My First Foster Husky Experience

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Meet my first two foster pups! I saw Nala & Sarabi at a shelter where they only had 2 DAYS LEFT before being euthanized 🙈

The timing was a bit stressful because I had my wedding in a week, but I knew I had to do something to help these two pups! I had been following a rescue on Instagram, so I called them up and was able to bring these 2 girls in until they find their forever homes. If you’ve ever been curious about fostering, here’s how my first foster husky experience went!

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into with fostering a dog- much less 2! Luckily, the rescue I worked with was pretty helpful in going through the expectations of what they would provide vs what I would provide. These vary by rescue/shelter fostering program, but as I’ve looked into other programs they are pretty similar:
What I provided:

– A safe & loving home for the dogs to stay until they found their new homes

– Driving them to their spay appointment

– Daily exercise

What the rescue took care of:

– Food (we bought it and they reimbursed us)

– Crates/Kennels (they were able to get us high-anxiety crates as they weren’t sure they would be crate-trained so these were great to ensure their safety)

– Approved Vet Care (they were already given their shots, but needed their spay appointments done which were 100% covered for us)

The awesome rescue I was able to work with to foster these huskies in Utah was Arctic Rescue. They rescue Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and other Arctic Breeds around Utah and the West.

Yes and no. At the time I had 2 of my own dogs- Bliss (aussiedoodle) and Leo (husky). Different dogs will have varying reactions to bringing in a new dog into their house, but I would always recommend on using a slow introduction! When we brought in Nala & Sarabi (our foster huskies) to meet my own dogs for their first time- I don’t think we went slow enough and it led to my husky snapping at one of the dogs and having a small altercation over treats that were left out once. 

Here is how we introduce new dogs to our home now:

1. Take them on a walk outside of the house together. 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!

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. Nala was adopted in about 3 weeks. Sarabi was adopted in a month and a half. Since them, we had another foster dog named Logan and he was adopted in under 2 weeks! I’ve also heard of others being adopted after a few months.

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 see what our first husky foster experience was like!

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