I don’t worry about my mutt Ace whenever a canine I’m fostering gets adopted. If anything, he lets out a substantial sigh of relief because many of the time the foster canine has been stressful for us both!
Ace typically crashes for a day or two once a foster canine leaves us, not because he’s sad but because he wants to catch up on some rest!
Dogs have the ability to relocation on best away, and Ace reminds me of that every week. Out of sight, out of mind. We humans are the ones who get attached. If I act sad and depressed, then Ace might act depressed too, but only because he’s picking up on my energy.
If I foster a canine and she gets adopted, Ace might look for her for a few days. After that, he will continue on as normal. If the dogs see one another again in the future they are always very pleased to be reunited, but they are also fine when it’s time to part again.
There may be some exceptions to this, such as if you have a long-term foster canine for several months or years. Your canine may have started to view the foster canine as a member of the family. just like if someone in the family were to relocation away or die, it could be hard for your canine when the foster canine (finally!) gets adopted.
The best thing to do for a confused or depressed canine is to take him on a long walk, work on training or do something else to distract him. Feeding him extra treats and giving affection will only encourage him to keep acting depressed by reinforcing that something is wrong. If a canine is depressed for any reason, a nice, long walk is typically the best medicine.
Have you fostered dogs? Does your canine miss your foster dogs when they get adopted?