications team processed them until they found the perfect one. I got to speak to them to tell them a bit more about Gelato and the familly seemed perfect. We met at a park and they hit it off instantly. He now lives with his very own full-size husky sibling and two human parents that love to adventure with the dogs. I couldn’t have imagined a better life for him!

Reach out to your local county or city dog shelter and ask them if they have a foster program. If they don’t, or if you’re looking for a breed-specific rescue, google your hometown or state and the breed + rescue. If you’re looking for an arctic breed/husky rescue, let me know and I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction as well.

If you’re in Utah, I also highly recommend Arctic Rescue and I’m a volunteer there as well!

How long do the foster dogs stay with you?

Generally, until the dog you’re fostering stays with you until they get adopted! However, this can vary in time. With my foster dogs I’ve had some adopted as quickly as 11 days, and our longest was a month and a half. Posting photos and videos of them on social media, taking them out on walks & hikes helps get them exposure to help find their forever family!

Also- I know there are some shelters that will allow you to foster for a weekend or shorter amounts of time just to help get dogs out of the shelter, so I would ask your local rescue/shelter!

Can you adopt them if you end up loving & wanting to keep them?

Yes! If you fall in love with your foster dog, you can reach out to your rescue/shelter and ask to apply to adopt them! This is a great way of getting to know a dog and introducing them to your home to see if it’s a good fit as well.

Can I foster in an apartment/townhouse/without having a backyard?

It depends! The biggest thing is making sure the dog is set up for success. If you can provide enough daily exercise for huskies, this is even better than a backyard. The 2 things I would suggest you remember are:

1. Huskies can be LOUD if they have separation anxiety. Make sure you check with your neighbors if you think the noise will carry.

2. Daily exercise = more than a walk. Remember these dogs were bred to pull sleds for miles, so a couple short works around the block is generally not going to be enough exercise for them!

Additional questions about fostering huskies?

Let me know in the comments or send me a DM on Instagram @LifewithSnowDogs if you think of more questions!

I also have a YouTube video if you want to watch Gelato’s full vlog.

Thanks & get ready for an awesome adventure if you decide to foster a husky!