Foster Experiences

Didi was our first foster dog. She had been in the shelter for long enough to convince her that strangers, especially men, were a threat. The longer she stayed, the less adoptable she presented - cowering in the back of her kennel, barking at visitors, and losing trust in people she didn't know.

Our relationship with Didi had been deepening during our time cleaning kennels. She decided that she could trust us, allowed us to come into her kennels to give her love, and eventually formed a bond with us that led to her bright future.

We decided to take Didi home to foster one day after our volunteer shift. Little did Didi know, but she wouldn't be going back to the shelter again. A momma dog herself, Didi was already accustomed to being around other playful dogs like ours and fit right into our pack. Knowing she needed time to decompress, we let her rest for a few days, then began slowly introducing her into public spaces. Our own dog, Maile, would accompany us on our trips to the park to help guide Didi and build her confidence. Over the course of a week, making daily trips to the park, Didi's confidence and comfort was at an all-time high. When HIHS called to let us know that she had a meet and greet, we knew she was ready. Sure enough, with our help and advocacy during the meet and greet, Didi carried her toy all the way from the play yard then jumped herself right into her adopter's car and never looked back.

Meet Buddy - our good pal from HIHS who found himself a resident of the shelter system nearly his entire life. We formed a good relationship with Buddy through our time cleaning kennels and taking field trips. He had a few foster-to-adopt opportunities but never found the right home. We believed the problem was that Buddy just needed a little extra time to decompress outside of the kennel environment before being placed into a home. So, at the request of HIHS, we took this guy on as our second foster dog.

As you can tell from his photos, Buddy did a LOT of resting during his stay with us. Coupled with some healthy play with our pack, time to chew on bones, and short excursions into town, Buddy slowly started making adjustments to how he saw the world. His confidence grew, he was able to jump in and out of the car without any hesitation (surprisingly, this took an immense amount of time and work), and he even started approaching people he didn't know. With the help of our confident own dogs, our neighbors, our scent work group, and our foster friend Laurie, we brought Buddy to the next level of living where he started to understand love, patience, and comfort.

Then, HIHS called to let us know that Buddy had some interest from potential adopters. Since we knew he had trouble before during his meet and greets and then also during his foster-to-adopt period, we made an intentional decision to make several trips to meet his potential new family before officially handing him off. So, Michelle, Chris, and Buddy spent nearly a week going up to his new family's homestead, slowly introducing Buddy to their pack, their property, and their home. We would spend maybe an hour or so each time, walking Buddy around their coffee orchard, sitting in the grass, and just giving him time to feel comfortable.

Before we handed Buddy off for good to his new family, we took him to watch the sunset from Mauna Kea. He stared off into space as if in deep contemplation, watching the clouds change colors and the night settle in.

We officially handed Buddy off to his new family on Valentine's Day 2025 where he's lived peacefully ever since. A few weeks later we actually ran into Buddy and his new dad in Hilo town. We chatted for a bit about Buddy's progress and hopes for his future. Buddy couldn't decide who he missed more, Michelle or Chris, so he went back and forth nestling in for big pets and giving us his best smile for the reunion shots.

Meet Biscuit - found as a stray, Biscuit was eventually captured by Animal Control and then transferred to HIHS. His past had unfortunately convinced him that strangers, mainly men, were not to be trusted. So, he was transferred to a foster home with two older women and three small dogs. While he did just fine in this foster home, we eventually realized that it might be good for Biscuit to spend some time with our pack and get to know what it's like to be loved on by the thing he feared most.

We took Biscuit in as a foster for an extended weekend. It was evident that at first, he wanted nothing to do with Chris - staring cautiously, intentionally avoiding him. But, after a calm and slow walk around the yard together, not asking anything of Biscuit except to be present, he started to sense a bit of safety. We followed that up with some hand feeding for dinner, and then let Biscuit rest up. By the end of the first night, he moved in for his first pet from Chris - a huge step.

The next morning Biscuit was a different dog. He woke with excitement and an eagerness to be involved. It didn't take long before he was romping with the pack and sitting right beside Chris on the couch with a big smile on his face. We thought we'd build off of that momentum and took Biscuit to our friend's farm where he watched sheep roam about the pasture, met a few other dogs, and was greeted happily by our friends and neighbors. We were so excited about his quick adjustment that we decided to try something big the next day.

It was March in Hilo, which meant the Big Island International Marathon would be happening. What Biscuit didn't know was that we had signed up to participate in the "fun walk" portion of the race, where we would join other groups of families and community members. At first, Biscuit was a little timid and frightened by all of the activity. But as the day went on, his confidence built to an all-time high.

After finishing the race together, we posed for pictures, wondered around the afterparty, and Biscuit even started sniffing and approaching strangers on his own. Then, the most amazing thing took place. As if he knew already, Biscuit wondered into a corner where two post-race participants were resting their legs. Calmy and confidently, Biscuit approached them and allowed them to give him love and attention. We watched in awe as the dog who just two days ago would cower and avoid a stranger at all costs, was now searching for engagement. The participants must have felt the same feeling, because that night we got a message from HIHS that Biscuit had received an adoption application.

The very next day Biscuit had a meet and greet with his new potential family. With our help out in the play yard, every member of his new family was able to take the leash and walk Biscuit around - a task that only a few days before seemed impossible. And then, Biscuit went home for good.

