Fostering

[TxMom]

Some friends of mine are considering fostering for the rescue group we got Livi from. I know the rescue group will talk with them about everything, but for those of y'all who have fostered before, could you share some of the major ups and downs and "wish I'd known's"? I feel sort of responsible for their interest so I'd like to be sure they go in with their eyes open. I've never fostered before and am just starting to volunteer with this group, so I don't know a lot.

[JohnLloydJones]

Well, you learn a lot, fostering. Everything from cleaning carpets after accidents, to understanding how to interact with dogs and how they expect to interact with us. I don't have any major "wish I'd known"s to share, maybe because I grew up with a wet-nosed sibling.

Often, rescues know nothing about a dog's prior history and just a brief evaluation before they are sent to a foster home. I use the three threes rule of thumb; 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months to evaluate milestones (take those numbers as extremely rough estimates). The first period is just about letting the dog de-compress. Everything is low key; let the dog set the pace. [Fastest guy I had was Bryn, who took 1 hour. Slowest were the Texas dogs, Taff and Amber, who took weeks].

The next period has the focus of earning the dog's trust and respect. You and your foster charge are learning to know each other. The third phase is about teaching the dog to be a good companion and help the dog show its best side to potential adopters.

Along the way, you will run into problems. Your rescue colleagues will be able to help. This site has a wealth of advice.

Most of all, you need to remember that you are the dog's advocate. Your role is to further your foster dog's interests. To speak on behalf of him (or her). To negotiate for your dog.

All this as preparation for that bittersweet day when you wave goodbye as your ex-foster drives off with their new family. And then the unbearable emptiness until your next foster arrives and the cycle begins again.

[Blackdawgs]

I've had a very bad experience fostering. I would speak to former fosters for that group before letting any dog into your home. There needs to be a plan in place for the vet, if the dog should get sick in your care and for routine stuff. I had to pay veterinary expenses out of my pocket (hundreds of dollars) and it took forever to get reimbursed. I ate much of it as a "donation". You need to find out about insurance--if the dog should bite someone in your care, are you stuck with the mess? If there are other dogs in the home, the new comer should be quarantined for 2 weeks, if it came from a shelter. And transports are full of disease as well.

 

What will happen to the dog if you have to leave town?

 

I can go on and on, but I think that I hit the high points above. Be very careful. Some rescues are really overextended and that is not something that an adopter would see.

[gcv-border]

I agree that you should review carefully the policies of the rescue group wrt the role of the foster parents and how they are supported by the rescue group. Most certainly speak to existing foster parents for the group. Like anything, you have to do your due diligence.

 

Having said that, I have had good experiences with the dogs I have fostered and the rescue group I volunteer with. Every dog is a gamble, but common sense goes a long way with probably greater than 90 - 95% of the dogs. It is amazing to see how they adapt and can overcome problems.

 

I really like JohnLloydJones response - particularly the part about allowing the dog to decompress.

 

One note to add: be prepared for the long haul. Sometimes a dog that I think will be easily adoptable, can take a long time before someone even puts in an app, much less is a good match -- and the opposite has also happened (a dog that I don't think is very attractive might be snatched up quickly) When I started fostering, I was told that the average foster time for the group was about 3 weeks. I don't know how that person came up with that number, but it is usually longer than that (but not much on average).

[JohnLloydJones]

Clearly people have different experiences, fostering. Mine have all been positive.

Different rescue groups will have different rules about vet expenses, so it is important to familiarise yourself with your rescue's policies. Most rescues are not flush with money, so they eke out what they have very carefully.

[WildFlower]

Be sure that your friends get the "manual" for fostering from that group. (Or guidelines, rules, policies, procedures, whatever it is called for that group.) They should review that and then ask any questions that they may have from whomever on-boards new fosters.

 

All rescues operate differently - some very differently than others.

[Beach BCs]

I've had mostly good experiences. One not so great and one true heartbreak. In the rescue I'm with I was able to make the medical decisions (with consulting the BOD). I paid for food and any training. But the rescue covered flea and HW preventative. Frequently there was a distribution of leashes, harnesses, collars, sometimes food and treats through donations. Everyone in the rescue was very helpful. I haven't fostered in a while though. I finally failed Fostering 101 (the dog in my avatar) and the inn is full. I did enjoy fostering...most of the time. I have to confess, when I knew I had found a great placement for a dog I wasn't sad to see them leave. They were with the person they were meant to be with. I was happy for them. And my dogs were quite happy to have me to themselves again...at least for a little while.

[alligande]

I have also had good experiences fostering. We do though set boundaries, we will only foster border collies (no suspect mixes) and the dog can not have too many known behavarioul problems. We have happily taken on scared dogs, but we would not take on a very aggressive dog. We will also only foster for groups that are active in finding homes for their dogs, I know people who have had fosters for a long time, the longest we have had one is for 3 months and we felt that was to long, although he ended up moving next door and has a great home.

We have always paid for the food even though the rescues have offered to buy food. The rescues we have worked with have always covered the vets bills, but we have never had a dog that needed major medical help.

[TxMom]

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses! I'll pass them on. I'm also hoping that fostering may be in the future for me, but not in our current life stage. Nice to be able to think this far ahead!

[D'Elle]

My experience with fostering has been 90% positive. I always encourage anyone who is considering it to go ahead and do it, because the good almost always outweighs the bad. Be sure they will take a dog off your hands if the situation is sufficiently bad or dangerous for anyone.

 

One thing that I think is very important as part of doing due diligence and knowing all of the rescue's rules and boundaries and financial support policies, is to be sure that the person who is fostering the dog has final say as to who adopts the dog. I absolutely would never foster for a rescue that did not give me that say, because I know the dog better than anyone else and will not spend my time, energy, and love on a dog who might then be given to an inappropriate home.

 

I have had my own animals injured by fosters, have been injured myself, and have had property items destroyed. I think that the person fostering has to be able to roll with that and deal with it without panic or hating the foster dog, who is often confused and frightened. A good dose of caution and close observation of all animals involved goes a long way toward preventing such occurrences.

 

I think the best thing I have gotten out of fostering is what I have learned. Those dogs taught me more than I could have gotten out of dozens of classes and hundreds of books. The most challenging ones taught me the most. They gave me so much that I will always feel in their debt.

 

I had foster dogs lengths of time from three weeks to a year and a half. People always say "But....don't you get attached?" (as if that were a bad thing). I say, yes, I do. Almost always I like the dog; sometimes I love the dog and a couple of times I have fallen in love with the dog. Many were hard to let go. But the process of loving someone and letting them go is a wonderful process in and of itself. It teaches you so much; it opens your heart. And then you take in another one and love that one, and again. There is no other experience like it, and it has been more valuable to me than most anything else I have done in my life. When I have moments of feeling that I have been useless in my life, I remember Kelso and a few others, and know that I did do something good a time or two.

 

Go into fostering with your eyes open. Make sure you know what you are getting into with regard to how the rescue operates.

But just as important, go into fostering with your heart wide open. It will be filled to overflowing, time and again.