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Abandoned Street Dog Finds Love Thanks to Foster Mom & Some Chicken (Now Seeks Forever Home)

Gabrielle LaFrank |

Mar 15, 2024

The work of an animal rescuer never truly stops, even when you’re in your own home. On the contrary, many selfless rescuers and foster parents open up their homes to animals in need without a second thought.

One of those people is Vivian K., a foster mom and adopter from Corona, California’s ICARE Dog Rescue. She did not hesitate to jump into action when a dog who had been roaming her neighborhood finally let down his guard. Neighbors had been leaving out food and water for the Shepherd dog–who was later named Echo–but everything changed when Vivian finally enticed him into trusting her with the help of a kind stranger and some leftover chicken.

dog up for adoption: Abandoned Street Dog Finally Finds Love Thanks to a Foster Mom and Some Chicken

From Free Roaming to Foster

When Vivian finally tracked Echo down in November 2023, it had been about a week since the stray dog’s first sighting in the neighborhood. No one had seen him around before, and a few key details led Vivian and the ICARE team to believe that he had been abused and abandoned. He seemed hungry and hesitant of people. He was also found with a large scab over one of his eyes as well as scabs that wrapped around his ankles–perhaps from something that he’d been tied to.

Vivian knew that Echo would not get the second chance he deserved at the local shelter, so she contacted ICARE (which stands for ‘Into Canine Adoption, Rehabilitation, and Education’) to ask for permission to foster him under their support. By the end of the day, Echo had been bathed, fed, and given his own space to decompress. He was even on the books for a veterinary check-up, which may have been his very first.

ADOPT ECHO

Getting Used to Home Life

During his first few days in his foster home, Echo got plenty of space to rest and recoup. Vivian made sure to take it slow, but when he was ready, he met the rest of the family, too.

“We slowly introduced him to our family dog and were happy to see that he fit into our family dynamic,” Vivian explained. “He’s a submissive dog, which is perfect since our dog is dominant, AND he’s fantastic around our toddler.”

The one-year-old sweetheart is sure to be a social and active boy as he builds more confidence. Because of his large size and high energy level, he’d be a great running buddy, but his future forever owner will also need to commit to regular trips to the dog park. It would be even better if his forever home had another confident dog he could be friends with, though his foster mom is unsure how he would act around cats.

ADOPT ECHO

Here’s the catch: this smart boy can become anxious when left alone for long periods of time due to his difficult past, and he’s been known to make a game out of escaping from the house. Vivian says, “When he escapes, he paces around my house/driveway, sort of taunting us. So his forever home would definitely need to be escape-proof, and the owners should be aware of any possible routes of escape (open fences/doors, doggie/cat doors that lead to the backyard or garage).”

Vivian is also enlisting the guidance of a dog trainer to help her figure out how she can help Echo thrive in her home (and stop trying to escape). This is something his forever person will need to do, too, but they will find that this sweet and playful Shepherd is well worth the effort.

If you’d like to learn more or see if you might be the right fit for Echo, you can check out his Adoptapet profile or fill out an adoption application on the ICARE website. Let’s help this big, brave boy find his perfect home!