The Foster Dog House

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The Foster Dog House

The Foster Dog House is a 501(c)3 nonprofit animal rescue based in Charlotte, NC

10/31/2026

Pistachio is TWO! 🎉

Though we don't really know the day they were born, Howie and Pistachio both celebrate their birthdays at the end of October. Hand picked from Cabarrus County Animal Shelter the day after each other last June, we never would have guessed they'd both spend ~75% of their life in foster care thus far.

While Howie has needed to work through some behavior challenges and we are seeking a very special adopter for him, Pistachio's options are much wider. Pistachio has always been a big fluffy puppy that benefits from some knowledge of basic obedience. He loves people and other dogs that can tolerate his playfulness. We haven't shied away from sharing that he's not a couch potato but I will say he has mellowed out significantly, which is mostly apparent to me when it's just at home or walking in our quiet neighborhood. He's content entertaining himself with a bone or simply napping if working for home. He's great in the car (he jumps right in) and has no problem entering and staying in his crate when out of the house or overnight. Honestly, he does so many things well! Hopefully he'll be celebrating his next birthday in his forever home. Until then we will continue to answer "is that a fluffy pitbull?" (we truly have no idea).

10/29/2026

Happy Howie's Natural Dog Treats donated over $500 worth of dog treats to us for The All American Dog Show last month. This allowed us to create multiple raffle baskets which ultimately helped us raise $840. We even had enough to allow our [adoptable] Howie to taste test!

The only way we can operate is with gracious donors supporting our mission. Thank you Happy Howie's Natural Dog Treats!

📸 Abigail Joy Photography | Event & Branding Photographer

10/19/2026

Sitting still is not Pistachio's default setting but thankfully Zook Photography snaps pics quick!

This fluffy ball of energy is still on the search for his forever family. If you're looking for an active adventure buddy read more about him on our website and complete an adoption application.

www.thefosterdoghouse.org/pistachio

10/16/2026

CAPTION THIS

witty_whitakers sends me Howie pics weekly and I often don’t have words. How would you caption these?

Howie’s bio on our website just got some edits. He has some special behavioral needs but he is also just a dog that loves playing ball, belly rubs, & marshmallows.

10/09/2026

Slight change in plans due to tomorrow's forecast.

The good news - our event is still on because it's indoors! So when you're tired of watching it rain, go grab a drink and visit Howie who will metaphorically be judging everyone's costumes.

Th Brews & Rescues event has been rescheduled to next Saturday!

10/08/2026

We are in the home stretch of the year! For our new followers: these quarterly recaps are our way of showing how we've been fulfilling our rescue mission and what else we hope to accomplish plus transparency of where donations go, which is the only way we're able to operate.

🎉 The Foster Dog House officially turned TWO in August! We will share alum updates in a seperate post because they deserve their own showcase. Seeing former fosters happy & healthy is our favorite!

♥️ 2Q Goal Update: Nova finished heartworm treatment without complications and found her forever family shortly after. We simply need more offers to foster through adoption to help more pups though.

🥇 3Q Highlight: We were honored to be the raffle beneficiaries of the 26th Annual All American Dog Show. I spent all summer sending emails and collecting raffle items and I'm very pleased we were able to raise $840! .photography got some great pictures for us to share and to properly thank all the businesses that helped us (more to come).

🐶 : Hopefully you've enjoyed seeing all the work .nicole has been doing with Duncan (archived in our "Duncan II" highlight if you've missed it). His board & train program wraps up this weekend and I'm excited to share a recap, then resume his two year search for his forever!

🗓️: Two event weekend coming up, which is very rare for us! Hopefully the weather cooperates but find us Saturday 12-4pm. Then go see Howie indoors to kick off costume contest season.

Thank you for the continued support. We're simply still just fosters ourselves doing a little bit more to try to help our area's overflowing shelters and help adoptable dogs find their forever families.

10/02/2026

Who else is surprised our resident black dog is still available for adoption?!

