Fostering Animals


havejoy
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Have anyone ever been a foster 'parent' for dogs?

Our Vet asked us to do this and we go fill out the paperwork in the morning. Will we be responsible for Vet bills? Will they inspect our home to make sure we have dog proof latches on our cupboards and dog proof inserts in our power points?

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*DO NOT* do this. Speaking from experience this is a terrible idea. More often than not the animal you receive is not domesticated and is wild or abused. You will suffer much damage as well as being under a watchful eye. I had a canine chew through a wall and 14/2 and end up being electrocuted. *I* had to explain why I left him alone in the home to get more food and I was constantly viewed with disdain and contempt. They actually insinuated it was a "trap" and willful abuse.

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We have un-officially fostered before for our vet. The 8 puppies she got this morning are in the custody of Animal control though so we have to go thru the paperwork process. I don't see it as a problem. We only do chihuahuas and medical emergencies. Neither is likely to do much damage.

Besides, all 3 of the dogs who own us are rescue dogs who had been abused. We help them get better.

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I don't know. I had a friend (I say had because she has passed away) that fostered animals all the time from the humane society. She absolutely loved it. In fact she was named one of Utah's women of the year for her work in this. She felt it was such a worthwhile cause to keep some of the animals from being euthanized and she was always able to find homes for the dogs she fostered.

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We were originally thinking about fostering children but my hubby wisely decided I should foster dogs first to see how it went. I have a hard time letting the dogs go even though I know they are going to good homes. My Vet is really picky. We decided I can't foster children because if they got put back in a dangerous situation I might end up in jail. (only half joking)

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Fostering dogs is for experienced people who love dogs and know what to do with them. This applies to fostering any animal. Fostering is when you take care of the dog until it can be placed into a permanent home. This means - ALL the care you need for a dog - food, water, exercise, grooming, medical, behavior training/correction, love. If you have to ask what your house needs to properly house a dog, then you should not foster one.

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If you have to ask what your house needs to properly house a dog, then you should not foster one.

Not necessarily. Sometimes there are more stringent guidelines in place for fostering than there might be for someone who has their own animals. Same with fostering children. I never had any of the safety things in outlets etc...but that is sometimes a requirement of the state in which you might be fostering children.

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I just went to an ehow sight and apparently the foster program pays for medical most of the time. Sometimes they also pay for food.

We know how to take care of dogs. We have 3 of our own and have un-officially fostered in the past for our Vet.

I was just wondering what the official rules are, if anyone knows them.

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I don't know what the official rules are..but I would imagine one of them would be that your own dogs shots are up to date. Not only for their health and safety but the health and safety of the dogs you might foster.

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You may be required to fill out a foster application form. It usually poses questions like: Do you rent or own? If you lease, are you allowed to foster animals? What is your work schedule? How many hours per day will the animal be crated? Do you have children in the household? Do you have your own pets? Are they spayed or neutered? Etc etc.

And you may have an inspector come out and check your residency for safety precautions too.

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You may be required to fill out a foster application form. It usually poses questions like: Do you rent or own? If you lease, are you allowed to foster animals? What is your work schedule? How many hours per day will the animal be crated? Do you have children in the household? Do you have your own pets? Are they spayed or neutered? Etc etc.

And you may have an inspector come out and check your residency for safety precautions too.

We should be good to go then. Both of us are retired, we have a fenced in back yard, an animal never gets crated, no kids, everyone is current on everything and all are spayed.

I was concerned about not having a fire extinguisher in the house or other things that might not be so obvious.

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We should be good to go then. Both of us are retired, we have a fenced in back yard, an animal never gets crated, no kids, everyone is current on everything and all are spayed.

I was concerned about not having a fire extinguisher in the house or other things that might not be so obvious.

Being retired is perfect for fostering and or volunteering in pet rescue :] Just remember, that crating is necessary whenever an animal is left alone unsupervised. It is for their own safety. Oh and while I'm thinking about this.. With puppies, it's much easier to "blend" them into your current pack at home. Whichever dog in your household is alpha, will "teach" and guide the pups, showing them what is and isn't acceptable. The pups will quickly learn their place :] However, with adult dogs, it can become much more tedious and sometimes you'll find an alpha and an alpha proving themselves by aggressive behaviour. In which case, you may find yourself using the "crate & rotate" technique, which isn't an ideal situation for the pack. So that's something to consider when you foster in the future.

