Tali’s Happily-Ever-After
Tali was just 5 months old when her world turned upside-down in Hurricane Harvey. She came to Longmont Humane Society after having her leg amputated at a shelter in Texas. Despite her traumatic experiences, she was a sweet pup and could get around just fine on three legs.
Tali was adopted in October of 2017 by a senior citizen who was looking for a companion. After 5 years, Tali’s guardian’s health declined and she needed to move into a care facility. Tali came back to Longmont Humane Society in May of 2022. Unfortunately, Tali had become obese due to unregulated hypothyroid issues – she weighed in at 106 pounds when she returned to us – twice what she should weigh. She could barely walk.
Our veterinary and animal welfare teams knew Tali would need dedicated assistance to lose weight and help get her hypothyroid issues under control. Thankfully, one of our long-time Foster Heros came to the rescue; and as a veterinarian herself, she was able to develop a long-term diet and exercise plan for Tali. After getting started on her journey toward health, Tali came back to LHS for a few months while we searched for a longer-term Foster home where she could continue to get the care and attention she needed. Tali needed a Foster Family who could remain committed to her health plan.
Our Social Media team created a special video for Tali to help find a Foster Family. It worked! Her new Foster Family saw the video and knew they could help. They had not fostered previously but were up to the challenge for Tali’s sake. In October of last year, her new Foster Heroes took Tali home – and she thrived there!
Tali’s new Foster Family brought her in for regular check-ups and Tali was steadily losing weight and was able to move more easily. Her sweet personality blossomed as she began to feel better. Is it any wonder that Tali’s Foster Heroes decided to adopt her? They made it official in July of this year. We affectionately call this situation a “Foster Fail” – but falling in love with a fostered companion is truly a celebration of success. This was especially true for Tali – she genuinely found the best happily-ever-after a dog could wish for!
Recently Tali’s now-forever family sent us this update:
“Tali is doing GREAT. We are doing two walks a day that are getting longer and longer. When we first started fostering her, we would walk one house down and back with the support of a sling. Now we are circling the block, sprinting up and down hills, and making side quests to random playgrounds Tali wants to visit. Holy smokes, sometimes we can hardly keep up with her! Many of our walks turn into family jogs. 🤣
We found a wonderful local vet that we love and the last time we went Tali was down to 56 pounds. She is loving life and, of course, we love her immensely.
I attached a few photos and here’s a recent video. The last couple of photos warm my heart… We often take Tali to the local rec center to walk because they’ve got a nice little path and it’s a quiet area. Tali always runs toward the front doors and stops, waiting to be let in. We think it’s because the front doors remind her of LHS. ❤ It really says a lot about how well you take care of them when a dog is so excited to go back into the shelter doors!“
We are deeply grateful to families like Tali’s who open their hearts and homes to shelter animals in need of extra time and attention. And, while we are always pleased if the situation becomes permanent, more often our furry fosters return to us when they are ready for adoption and it is rarely difficult to find a fostered pet a forever home. If you would like to explore becoming a Foster Hero, we would love to chat! You can begin by exploring our Foster Program Page or email foster@longmonthumane.org