“I couldn’t stop thinking about her …”
By Ashley Ortiz
Published on July 11, 2025 at 5:13 PM
On her way to her local animal shelter a few weeks ago, volunteer Madeline Smith rechecked her list of dogs to be cared for. The list, consisting of available dogs at the shelter, was part of Smith’s routine to ensure that she could help as many pups as possible in her short time there.
But at the very end of her shift that day, one dog who wasn’t on the list suddenly caught her attention.
“I was actually walking down the ward to leave for the day when an act of God turned my head and made me look at her,” Smith told The Dodo. “She immediately got up from her bed and jumped up with a waggy tail to greet me!”
The dog, named Maya, felt immediately safe with Smith. Standing on her hind legs, Maya placed her front paws on the kennel bars and, with the sweetest look on her face, begged Smith to take her home.
Smith nearly melted when she locked eyes with Maya, but she had only gone to the shelter to volunteer. With a trip coming up, the 54-time foster mom wasn’t ready to take another dog in at the moment. But when she got home that night, all she could think about was Maya.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about her and knew I had to foster her,” Smith said. “When she ended up on the euthanasia list, that was it!”
As soon as Smith saw Maya’s devastating update, she decided to save the sweet girl. Since she was already on vacation, and time was limited to pull Maya from the shelter, a fellow volunteer named Amairany dropped everything to help.
Amairany agreed to foster Maya for a few days until Smith returned from her trip, and Maya couldn’t have been happier.
“She settled in great and became friends with Amairany’s 6-year-old son, too!” Smith said. “It’s a lot easier being in rescue with the community that surrounds it!”
You can see more pictures from Maya’s rescue here:
Before long, Smith returned home and officially became Maya’s foster mom. Maya’s foster dad and two foster siblings — a cat named Barry and a dog named Margot — fell instantly in love with her, and the feeling was mutual.
“She fit in so seamlessly with our fam and felt like she’d been here all along!” Smith said.
For the next month or so, Maya snuggled with her family daily while she underwent heartworm treatment. When she was finally healthy enough to return to the shelter and be listed for adoption, Smith was faced with an impossible decision.
She’d already fostered 54 pups, all of whom had gone on to find loving homes, and she knew for sure that she wanted to continue fostering, which meant she couldn’t keep Maya. But Maya’s presence made her rethink everything.
“My husband had to bear with me crying about it for weeks, and deep down, he knew I was never really at peace with letting her go,” Smith said. “I once told him that whether we kept her or sent her, I just wanted it to be his fault (lol), so he made the decision so I didn’t have to.”
On Mother’s Day, Smith’s husband surprised her with a heartfelt card and Maya’s official adoption papers. She and Maya were beyond thrilled with his decision.
“He’s such a good man, and I’m so glad we have our Maya now!” Smith said.
It’s been a few months since Maya’s adoption, and life couldn’t be better for the sweet pup. She’s still obsessed with her fur sister, Margot, and, although Barry has since passed away, she loves visiting his memorial shelf.
She’s also preparing to welcome a human baby brother soon by cuddling with her mom’s belly every day.
The couple can’t get enough of Maya, and are constantly reminded why she, as their 55th foster dog, was their first foster fail. Adopting a foster pup was never a part of their plans, but now they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“If you can just let the first [foster] go … it gets easier each time, until a Maya comes into your life,” Smith said. “Then, you’ll know.”
To keep up with Maya’s adventures, you can follow her mom on Instagram.
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“He was very sweet with this one” 🥹
By Ashley Ortiz
Meet Dyce: a 4-year-old Rottweiler whose severe anxiety made daily activities difficult — until he came across a new plush friend that calmed him like no other.
As a puppy, Dyce struggled with doing things outside his home, like walking around the neighborhood. Despite having his adoring mom, Anouk, and dad by his side, Dyce couldn’t walk without being hypervigilant and defensive.
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