When dogs from shelters are fostered in a home environment, they often need time to acclimate to their surroundings. Foster parents need to treat these fur babies with a lot of tenderness and patience since they may have a strong hesitancy to trust.
Sherlock the foster dog wasn’t ready to venture out too far from his crate for the first few weeks in his new home. Finally, he took a major step of courage and it paid off.
In the TikTok from @themobtrio, the shaggy black dog looked up with a sweet expression and stepped slowly out of his crate. Any foot forward was a big victory for Sherlock.
“Our fearful foster has barely left his crate in 19 days,” the onscreen text explained. “When we first got him, we kept his world very small while he settled in.”
Sherlock’s foster parents created a little extra space outside of his crate so he would be able to walk around while not feeling overwhelmed. They also tried encouraging him with treats to help him push past what he considered his safe place.
“We’ve slowly been teaching him how to take up space, and sometimes he was very brave, even if it was scary,” the story continued as the video showed Sherlock wandering over to the kitchen for some food before running back to his crate.
Sherlock Took Steps of Courage
Finally, after 19 days, Sherlock walked all the way into the kitchen to his foster mom’s welcoming hands.
“Even though it can feel like the scariest thing in the world, he is finally learning that our home is safe, and that our touch is safe too,” the onscreen text shared as Sherlock’s mom praised him with lots of affection.
Related: Foster Dog Bravely Tries to Take Bite of Chicken From Mom’s Hand and We’re Cheering
The precious pooch also felt secure enough to snuggle with his foster dad and gave him some kisses. Since Sherlock is getting the lots of love and positive attention, he will most likely continue to flourish under the gentle care of his foster parents.
“I can’t wait to see him learn to take up all the space he wants,” the video concluded, with the caption adding, “You don’t have to make yourself small anymore, Sherlock.”
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This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Dec 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.