05/18/2026
🐾 Foster Spotlight: Meet Katie 🐾
Katie Hartmann is 29 years old, has four dogs of her own (three seniors!), and will be the first to tell you she did not need another dog. She and her husband joke that they are "D***S" (dual income, no kids) and love their freedom. She is not a professional trainer. She is not a lifelong rescue volunteer. She is just someone who saw ESRA's post about the 19 Springer Spaniels rescued from Weatherford and felt something tug at her heart. So she applied to foster. And everything that followed changed her life in the best way.
This is her story. We hope it inspires you to start yours.
Kris: The Dog Who Started It All
"Did I need another dog? No. But for some reason I felt called to reach out to ESRA."
After submitting her dogs' vet records and completing a phone interview, Katie was approved as a foster. Before picking up her dog, she called Dan and Amy and asked which dog needed the most help. They told her about Kris, the most fearful and shut down dog from the Weatherford rescue. Without missing a beat, Katie said she would take him.
When Kris arrived, he was a dog who had completely given up on people. He stayed in his kennel around the clock. If Katie walked into the room, he would shake. He wanted nothing to do with humans at all. But he liked her dogs, and Katie decided that was enough to build on.
"My idea was like training horses. Give the dog life skills first so they stay safe, and then build the love and trust from there."
She kept things simple and consistent. Daily walks with her dogs leading the way. Hand feeding him every single meal. Going about her normal routine in whatever room he was in so that humans just became... ordinary. She slowly started closing off rooms so Kris had no choice but to hang out near the family. A few weeks in, she caught a little head peeking around the corner. He was following them.
From there, his personality started shining through. Zoomies out of nowhere. Playful and gentle with every dog he met. A wagging tail that came more and more easily. After three months, Kris was ready to be adopted and found his forever home within days of being posted.
"It was bittersweet when he left. I think about him almost every day. But to see a dog go from refusing to leave his kennel and shaking when I walked in, to running around a ranch and swimming and playing confidently with other dogs... it was truly a pleasure to have him."
She cried when he left. And she would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
🐶 Buddy: The Sequel (And Possible Foster Failure)
A few weeks after Kris was adopted, Katie's house felt too quiet. Right around that time, she got a text asking if she would be interested in another Weatherford dog named Buddy. He happened to be Kris's brother.
She said yes immediately.
"He's a little naughtier than Kris! I couldn't get THAT lucky twice. But I can already tell he's just as sweet and funny, and it makes me so happy to know I can help another dog."
She is only six days in with Buddy, but the signs are already there. He may not make it to adoption. He may just become dog number five. (Katie has kindly requested that someone please keep her husband away from ESRA's page. 😂)
💛 What Fostering Really Means
Katie is honest about the fact that she used to feel a little guilty about how freely she and her husband lived their lives. Fostering became the answer to that.
"We feel less guilty still doing whatever we want because at least we are helping the community in some way. Fostering dogs is now officially how we give back and I couldn't love it any more."
But beyond that, fostering gave her something she did not know she was looking for. The chance to watch a terrified dog slowly learn that the world is not as scary as it seems. The chance to be the person who makes that possible. The updates from Kris's new family that remind her it was all worth it.
Fostering is not about being an expert. It is not about having a perfect home or endless experience. It is about showing up, being patient, and giving a dog who has been through something hard a soft place to land while they wait for their forever home.
🙌 Could You Be a Foster?
If you have made it this far, you are already thinking about it. So hear it straight from Katie:
"If you've made it this far, you clearly have some sort of interest in fostering. So I say go for it! These dogs make just as big of an impact on us as we do on them. It is rewarding and fun and is all for a good cause."
ESRA needs foster homes. It does not matter if you have never done it before. It does not matter if your house is already a little full. What matters is that you are willing to open your door to a dog who needs someone to believe in them.
Kris found his person in Katie. Buddy found his too. The next dog is out there waiting.
👉 Visit esraonline.org to learn more about fostering and apply today. These dogs are counting on people like you and Katie to say yes.