Anyway, there are many odds to defeat and challenges to face. But for the battles won, it is very rewarding to see a forgotten and abandoned dog or cat, find his forever home. You'll find that you'll fall in love with your fosters and it will be hard to let them go BUT when that time comes—you know you've done your job :]

I don't know about your particular situation but as a foster parent, you are likely responsible for arranging visitations and screening potential owners, that are interested in your foster/s. The applicant form won't be much different than the one you may be required to fill out.

Anyway, I've been an advocate for animal welfare for many years and used to do a lot of PAWS volunteering back in the day. My schedule now doesn't permit me to be as involved but my hat's off to you for your efforts and dedication in this worthwhile endeavour :]

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Not necessarily. Sometimes there are more stringent guidelines in place for fostering than there might be for someone who has their own animals. Same with fostering children. I never had any of the safety things in outlets etc...but that is sometimes a requirement of the state in which you might be fostering children.

Fostering children requirements are dictated by State Law. Fostering dogs requirements are established by the Rescue organization you are affiliated with. Since this is for a vet, the vet provides the requirements. Therefore, WE here in this forum who do not know the vet cannot answer what is required in addition to the standard requirements for responsible pet ownership. And, just because you have a pet doesn't necessarily mean you know what is needed to be a responsible pet owner.

I'm sorry. I did not mean to sound negative. I have worked with rescue since forever - from the Philippines even. Yes, the same country who has no problem eating dogs. I know this is an online forum and that tone/expression in posts are not easily conveyed. But I got a nagging feeling when I read the OP. It got stronger when I read the "will never crate" comment.

Although, I have to say, since the vet suggested it, then the vet trusts that the OP is a responsible pet owner.

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It isn't for a Vet even though she did recommend us. It's for an animal rescue group that she works with. This Vet is awesome and word has gotten around town that she hates to see an animal put down if it can possibly be saved so people bring strays to her all the time. We have fostered several of these strays in the past.

This situation is different though because someone brought in 8 puppies to the dog rescue group and two of them had to have front legs amputated. These are/were the ones she wanted us to take. One of the puppies died during surgery.

The rescue group is requiring us to fill out the paperwork, which we did this morning.

I guess I don't understand the need to crate because it hasn't ever come up with the dogs we've taken care of. I normally just stay with them until they work out their pecking order which has never taken more than 3 days. I am open to the idea if it is necessary though.

I really just want to do what's best for the dog, whatever that ends up being.

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My two cents as a Prossional Dog trainer is:

Crating is improtant. Yes there are some dogs that do not need to be crated, I have one now that is rarely crated. That being said I also had two foster puppies that had to be crated when not being watched. Those two chewed everything in site, got into things that I would never have guessed they would have. An example is the ash from the fire place lol To me pecking order is not the most important reason for crating. Until the dog has earned the trust by not chewing or getting into things they shouldn't they should be crated unless supervised. With some breeds, like large/giant breed dogs that takes longer as they mature much slower than smaller dogs.

The dogs will work out their own pecking order in time although all interactions should be supervised and it depends on the breed of dog as well. Some breed should never be alone with another animal. Breeds that are dog agressive are an example of that. Puppies are given a "pass" so to speak with older dogs until they are about 4 months old or so. Older dogs will allow a puppy to do behaviors they would never allow another older dog to do.

Medical costs for care "usually" are payed for by the rescue but not always.

*ETA*

I no longer foster as the two that I did foster never left our home ;)

Edited by Loving_Wife
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It isn't for a Vet even though she did recommend us. It's for an animal rescue group that she works with. This Vet is awesome and word has gotten around town that she hates to see an animal put down if it can possibly be saved so people bring strays to her all the time. We have fostered several of these strays in the past.

This situation is different though because someone brought in 8 puppies to the dog rescue group and two of them had to have front legs amputated. These are/were the ones she wanted us to take. One of the puppies died during surgery.

The rescue group is requiring us to fill out the paperwork, which we did this morning.

I guess I don't understand the need to crate because it hasn't ever come up with the dogs we've taken care of. I normally just stay with them until they work out their pecking order which has never taken more than 3 days. I am open to the idea if it is necessary though.

I really just want to do what's best for the dog, whatever that ends up being.

I don't crate my dogs while I'm home because I am physically there to supervise them. Crating is only necessary when they cannot be supervised (ie. when you're out running errands etc etc) or as I mentioned before about aggressive behaviour that doesn't subside.