We ran into Biscuit (now Weasley) a few months later at the park and the smile he put on when he saw us melted our hearts. Not only did he remember us, but he leaned in enthusiastically as if to say "Thanks". He now lives in Hilo with his big "brother" Apollo.

Meet Poha - our first foster dog from Action 4 Animals Hawaii. Although it was just for an extended weekend, Poha fit right into our pack, playing with Maile and running around the orchards. He eventually was flown to the Pacific Northwest as part of the Pups Over the Pacific program and was adopted not long after. Now he spends his days hiking in the forest and hanging with his new family.

Meet Fagan - a little pup trying his best to keep up with the pack. He spent a few weeks with us, sleeping in the sun, chasing the big dogs around the yard, chewing sticks, and learning how to be a dog. It was fun to have that little dog energy around again, and it allowed our own shy dog Wendy to build her confidence. Fagan was eventually adopted by a sweet family whose young grandson connected with him during a Halloween adoption event.

Meet Coco - a sweet brown dog with an amazing story. We took Coco in as a foster in November 2025. She had been surrendered by her owners before they left the island and waited at Animal Control until she was eventually transferred to A4A. She presented as a timid girl when she first came to A4A's boarding facility, so we thought we could help her blossom if we brought her in as a foster. Once she was in our home she started to unwind. We watched as the stress of kennel life started to shed away as she looked to us for love and affection.

Coco got along great with our pack, loved exploring the yard, and even joined us for the Hilo Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. Her calm demeanor and love for humans allowed her to participate in an A4A event called "Pause for Paws", where students and faculty at the University of Hawaii at Hilo were given the chance to unwind during test week and spend some time with a few dogs. Her stay lasted through the entire holiday season so we got the chance to dress her up in a little Christmas sweater and take her to see Santa! She was joined with the students from the Kea'au High School Canine Club for the holiday adoption event where the student volunteers got the chance to walk Coco and give her some love and attention.

In the last days of 2025, Coco was accepted as a flyout candidate for the Pups Over the Pacific program organized by A4A. She, along with a few of her poi dog friends, boarded a plane in Kona and never looked back. Coco found a loving home on the riverbanks of the Pacific Northwest. She now gets to frolic on the rocks, watch her new dad fish, and carry sticks with her new pals.

Meet Pacino - a flat-footed, goofy boy with a bark that sounds like a seal. His play style was so funny to watch, as we he would jump and flail his little legs as if he had loss all motor control. One of the more unique dogs that we've fostered, he liked being a part of our pack. In January 2026 Action 4 Animals organized a "Walk or Peace" in solidarity with the Buddhist monks who were walking across the mainland US at that time. Pacino got to come with us as a participant as we marched for peace on his behalf. He was eventually adopted on Valentine's day 2026.

Meet Heidi - a sweet shepherd mix that came to us from Action 4 Animals. She had been transferred from Animal Control to the A4A boarding facility, but found herself too confined to feel comfortable. Volunteers would often find her pacing in her kennel and literally jumping off the walls. It was evident that she needed something more in order to flourish, and so began her time with our pack.

Since she was a higher energy dog, we took our time introducing her to our pack and made sure we all felt comfortable before really letting her loose. After a few good nights of rest guided meetings with our dogs, we let her have her freedom to be the best dog she could be. She made it clear that she could be trusted and even started really picking up on the things we were teaching her. She followed our dogs' leads and learned some basic obedience, leash manners, and even started on some scent work training.

Although she attended a few local adoption events, we had trouble finding the right placement for her here. So, after just a couple short weeks with us, she was chosen to flyout as part of the A4A Pups Over the Pacific program. Her journey would be a long one, as she was accepted by a foster-based rescue organization all the way in Ottawa, Canada. She continued to thrive in that setting and her drive and personality started to really shine through. She was eventually adopted by a trainer at the Canadian Institute for the Blind to be her personal dog.

Meet Miss Hollywood - a short-legged dream of a dog that came to us in April 2026. Chris first met Miss Hollywood at Animal Control, where he was tasked with assessing a few potential candidates for transfer to Action 4 Animals. At that time, Miss Hollywood did not want to be on a leash, paced the fence in the yard, and seemed to have some underlying kennel stress. We agreed that if we transferred her to A4A, she most likely would not have done well going to their boarding facility. Instead, after her spay and release from Animal Control, we took her in as a foster.

The first day we spent mostly in silence, not forcing or asking anything of her. We let her decide when she was ok with us interacting with her, and just tried to show her that she was now safe. She eventually fell asleep for a long nap and the next day she was like a new dog. She ran around the orchards at sunrise as if she knew she was now free. Her calm and quiet demeanor was a perfect fit for our pack and she made herself right at home.

Over the course of a few weeks we took Hollywood on some short trips to the park to prepare her to be one of the stars of Action 4 Animals Parade of Paws. Her confidence in public grew quickly and when the event rolled around, she was one of the all time favorites. The student volunteers from the Kea'au High School Canine Club gave Hollywood such a fun day, learning leash skills and how to be calm in a crowd.

Miss Hollywood was accepted into the Pups Over the Pacific program in May 2026 so we packed her things and drove her over the Kona for her flight. She made it all the way to Montreal, Canada where she spent a few summer weeks frolicking at the dog park and learning some French. She was eventually adopted in June 2026 and now spends her time camping and enjoying her forever family.