Foster Flash: Austin & San Antonio!
Fostering a rescue dog is rewarding, but it isn't always easy. Behind every happy adoption photo is a foster who has spent weeks — sometimes months — helping a dog heal, learn, trust, and simply feel safe. There are vet visits, unexpected challenges, sleepless nights, messy days, and eventually the hardest part of all: saying goodbye.
For this Foster Flash, we're highlighting two incredible fosters from Central and South Texas: Mary Harris from Austin and Jenny M. from San Antonio. Their stories are different, but both show just how much patience, love, and dedication can change a dog's life.
Mary Harris: Watching a Scared Dog Become a Dog Again
For Mary, one of the most rewarding parts of fostering has been watching a dog discover who he really is. When Finnegan arrived, he was a timid five-year-old stray who had never learned how to walk on a leash and was frightened by unfamiliar things. But slowly, with patience and consistency, Mary watched him begin to come out of his shell.
Eventually, Finnegan started playing like a puppy. He threw toys into the air, wrestled clumsily with Mary's resident dog, and even began testing a few boundaries. One day, Mary caught him counter surfing. Her husband laughed and said, “Well, I guess we've done our job!”
And he was right. Mary knew Finnegan had truly begun to feel safe when she could tell him “no” and, instead of cowering in fear, he simply moved on. That kind of transformation is what makes fostering so special. But Mary's experience also showed her just how much work can go into helping one dog. Finnegan spent two months with her family and required multiple veterinary visits for kennel cough, his neuter, a booster vaccine, and an EKG.
Throughout the process, Mary was supported by an entire network of DDR volunteers, including temporary fosters, medical, adoption, social media, and placement teams.
“I never felt like I had to do it on my own, and having that support made a huge difference to me and Finnegan.”
For Mary, however, one of the hardest parts of fostering wasn't the medical care or the appointments. It was saying goodbye. Her first foster had learned to trust her, and when it was time for him to leave for his forever home, she struggled with the feeling that she was abandoning him. But within 24 hours, he had settled beautifully into his new home.
“I’ll always miss him, but I also know that fostering him was what allowed him to get to the family he was meant to find.”
That is the bittersweet reality of fostering. You love them enough to help them get where they need to go — even when that destination isn't with you.
Jenny Mammen: A Heart for the Dogs Who Need More
Jenny began fostering with Doodle Dandy Rescue in August 2024. After foster failing her very first foster — despite promising herself she wouldn't — she continued opening her home to dogs in need.
Since then, she has fostered, temp fostered, helped with the Bios team, and become the San Antonio Region Event Coordinator. But she has developed a particular soft spot for medical fosters.
“Every foster has left a lasting impression on me.”
One of the most meaningful journeys she's experienced was with Milo. Milo arrived at DDR in June 2025 with severe hip dysplasia. After his first hip surgery, he came into Jenny's care. A thorough medical evaluation revealed that he needed extensive rehabilitation, orthotics, and another hip surgery.
For six months, Jenny watched Milo work through an incredibly difficult recovery. A month ago, he graduated from 16 weeks of in-person physical therapy.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder—of him and of us.”
Milo's story is exactly why Jenny continues to foster. She has a particular heart for dogs who require extra medical care, with four medical fosters and counting. But she knows that fostering isn't just about treating physical injuries.
“Every dog, no matter their circumstances, deserves to be rescued not just physically but emotionally as well.”
For Jenny, fostering has brought a renewed sense of purpose and a community she deeply values. It has taught her patience, understanding, strength, discipline, and — at the heart of it all — compassion.
The Hard Part Nobody Sees
Mary and Jenny's experiences may be different, but their stories reveal an important part of rescue that isn't always visible in a happy adoption announcement.
Sometimes the dog who needs you is scared. Sometimes they need surgery. Sometimes they need weeks of rehabilitation. Sometimes they need to learn how to play. Sometimes they need to learn that a human hand can be trusted. And sometimes, they need someone willing to stay patient long enough for their personality to finally emerge.
Fostering isn't simply opening your home and giving a dog love. It's committing to the appointments, the medications, the training, the uncertainty, the messes, and the emotional ups and downs that come with helping a rescue dog heal. And then, when the time comes, it's letting them go.
That doesn't mean the foster failed. It means they succeeded. Because the goal was never to keep the dog. The goal was to help the dog become ready for the family who was waiting for them.
Help Us Keep Saying Yes
Fosters like Mary and Jenny make these transformations possible, but they can't do it alone. Every medical appointment, surgery, rehabilitation session, vaccine, medication, and other expense adds up.
During North Texas Giving, your donations help Doodle Dandy Rescue continue saying yes to dogs who need more time, more care, and sometimes much more than anyone expected.
When you donate, you're helping provide the resources that allow our fosters to focus on what matters most: giving these dogs a chance to heal, grow, and find their forever homes.
Please consider donating during our North Texas Giving fundraiser at:
Every donation helps us continue giving dogs like Finnegan and Milo the second chances they deserve.
Written By: Madelyn, DDR Volunteer