Pup foster pawrent surprised when dog gets called back to be reunited with original family even though dog was owner surrender, says: ‘Someone visiting the shelter recognized her photo on the available dogs listing and knew her original original family.’

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Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Feb 23, 2026 11:00 AM EST

If you thought that fostering a doggo was as straight forward as playing with a pupper until they are adopted, then this story will open your eyes to some of the eye opening events that can happen when taking on a foster dog.

It is a matter of fact, there is no telling what might happen when you bring a foster dog into your family. Of course the hope is that they settle in and you have a grand time together until the dog is adopted or even better you fall in love with the dog and adopt it yourself.

But life is not as simple as that most of the time and when it comes to dogs who have been abandoned, mistreated or who have mysterious backgrounds, you never know how they are going to handle being in your home. An unfamiliar space, with unfamiliar smells, sights and people to discombobulate the poor pupper. And the tale of doggo fostering that we have lined up for you today is a pawfect example of just how difficult, random and confusing these situations can become. So settle in and hold onto your hat because this is a bit of a wild one. 
 

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  • 01
    "And her real name... Daisy. No wonder she didn't come when called, Askah."
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  • 02
    the Prince William County VA Animal Shelter was renovating their dog runs and was desperately looking for fosters. My
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  • 03
    family had recently lost our Lab-Border Collie mix and my senior Pointer- Spaniel mix was kinda lonely too. We decided to foster a
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    senior dog from the shelter. I brought my dog to the shelter and they got along well, so we brought the new
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    dog home. We were told that she was an owner surrender without any paperwork, the only info they had on her was that her name
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  • 06
    was that her name was "Askah" and that she was turned in by a Middle Eastern family, so she might not listen to commands in English.
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  • Well, well, talk about a tumultuous situation for the get go. How on earth are you meant to handle a dog that does not know any commands in the english language? Other than spending some time to learn the commands in arabic we cannot imagine what other options would be to hand. This is what is so impressive and at the same time demanding about foster pawrenting. You never know what you are going to be up against and yet you still need to deal with it, putting the pupper first in every situation.

  • 07
    A fat lotta good that name did us, she never really responded to her name. We started retraining her on basic house manners
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  • 08
    using the name we'd been given. Other than that, she sat, laid down, was house trained, and was a decently smart, well natured dog... She just didn't
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    come when called by her name. One big rule in my house about the dogs is that the dogs are NOT allowed in the
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    kitchen or dining room while we are cooking and eating. Dogs are allowed in to eat after we're through cleaning up after dinner. This
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    rule was not in Askah's repertoire, as she stood there and drooled over any food you had. Other than that, our dogs were always
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  • See, this is what we mean, you really do not know what you are going to be up against as a foster pawrent. Each and every situation that unfolds is another mystery that will be uncovered in front of your eyes. Sometimes everything works out and there are no issues, and other time you are destined to spend your meal time with a dog slobbering all over your hands and plate, completely oblivious to their intrusion upon your pawsonal space. That’s why it take such a special kind of person to care for these doggos and why fostering is certainly not for everyone. 

  • 12
    bed dogs. My wife and I slept with our dogs and the bed is free for use during the daytime if the dogs wanted a nap,
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    which both dogs did frequently. After about a month or two of fostering her we decided to adopt her. My plans
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    for the day included redoing the brakes on my truck, driving to the shelter to fill out paperwork, and taking her to her first vet
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    Cheezburger Image 10605199360
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    appointment under our care. I had my truck up on jacks when I got a call saying to bring that dog back immediately, that
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  • 17
    they had found her owner. "Found her owner?" I I was told that she was an owner surrender.
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  • 18
    Apparently that wasn't the full story. She had been found by a girl as a stray and the father of the surrendering family didn't want a dog,
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    so the girl was forced by her father to turn Askah in. Someone visiting the shelter recognized her photo on the available dogs listing
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    and knew her original original family. Because my truck was out of commission for the
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    next couple of hours, they sent an animal control officer to pick Askah up. I know I'd want the same done for me if my lost dog
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    had been found. I told them to pass along my contact info if it ended up being the wrong dog or if there were any concerns.
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  • 23
    There were concerns all right. I got a frantic call from the original owners saying, "What did you DO to her?!" Umm nothing. I treated her as I
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  • 24
    treated my own dog. I apologized profusely if she wasn't allowed to sleep in bed with her family. As that's one thing we did.
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  • 25
    Apparently that wasnt it though... They wondered what we did to stop her begging for food and drooling in the kitchen during dinner time.
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  • 26
    Anyway, her original family had a child that was devastated that her dog was gone and they were glad to have her back. And her real name... Daisy. No wonder she didn't
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  • 27
    come when called, "Askah." I kinda wonder what she was thinking... Dumb humans, how do they not know my name.
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surrender surprised dogs reunited foster dog owner reddit story pawrents family dog story animal shelter pup original
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