I need some help crafting a "Take Me Home" letter for my foster *long*

[grissom_mom]

I've never fostered before, and I'm finding it a wonderfully rewarding experience. However, I am horrible at selling things, and finding a home for a foster with issues seems to me sorta like selling something, marketing if you will. I've written up a LONG page with much information about Remy, but I would really appreciate any help you guys could give me on polishing it up and making Remy sound wonderful.

I want her to sound awesome (because she is) so people will want to meet her and see how cute and lovely she is, but I don't want to conceal that she has some issues that need work and will need a loving home with someone who is dedicated to helping her through those. I'm having trouble finding the right balance without scaring off potential adopters before they even meet her.

Without further ado:

Remy the snugglebug Chi/Yorkie mix

Remy is a rescue from the Las Vegas shelter that I’ve been fostering for the last few weeks. She’s looking for a wonderful forever home. She seems to be a Chihuahua/Yorkshire Terrier/Jack Russell mix, though of course I don’t know for sure. She weighs about 8 lbs and is about 2 years old. Remy had a litter of pups sometime recently before she was surrendered to the shelter. She has a wire hair coat and the softest head and ears! She is spayed and up to date on vaccinations. I think she would do great in an apartment or condo if someone was home a lot and she was properly exercised, and of course she would be fine in a house.

The Good:
Remy is adorable, so snuggly, loves to cuddle, hug, sleep with you, lay with you on the couch, just wants to be a lovebug, and she would be more than happy to be carried everywhere though I can’t recommend that if you want her to gain any independence.
Remy is a good walker on leash and loves to explore the neighborhood with you twice a day! She rides well in the car. Remy loves the dog park and is friendly with most dogs there. Smart and picks things up fairly quickly. I started kennel training her as soon as she came to my home just over two weeks ago and she’s already fine with it, though sometimes she needs a stuffed Kong to distract her while you leave the house.

The Bad:
Not completely housebroken. Remy will go potty outside if I take her out on a leash and tell her to “do her business” and sometimes if the weather is nice she’ll take herself out the dog door. The rest of the time, if she needs to go to the bathroom, she’ll go off in a corner or another room and do her business inside! I honestly believe Remy will pick up proper housebreaking with consistent reinforcement by her loving family.
She scrounges for food. She can and will dig and climb if she is bored, unexercised and unoccupied. As a small chi/terrier mix, she does have a sharp bark, but she is learning the “hush” command fairly well and seems to be differentiating barking a few times to alert you vs. barking constantly to amuse herself or because she is in the “zone.”
My cat hates her but my friend’s cat didn’t mind her, so I’m not really sure on the cat issue.
She is possessive of her person when meeting a new dog in a personal home but has come to be friendly with some of the dogs she has met and she gets along great with my 2 yr old neutered male corgi, so as far as other dogs, I think it’s a matter of meeting them.

The Ugly:
There is no ugly, she’s adorable!!! Meet her for yourself, you’ll fall for her little gremlin ears and big loving eyes.

For more information on Remy or to meet her, please call Alex at
For information on adopting Remy or other small dogs, please contact Connie at Take Me Home Rescue,

Thanks Everyone!

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[RawFedDogs]

I too think its a little wordy. You don't have to say everything in this letter. You can tell some of the things after a person shows enough interest to inquire. In this letter I would write is:

Remy is a rescue from the Las Vegas shelter. She appears to be a Chihuahua/Yorkshire Terrier/Jack Russell mix about 2 years old. She weighs 8lbs. She is spayed and up to date on her shots. She recently had a litter of pups before she was surrendered. She is very sweet and loves to snuggle. She walks well on a leash and rides well in a car. She is very smart, good with most dogs, and is crate trained.

She is mostly house trained and is making great progress. She still has a few accidents. She is good with most cats and good with most dogs once she gets to know them.

For more information on Remy or to meet her, please call Alex at
For information on adopting Remy or other small dogs, please contact Connie at Take Me Home Rescue,

Thanks Everyone!

I think that is enough information to gain enough interest to begin a conversation about her. I still wouldn't stress the bad points too much but be honest if asked. You might say things in conversation like, "Well, sometimes she can get a little barky" or "She can be a little snot sometimes when meeting new dogs but once she gets to know them she is ok." Everytime you say something bad about her, immediately follow that sentence about a good point. "Well, sometimes she can get a little barky and she is very well crate trained." "She has been known to dig sometimes and she sure loves to cuddle." "She's not completely house broken but she walks well on a leash."

Minimize the negative and emphasize the positive. You ARE doing a selling job here. You want to be careful not to scare potential owners away. The people you eventually want to take her home will experienced enough to know a dog like that can dig and bark. You don't have to go over and over those points.

Remember I have never adopted out an animal so I may be full of it.

[grissom_mom]

RFD, I like how you summarized my "book" into exactly what I wanted to say! That's what I was trying to get at, but I just kept thinking of more and more things I wanted to tell potential parents. You are right, however, that she will be going only to parents who are experienced enough to know she can be a barker/digger. I also like the always follow a negative with a positive, I'll try hard to do that. Thanks!