A woman who fostered an injured dog was rewarded for her kindness as she received a touching gift from strangers. The story has left many in tears as it’s so emotional
A woman who fostered an injured dog was left floored after being gifted the “perfect festive present” by strangers, and it could help to start brand new lives for pets that desire nothing but love. Clearly a great lover of dogs, she shared her fostering journey in a candid TikTok video, and it left people feeling very emotional.
The woman, who posts under the name Sheldon The Retriever online, said when she first took in the Staffy it was hurt, as it was unable to walk. Now, Podge the dog can play with other pets and “love loudly,” according to the woman who’s been caring for her.
Podge was the first dog she fostered, and strangers led to making her experience all the more special. She couldn’t believe what a couple did after she nursed the pooch back to health.
In the clip, she said: “I have some incredibly bad news. Well, to be honest with you, it depends on what you deem as bad news. Podge got adopted today, and it was in this moment I realised that this was the last time I was going to be putting her to bed.
“Podge is my first foster dog with the RSPCA, and I have been nursing her back to health after her leg surgery. Myself and the centre have been messed around a couple of times with a couple of potential adopters that never actually came, and then enters Ollie and Nicole.
“They travelled seven hours, and seven hours back on the same day to collect Podge. In true Podge fashion, she took all of 0.7 seconds to warm up to them, and then the most incredible thing happened.”
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She added: “So I’m covering Podge’s adoption fee and, instead of them just taking that, they decided to match it and [give] that donation to the centre instead. While Podge officially became theirs, while they went and did their paperwork, I left them to it so I could have my last moments with her before handing over Podge to her official forever home.”
In the post, she thanked RSPCA Southport for allowing her to be a fosterer, and is thrilled Podge has found a new home. Even though she’ll miss her, she’s go glad she’s found somewhere where she’ll be loved.
Podge will “forever hold a place in her heart”, even though she had to say goodbye. However, the fact that the couple made such a generous donation to the centre was perhaps the best Christmas gift she could have asked for.
The video has been viewed over 28,000 times since it was shared, and people were quick to comment too. Hundreds posted their thoughts.
One person said: “I lost my Staffy a year ago. They are truly such amazing dogs. Thank you for helping Podge get back on her feet, and enabling her to find a forever home.”
Another wrote: “God, this made me cry. The best girl.” A third replied: “Fostering is so important. Literally saves lives.”
Meanwhile, a fourth commented: “This is the best news ever. Why are we all crying?” Someone else also chimed in with: “So happy for Podge, but my heart goes out to you. You are incredible.”
Regarding fostering animals, the RSPCA website states: “We rely on fosterers to provide temporary homes for the animals in our care. Fostering an animal can help them recover from neglect, abuse, illness or injury.
“These are the first steps towards finding a new, loving forever home. When you foster an animal you’ll also be freeing up space in our centres so that we can rescue more animals in desperate need.”
For more information about how you can help, visit the website.
