A hotel in Mississippi has managed to find forever families for over 60 homeless dogs through its innovative Fostering Hope program, which enables guests to look after the hotel’s foster dog during their stay.
The initiative was started in 2018 by Teresa Johnston, the director of sales at Home2 Suites by Hilton in Biloxi North/D’Iberville, after she decided that having a pet at the hotel would make guests feel more at home. She partnered with the local Humane Society to transform the hotel into a canine foster home, taking on one dog at a time.
Guests interact with the foster dog, walking, feeding, and providing love and care for him or her. If one of them falls in love with the pup (and the pup with the guest), he or she can adopt the lucky canine. The hotel will then foster another dog, and the cycle continues.
“[The guests] were missing something, I could see it,” Johnston told Insider. “They were missing home, and they were missing animals. I thought, ‘why can’t we put the two together?’”
The Fostering Hope scheme has found loving forever homes for more than 60 dogs (Image Credit: Dog hotel Home2 Suites by Hilton Biolxi North/D’Iberville)
It’s not only guests who team up with the resident dogs — members of the hotel’s staff have created special bonds with the pets too.
One employee, Vincent Nargot, adopted a chihuahua named Chico through the program. After Johnston picked up the little dog from the Humane Society, she immediately contacted Nargot.
“She said ‘you better have your $50 [adoption fee] ready,'” Nargot recalls. “She walks in with the dog [and] made it two feet in the hotel and I was like, ‘Yep [he’s] mine.'”
Johnston now wishes to extend the Fostering Hope initiative to other Home2Suites hotel sites.
A lovely idea!
Ma Didi , copie conforme , que j’avais adoptée , battue par son vigile de propriétaire , elle avait 18 mois , 10 ans d’amour total !!
I love what you’re doing. Restores my faith in humanity!
Hjelp dyrene
Can’t make friendly comment
I know Mississippi had the worst record for animal welfare in the country. Comes to tell you that there are angels everywhere hiding in the right places.
great idea!
The next time I travel, I’ll try to find a Home2Suites place.
Wonderful news — GREAT people behind the decision to help rescue Animals — THANK YOU — WE LOVE YOU.
What a WONDERFUL IDEA! I also heard about a brewing company that is going to put rescue dogs available for adoption on their cans. Additionally, a Pizza restaurant is working with a rescue shelter & are going to put photos of dogs available for adoption on their pizza boxes. The owner of the pizza place is also giving $50 gift certificates to those who’ve adopted dogs& come into the restaurant with their adoption papers! I truly believe MORE businesses need to participate in this!!
I wish all hotels would do this. What a brilliant initiative. God bless ’em.
What a great idea and god bless this lady
What a great idea it’s one way to find these dogs a loving home and get them off the street
As long as they go to people that really want to look after the dogs that they adopt.
Well done to that Hotel for doing something to help these animals, it’s a pity that other states dont follow
it would get more dogs off the street and out of kill shelters!!
Wonderful!!! Such a beautiful thing!!
What a great idea!!
Well done, Teresa. This is great work.
I love this story. I hope this can be taken on in different countries as well.