While it’s been fun to see how much Auggie has grown (especially those ears!), he is more than ready to find his forever family. I won’t sugarcoat how much work puppies are. At just 4 months old, he’s still learning everything but here’s what we know:
🧬 Unknown but guessing poodle mix with shepherd or lab
🎂 ~4 months old (est. DOB 6/2/26)
⚖️ 17lbs (expected to be ~50lbs)
💉 UTD on vaccines. Neuter will be covered when 6 months old.
🐶 Excited to be around other dogs but is too afraid to actually play. Doesn’t seem to enjoy other energetic pups (the irony!).
👧🏻 Being around kids wears him out in a good way but need to be mindful that he isn’t aware of personal space and he does have classic puppy teeth.
🎾 Loves toys especially balls for fetch
🚽 Potty Training in progress
⚡ Medium-High Energy (very active then crashes)
🍔 Very food motivated
😴 Sleeps in his crate for several hours during the day when we have to be at the office and always at night. Has adjusted really well to this routine.
🌳 Great in public! Loves meeting strangers.
🚙 Great in the car!

His ideal adopter would be an active family that’s familiar with the puppy stage (or has done their research) and has the patience to continue the lessons we’ve started.

🔗 If interested in meeting Auggie, please complete an adoption application which can be found on our website (link in bio).

09/24/2026

Last week Pistachio received a solid adoption application and we moved forward with a phone interview. A majority of the conversation centered around his need for continuous training and structure due to his hyperactivity. We talked about how he seems wired to please people when given direction and how he’d likely thrive if he’s taught a job (therapy in this case).

Like many other times before, the next day I received a text that they didn’t want to move forward. This time they cited that they weren’t comfortable leaving him crated at home a few days a week while working outside the home. During our conversation, I had mentioned my concern that their plan for doggy daycare on office days may cause him to regress in unwanted behaviors we’ve worked hard to improve (advice I’ve received from trainers).

While I’m disappointed that applicants once again changed their mind after starting the process, I’m not sorry for being honest about what’s best for each of our pups. Of course would much rather waste some time now than have a return down the road.

I’m honestly lost on what we can do differently for Pistachio. He deserves a dog savvy, patient person that channels all his working dog qualities into adventures and companionship or someone less experienced that’s intrigued by what they can learn about dog handling from a professional. I know we will find the right fit for Pistachio eventually but he’s one that has absolutely stumped me for the last year.

We utilized boarding this weekend but if you’re interested in temp. fostering in the future or want to help get him out & about on a daycation, please reach out.

09/24/2026

Last weekend we took foster pup Auggie to Zoom Room Huntersville-Lake Norman | For People Who Love Dogs for their puppy preschool! While we’ve been working on the basics at home, we put his obedience to the test in a room with lots of distractions, strangers, and other bouncy puppies.

He did great! My favorite Auggie quality is actually how good he is in public and how attentive he is when I have treats. He is more than ready to continue learning in his forever home!

🔗 If you are interested in learning more please go to our website.

09/16/2026

Pistachio is on the move…to a new foster that is. But we need weekend coverage to make it happen officially.

After over a year with one foster, we’re so hopeful that a change in environment is the answer to finally finding Pistachio's forever family. Lots of brewery visits and pics to come!

While his distinct look has resulted in dozens of adoption applications over the year, none have been quite right. Most changed their mind after applying or meeting him, others were our decision due to naiveness with the structure/training he needs or had a feline & apartment combo (we may be okay with one or the other but both made us nervous).

Pistachio is a ball of fluff and energy. He loves people, car rides to adventures, & playing with toys or other dogs. He's generally unaware of personal space with humans and other dogs which some may find annoying...or endearing. He's unbothered by crowds or loud noises. He simply enjoys people watching or taking in the different sights and sounds. Daily walks are really the key to exercising his brain. He finally stops moving when it's crate time and he's surprisingly tolerant when it's time to trim his grinch feet or cut his nails. He is easily excitable so he has to be reminded not to jump but he loves to please when given proper direction. He is no couch potato but Pistachio would be great for someone looking for a dog they can work with or teach new skills and take out and about even if you work 8-5.

While we would love to find an adopter sooner rather than later, temp. fostering is our greatest need at the moment. Please consider helping for a weekend!

Address

Charlotte, NC
28201-28237, 28240-28247, 28250, 28253-28256, 28258, 28260-28262, 28265-28266, 2

Website

http://thefosterdoghouse.org/

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