From Foster Dog to Member of the Family: Diamond’s Story

The year is 2026. Diamond, a black and white American Pitbull Terrier, is napping on a cozy rug, listening to the songs of the birds she shares her home with.

Today, Diamond is an official member of the Sorenson family, but when she first arrived in her soon-to-be home, she was a foster dog from the Humane Society of Utah.

A Hard Time Healing

When Diamond arrived at the Humane Society of Utah back in the fall of 2024, HSU’s licensed veterinary team immediately detected a mass on her right hip. A biopsy revealed that the bump was a Mast Cell Tumor, a common but unpredictable form of skin cancer.

Thankfully, HSU’s Dr. Timna Fischbein was able to successfully excise the entire growth with clean margins. However, Diamond’s happy-go-lucky personality and playfulness were making it very difficult for her incision to heal. Diamond would need to spend time as a foster dog in a home environment where she could be kept both quiet and gently entertained while she recovered from her procedure.

Enter Sage Sorenson, a longtime foster for both HSU and many other shelters across the Salt Lake Valley.

“Diamond was presented to us as a ‘very tough to heal’ post-surgery foster,” Sage said. “We had time and space and decided to take her in!”

A Twist of Fate

During Diamond’s time with Sage and her family, she showed off her velcro-dog personality. She wanted to be by her foster family’s side whenever possible. Diamond charmed them with her love of car rides and the endearing way she played with her toys.

Midway through Diamond’s foster journey, the Sorensons had to leave for a trip, meaning Diamond would be returning to the shelter. This was bittersweet for Sage, as the family had built such a strong connection with their foster dog.

“She was almost healed, and it was a sure guarantee she’d be adopted by the time we got back,” Sage said. “She was sweet, and friendly, and got along with everyone. All our previous fosters were adopted very quickly.”

However, fate had other plans for Diamond and her foster family. While they were on their vacation, they couldn’t get their mind off the sweet pittie. The day they returned, they called HSU to see if Diamond was still available to adopt, and she was!

“We knew it was fate, so we immediately went and picked her up,” Sage said.

From Foster Dog to Meant to Be

Diamond now spends her days with her family. After she joined the pack, the Sorensons rescued another pup named Lumi, and Diamond and her new sister are the best of friends. Other rescue siblings of Diamond’s include snakes and birds, whom Diamond loves to peacefully coexist with.

“Diamond has made my household so bright and happy,” Sage said. “She makes everyone feel a little better on hard days. She will lick your face right off if she senses any sadness from you. Diamond loves getting scratches, popping squeakers out of her toys, and especially loves getting dressed up in cute clothes!”

About a year after her adoption, Diamond had to undergo a second surgery. During her recovery, she and her sister Lumi were separated to allow Diamond to heal. When they went to bed in their adjacent crates every night, they would share a rope toy between the bars, keeping one another close. Diamond has since made a full recovery!

Lumi and Diamond have been spending the lion’s share of their days together, playing outside and participating in training games. Sage says they’re absolutely inseparable.

“I could talk about Diamond forever,” Sage said. “She’s the most perfect baby ever, and I’m forever grateful for her.”

Fostering saves lives! The Humane Society of Utah is always searching for new foster families to join our team, especially for large-breed dogs. Learn more about our program and submit an application for a foster dog today at UtahHumane.org/Foster.