On her way to her local animal shelter a few weeks ago, longtime volunteer Madeline Smith went over her checklist one more time. As always, she had a list of dogs she planned to care for that day—dogs currently available at the shelter who needed walks, cuddles, or just a bit of company. For Smith, it was a routine she followed religiously, making sure she could give her limited time and love to as many pups as possible during her visits. But on that particular day, just as her shift was ending, something unexpected happened—something that would change her life forever.
“I was actually walking down the ward to leave for the day,” Smith recalled, “when something—call it fate, call it divine intervention—made me turn my head. And there she was.”
The “she” Smith was referring to was a dog named Maya. Though Maya hadn’t been on the day’s care list, her presence was impossible to ignore. The moment their eyes met, Maya leapt up from her bed, tail wagging wildly, and eagerly pressed her front paws against the kennel bars. Her eyes, filled with both hope and affection, locked onto Smith’s, silently begging for a chance—a moment of connection that neither of them would forget.
“She stood up and looked at me like she already knew me,” Smith said. “It was like she was saying, ‘Where have you been?’”
Although her heart was immediately drawn to Maya, Smith hadn’t come to the shelter planning to foster or adopt. She’d fostered 54 dogs before and was about to leave on a trip. Timing wasn’t on her side, and she left the shelter that evening trying to convince herself that it just wasn’t meant to be.
But when she got home, Smith couldn’t stop thinking about the dog who wasn’t on the list—the dog who reached out to her in that one spontaneous moment.
“I couldn’t get her out of my mind,” she admitted. “It was like her face was etched into my memory. And when I saw that she’d ended up on the euthanasia list, I knew I had to do something. That was it.”
Without hesitation, Smith jumped into action. Although she was already away on vacation, she knew time was running out to rescue Maya. She reached out to her rescue network, and a fellow volunteer named Amairany immediately stepped up. Amairany offered to pull Maya from the shelter and foster her temporarily until Smith returned home.
Thanks to Amairany’s quick help, Maya was saved just in time. She transitioned smoothly into her temporary home, even becoming fast friends with Amairany’s 6-year-old son. For Smith, this was yet another reminder of the incredible community that surrounds animal rescue work.
“It’s so much easier doing rescue when you’re not alone,” Smith said. “The support from people like Amairany makes everything possible.”
When Smith returned from her trip, Maya officially became her foster dog. At home, Maya met the rest of her temporary family—Smith’s husband, their dog Margot, and a cat named Barry. From the start, Maya seemed to know she was in the right place.
“She just fit in right away,” Smith said. “It was like she’d always been part of the family. Even Barry, who’s usually a bit aloof with new dogs, warmed up to her quickly.”
Over the next several weeks, Maya settled into her new life while undergoing treatment for heartworms. Smith had been through the fostering process dozens of times before, helping each dog heal and eventually find a permanent home. She had always known how to let go, even when it was hard. But with Maya, something was different.
“She had this way of looking at you that just melted your heart,” Smith said. “And she brought this sense of peace and joy into our home that was impossible to ignore.”
Still, Smith reminded herself that fostering was her mission. If she adopted Maya, she wouldn’t have room to foster more dogs in the future. It was a heartbreaking realization—one that kept her up at night.
“I cried about it for weeks,” she confessed. “My husband had to hear me go back and forth so many times. Deep down, I think we both knew what the right decision was, but I couldn’t bring myself to make it.”
At one point, Smith jokingly told her husband that she didn’t care what they decided as long as it was his fault either way. That way, she wouldn’t have to live with the guilt of making the wrong choice.
So he made the decision for her.
On Mother’s Day, Smith’s husband handed her a card. Inside were Maya’s official adoption papers. Smith was overwhelmed with emotion. The tears, the confusion, the late-night doubts—it all faded the moment she realized that Maya was no longer just a foster dog. She was family.
“He’s such a good man,” Smith said, smiling through tears. “I’m so lucky. We’re all so lucky to have Maya in our lives now.”
In the months since her adoption, Maya has flourished. Her bond with Margot has only grown stronger—they spend nearly every moment together, playing, napping, and exploring the backyard. Barry, the family’s cat, has since passed away, but Maya often visits his little memorial shelf and lays there quietly, as if paying her respects.
Now, Maya is getting ready for her next big role: becoming a big sister. Smith is expecting a baby soon, and Maya has taken to curling up next to her belly every day, protective and calm.
“She’s already showing signs of being an amazing big sister,” Smith said. “She just knows.”
For the Smiths, Maya’s story is a perfect reminder that sometimes, the best things in life are the ones you didn’t plan for. She was their 55th foster dog, and the first one they ever adopted—a so-called “foster fail” that turned into a lifelong success.
“If you can let go of the first few fosters, it really does get easier,” Smith reflected. “But then, one day, a dog like Maya walks into your life—and suddenly, letting go doesn’t feel right anymore. You just know.”
And for Madeline Smith, knowing was all it took.
