When they’re not making sweet music together in their UW alumni band, Brendan and Maria are providing peace and harmony for shelter dogs needing a kennel break here at Seattle Humane. They were inspired to foster after seeing a news article about the need for foster parents and began fostering this past May.
“We saw an article in the Seattle Times asking for foster parents, even if it was short-term breaks, and we thought it would be a good way to hang out with dogs,” Brendan says. “I’ve had dogs for basically my whole life. My parents even have a parrot that’s older than me, so I’ve always been around critters.”
Maria is actually allergic to dogs, which means shorter stays for their foster pets but with huge impacts! Even short kennel breaks go a long way in helping stressed out shelter pets relax and show their true personalities, providing great insights into how they do in a home.
They’ve fostered many dogs in a short time, and tied for favorites are Daphne and Nala. Daphne was an incredibly shut down dog who had been removed from a rural Mason County property as part of an animal cruelty case back in April 2024. She was wary of new people and environments, and just needed a quiet home where she could decompress and warm up to living indoors with people.
Nala was a senior pit bull who had been adopted in 2019 and returned in early 2024 due to the previous owner facing financial hardship. While a sweet and loving dog, her size and age made it harder to find a fit for her, which meant more time in the shelter. Brendan and Maria gave her the comfort and love of a foster home while she waited for her adoptive family. She finally found her way home six months after being returned.
“Daphne was super sweet despite her sad circumstances and Nala was an absolute unit of a dog who swam, on a leash, of course, with Maria and loved to cuddle. They were both very good girls,” Brendan says.
Maria loves to swim and recently took up scuba diving, however, the foster dogs stay above the surface during their days at the beach.
Brendan and Maria love to talk to their friends and neighbors about the dogs they’re fostering, hyping them up and being advocates for them as they wait to find their families.
Whether it’s for several weeks or just a few days, fostering is incredibly important and rewarding work, and you can see the difference it makes in the pets as they settle and relax. Brendan and Maria encourage anyone to do it as long as they know what they can commit to before going in.
“Be realistic and honest about your limitations and what you are able to take on,” Brendan says. “If you’re able to do it, be sure to practice your snuggling.”
