Snuggles

Surprise! Snuggles is a Foster Fail and has officially been adopted by her foster mom, Olivia! In October of 2023, while fostering a different dog through SAYR, I was sent the absolute cutest picture of two tiny puppies that had just come into rescue. I think these tiny terrors were driving Kathy crazy because she could not wait until I was available to take them in! My foster dog at the time found an awesome forever home and the day he got adopted, I immediately made my trek to go pick up the girls. Snuggles had stolen my heart from that very first picture because she immediately reminded me of my first rescue from SAYR, who is still with us, Phoebe (formerly Breezie, 2019). Snuggles’ sister and littermate, Kisses, was also such a beautiful bundle of joy, which made this decision such a tough one! I knew in my heart that I was going to end up keeping one of these babies but also knew that I could not keep both due to the risks of Littermate Syndrome into adulthood. Throughout the beginning of fostering them, I had bounced back and forth, completely indecisive on who I wanted to adopt. As time went on, it became more apparent that Snuggles needed to stay. As much as I adored Kisses, I could see that she was growing to be so much more confident and independent around other people and dogs, and she was also getting a lot of attention online. Along with the fact that a lot of people wanted and applied for her, I could tell that Kisses adapted to new situations and people better and I had no doubt that she would thrive going to a new home with her forever family. Snuggles on the other hand, had a total of one application in the entire four months that I was fostering, and they did not pass. She was also very nervous and lacked confidence in a lot of areas. We spent a lot of time building our relationship to ensure she was comfortable and getting trained appropriately. During this training time, I realized that I couldn’t let her go and we had built such an amazing bond. She had finally broken out of her shell and began trusting the life around her, and I just couldn’t send her off to start all over again. She has meshed perfectly into my small dog pack and has thrived in our household! She is so unique and genuinely makes us laugh with the silly things she does. She is also very bright and extremely sweet, which is something I’ve loved about her since day one. I love her so much and am so excited to share the rest of her life taking adventures and trying new things. She will never have to cower back in her shell ever again. I have since renamed her Rhea and everyone in her life loves her to pieces already! I’m so grateful for the chain of events that brought her to me and my forever pack. Congratulations Snuggles!!!