Aww, poor pup :[ My mum had a rescue Chihuahua that was a "tripod" and she named him Stubs. He was the runt of his litter and full grown he never weighed more than about 2.5lbs. He was very small and very fragile. But even with his three legs, he was able to outrun our other family dog, that is also a Chihuahua. Unfortunately, last year we had to put him down because of an injury to one of his back legs. A friend of mine that is a vet couldn't do the surgery because he was so small but referred us to a specialist in Vegas. After talking with that vet, the risks were still very high and there were no guarantees in a successful outcome. So we opted to send him to rainbow bridge. It was heartbreaking but it was no life for him in that condition.

OK sorry for my long posts! Animals are a passionate subject for me. I could post one story after another.. :Þ

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never fostered an animal. best i understand they typically pay medical bills but the foster parent feeds them etc. i would guess each dog rescue has different requirements. my sis has a dog rescue. i got my dog from a dog rescue (not my sis, she wasn't in business when i got my dog). she has been one of the best dogs we've ever had. we got her as an adult and she had been exposed to kids and animals so the foster home was a great resource in knowing if she would be a good fit for our home. i would go through a dog rescue again if we get another. if i didn't have so many kids i would consider fostering a dog.

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This rescue group pays for everything except room and board. It's run completely by volunteers and entirely on donations. Looks like I'll be getting involved an car washes and bake sells soon. Also, we'll probably be paying for some of the medical care just to save the rescue group some money.

We can't foster any large dogs because we're afraid our chihuahuas would kill them. Don't laugh....they could choke on our dogs. :P

Our chihuahuas don't like large dogs though so we won't even try again, it was too traumatic for the large dog and our little ones the few times we've tried. So just chihuahuas and puppies for us.

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It isn't for a Vet even though she did recommend us. It's for an animal rescue group that she works with. This Vet is awesome and word has gotten around town that she hates to see an animal put down if it can possibly be saved so people bring strays to her all the time. We have fostered several of these strays in the past.

This situation is different though because someone brought in 8 puppies to the dog rescue group and two of them had to have front legs amputated. These are/were the ones she wanted us to take. One of the puppies died during surgery.

The rescue group is requiring us to fill out the paperwork, which we did this morning.

I guess I don't understand the need to crate because it hasn't ever come up with the dogs we've taken care of. I normally just stay with them until they work out their pecking order which has never taken more than 3 days. I am open to the idea if it is necessary though.

I really just want to do what's best for the dog, whatever that ends up being.

Okay, since you're done rescue before, then you can already know what to expect in these dogs. Amputees are not your regular pet dogs, and that's what I was worried about that somebody without much knowledge about dogs beyond the "I had a pet dog once" may not be prepared to foster.

Okay, this is normally how rescues work. You've probably noticed all the questions they have in the application form are general questions to gauge if you are qualified for fostering - it usually has some questions about your household, experiences with dog care and training and what kind of place the dog will be in. After they review the application and they say okay to your fostering, you will sign a foster agreement with them which outlines everything they expect from you and everything you can expect from them. There's usually a manual that comes with it which is very detailed. Read this through very carefully. This will answer all your questions. If anything in the manual makes you uncomfortable, bring it up with the rescue group immediately - BEFORE they give you a dog to foster.

Okay, crate training is beneficial in rescued dogs. I would even go so far to say that it is essential. It is beneficial for pets even and I recommend it to everybody who has pet dogs. It is not just for housebreaking pets. It is a safe environment that the dog will come to know as his "den". It is a dog's nature - having been descended from the wolves - to find a den in the wild to sleep in - and feel safe in. All puppies - in the manner of wolves - need a den. Hiding under the bed, or under a table, or in one corner of a house is not sufficient for a dog's needs as it doesn't have 3 enclosed sides. A laundry room, or a fenced-in kitchen does not serve as a den because it is too big. A den is the first place for puppy training. It is where the puppy will learn first and foremost cleanliness, safety, and comfort. A puppy will never mess in his crate unless he cannot hold it anymore - or the crate is too big he only occupies one corner of it as his den.

The crate serves a purpose beyond potty training. It is a puppy's safe zone from strangers/other pets/visitors/excited toddlers/loud TV/anything that makes him feel unsure of his surroundings. This is especially important for rescued dogs who come into foster care with apprehension.

Also, the crate can serve as a "time out" place for a dog that he can associate with safety and comfort. When the dog gets too rumbunctious and you don't have the time to train him at that particular moment, sending the dog to his crate is something you can do to tell him, this is where you are safe so it is not that i'm punishing you.

