Should I foster dogs before adopting one?

Def not in a place right now where I can do either, but when I’m financially stable and have my own place of a decent size, I’m wondering whether I should start fostering dogs before going and adopting one. Also I’m debating how old of a dog I’d want, I’m tempted to adopt a senior dog, but that would mean I don’t get as much time with them and the inevitable heartbreak would come much sooner. But maybe it would be worth it to get a dog that realistically doesn’t have a great chance of being adopted at all.

There’s so many dogs that desperately need homes, I hate that I could probably only handle a few of them at a time. If it were possible I’d take them and love them all

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Ananke · 26-30, F

If you have 0 dog experience fostering is an AMAZING way to see what having a dog entails! Just keep in mind that you may get a rescue dog who has already received basic training in which case you don't see the years of hard work it takes to raise a well mannered dog. So if you get one thats really well behaved dont think theyre all that way by default lol! (This may sound like common sense but people will literally return puppies because they "are too misbehaved" without understanding they actually have to train them to be well behaved).

It's also a great way to find a dog thats a really good fit for you and start to get an idea of the expenses of a dog without actually paying for them yourself as the shelter pays.

Zeuro · 26-30, F

@Ananke oh don’t worry, I’ve had 4 different family dogs, our current one we got at 8 weeks old, I know it takes a LOT of work lol