08/25/2026
New England people looking for a sweet companion dog!! Has to be an only dog!
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐โ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Toph came into my life because someone reached out to my rescue for help.
She had lived with the same family since she was a puppy. When that family fell on hard times and moved in with relatives where they could not bring her, they turned to Facebook to find her a new home.
Someone saw the post and kindly opened their home to her, genuinely believing they could give her the fresh start she needed.
What they didnโt realize was that Toph is very dog reactive.
They tried. They contacted local shelters and rescue organizations. They worked with a trainer. They have continued caring for her while trying to find a solution. But ultimately, their home cannot be Tophโs forever home because they need a dog who can safely coexist with other dogs, including a family memberโs dog who is frequently there.
And so as I often do when other people and organizations have understandably had to say no, ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐.
Toph is an absolutely wonderful dog. She is sweet, smart, affectionate and incredibly loving. She is wonderful with people and young children. She has even lived peacefully with cats.
Her one major limitation is that ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐ถ๐.
She is fixed, vaccinated and fully housebroken. She can be left home alone without being crated. She rides well in the car. She walks well on leash. She loves her people and has SO much potential to simply be someoneโs beloved family dog.
I truly believe there is someone out there for every animal. Sometimes the hardest part is finding that person and in this case, in the amount of time we are given.
And right now, ๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ๐ต ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐.
Her current family has agreed to foster her for the next 30 days while we desperately try to find the right home for her.
Could they physically continue keeping her beyond that? Yes. But they have already put their own plans on hold to help a dog they originally took in out of kindness. They are looking for the right dog for their family, and that dog needs to be dog-friendly. Toph simply isnโt.
After those 30 days, if I have not found an appropriate home or foster for Toph, I am going to be faced with a decision that absolutely breaks my heart to even type.
๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
I know what happens when you put those words on the internet.
I know there will be people who are angry. People who say, โJust put her in boarding.โ โJust find another foster.โ โJust keep her somewhere.โ โHow can a rescue euthanize a healthy dog?โ
I wish it were that simple.
We are a ๐ณ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ. I do not have a public shelter facility with kennels where Toph can live indefinitely. I do not have a foster home without other dogs available for her.
Could we raise money and put her into long-term boarding? Probably.
But then what?
Toph would be living in a kennel indefinitely while we wait for a home that may take months or even a year to appear. Because she doesnโt enjoy other dogs, she isnโt a dog who can benefit from playgroups and canine socialization to make a boarding environment easier on her.
Boarding her indefinitely simply so that I donโt have to make an incredibly painful decision isnโt necessarily kindness to ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
There is another part of this story that I hope people take something from.
And when it doesnโt work out, that animal can quickly end up being bounced from home to home, placed in situations that arenโt safe or appropriate, and ultimately someone else is left trying to pick up the pieces and take responsibility for what happens next.
This isnโt about blaming anyone. Itโs about understanding how quickly a well-intentioned rehoming can turn into a much bigger problem for the animal when there isnโt a safety net in place.
In this case, a kind person tried to help. Their family has carried the responsibility. Now my rescue has taken responsibility. And eventually someone has to make the decisions that nobody else wants to make.
And unfortunately, that person is now me.
In almost ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ, I have only had to make the decision to behaviorally euthanize one dog. That dog had severe aggression toward people that could not be safely managed despite professional training and medication.
I do not take euthanasia lightly. I never have, and I never will.
But rescue also means recognizing that our resources are not infinite. Foster homes are not infinite. Space is not infinite. Money does not solve every problem. And sometimes loving an animal means being willing to make an awful decision rather than allowing them to deteriorate mentally in an inappropriate environment simply because keeping them alive feels easier for us.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐.
Thirty days to find the person who doesnโt need their dog to have dog friends.
Someone who wants one dog to come home to.
Someone who wants a sweet, smart, loving girl who can ride along in the car, go for walks, hang out with the family and curl up knowing she finally doesnโt have to go anywhere else.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป.
So before this post becomes a debate about what happens on day 31, please help me make sure we never get there.
Share her.
Talk about her.
Send her to the person you know who doesnโt have other dogs.
Help me find Toph the home that makes this entire conversation unnecessary. PLEASE.๐ฅน๐ค๐๐ป