Anytime you leave the house, putting the dog in his crate will keep him feeling safe and secure and at the same time you can feel safe and secure that he is not running amok in your house or digging holes in your yard or getting bit by snakes, etc. It will also teach him to be apart from you without feeling too much anxiety (he will at first, when he can't associate the crate with safety and comfort yet, but he will learn).

And, lastly, when the dog is adopted, the crate will go with him to make the transition to his new home much easier.

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Thank you. Lots of good info in there. I guess I should get a crate for each dog then? How much bigger than the dog should the crate be? Small enough to feel secure but not too big so....twice as tall and twice as long as the dog?

Chihuahuas like to burrow and get cold easily so we have pillows with heating pads inside the pillow cases and then blankets on top of that so they can burrow under the blanket. Do you think this is good enough and then they could take their pillow and blanket with them or do they need crates also?

edit to add: We went thru an hour long interview this morning. It was intense but I got to hold our little amputee during the entire time. We have signed the papers and are waiting for the inspector to check out the house. They told us what to expect so I don't anticipate any problems.

Edited by havejoy
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This rescue group pays for everything except room and board. It's run completely by volunteers and entirely on donations. Looks like I'll be getting involved an car washes and bake sells soon. Also, we'll probably be paying for some of the medical care just to save the rescue group some money.

We can't foster any large dogs because we're afraid our chihuahuas would kill them. Don't laugh....they could choke on our dogs. :P

Our chihuahuas don't like large dogs though so we won't even try again, it was too traumatic for the large dog and our little ones the few times we've tried. So just chihuahuas and puppies for us.

The lovely thing about Chis is that they get along awesomely with other Chis. Of course, there can be exceptions to that statement, especially when poorly bred and with ill temperaments. But otherwise they tend to feel "safer" with their own kind. And as you already know, they don't tend to do so well with other breeds.

You should post pix! I would love to see them if the foster option goes through :]

Oh and about the crate size: the dog should be able to stand-up without any problems. With pups it's a bit annoying because they grow, obviously, so you're looking at upgrading crates every few months depending on the breed and its growth. The nice thing about Chis is that they don't need anything too large. Like you said, Chis are notorious for burrowing underneath blankets etc etc. But as long as they're covered—they're happy. I would still suggest crating them as this makes the transition from your home to their new home much easier.

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Thank you. Lots of good info in there. I guess I should get a crate for each dog then? How much bigger than the dog should the crate be? Small enough to feel secure but not too big so....twice as tall and twice as long as the dog?

Chihuahuas like to burrow and get cold easily so we have pillows with heating pads inside the pillow cases and then blankets on top of that so they can burrow under the blanket. Do you think this is good enough and then they could take their pillow and blanket with them or do they need crates also?

edit to add: We went thru an hour long interview this morning. It was intense but I got to hold our little amputee during the entire time. We have signed the papers and are waiting for the inspector to check out the house. They told us what to expect so I don't anticipate any problems.

The crate should not be bigger than what the puppy needs to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably stretched out on its side. So, no, not twice as tall nor twice as long - much smaller than that. If this is a puppy that will grow big fast, size your crate for adult-size but put a divider in it. There are a lot of crates for sale at the pet store that come with dividers, or you can make your own. The blanket is not enough for untrained puppies. It will need to be something you can lock. The door will remain closed until the puppy is well-trained (not just potty trained, but behavior trained as well) and trusted then the door can be gotten rid of.

It looks like it's all a go! Yeah, pictures would be great! Sounds like those dogs have a winner foster mom.

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Some crates come with a divider so that you can enlarge the crate as they grow. Without the divider I would have spent a ton on crates seeing as how all of my personal dogs have been large/giant breed dogs. Not only should they be able to stand up but they need to be able to turn around and lay down. I'll try and find a picture of my Rott when he was little in his crate. It gives you an idea of how the crate should fit.

Off to find the picture now ;)

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Okay, I think I know what I need. I'll get a small for future Chihuahuas but for our little amputee I need a big one with a divider Shes a bulldog/lab mix.

I just got a phone call from the rescue group and they have a potential forever family already but they won't be able to come get her for a couple of weeks. This family already has a three legged large dog that was injured by a car when it was running wild before it was rescued. Makes me hope they name her lucky because I think they will be perfect for her.

Going to the pet store now. Thanks everyone. I feel way more prepared now.

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