# Tell me about fostering



## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

I have been thinking about the possibility of fostering for awhile and now that we are in the process of purchasing our own home I think that it may be a do-able thing in the near future. I know there are several people here that currently foster or have in the past, so I would like some input from you guys about how things work.

My husband and I are about halfway through the process of purchasing our first home. We are hoping to be starting the move the first week of February. The new house has a decent sized fenced backyard, all we have to do is add a gate across the driveway. 

We have 3 pets right now. Luke is our 10 month old lab/golden. He is a very loving and playful dog, has never shown any aggression to any animal. He's a pretty submissive dog, especially when first meeting new dogs. We just signed up for our first obedience class (just basic stuff). I have done lots of training with him but want to take him to a formal class for both of our benefits.

Then we have the 2 cats, Rocky and Chloe. Rocky enjoys Luke's company most days, they play together and occasionally nap together. Chloe prefers to be left alone. But both cats are "dog friendly" as in they coexist well.

As far as work goes, I train horses and work from about 12-6pm right now, 4 days a week, with weekends off. In the summer I will be working some weekends and possibly more hours as we will start going to horse shows. My husband is a grad student, working towards his PhD in criminal justice. He takes about 6-8 hours of classes and works 20-30 hrs/week for professors. In the summer he will not have classes but will pick up 40hrs/wk of work. Luckily, he does most of his work from home and if gone is only out a few hours.

I feel like once we get settled into the new house in a couple months we could be in a great position to foster a dog. We both have very flexible work schedules and have a pretty stable lifestyle. 

So, what can you tell me about fostering? Do you think we would be good candidates? 

How do you decide which rescue(s) to work with? Do you usually stick with one rescue or work with more than one?

I have mentioned the idea to my husband a couple times and he seems neutral to the idea, but I would like some more information so we can really discuss the possibility and see if it would be right for us? 

Thanks for any input!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

It sounds to me like you guys would be good candidates to foster. I have been fostering for almost a year now and have had... erm.. 6 animals I think. 2 cats and 4 dogs/puppies.

We don't have a fenced in yard, are college students, and don't own our home and are accepted as fosters at numerous organizations, so I think you would definteily be. We tend to choose organizations run by people I know, where I work, or breed specific rescues of breeds we're interested in. It is a little hard for us sometimes because many rescues will not let you foster if you have intact animals and my male is intact. However, the SPCA where I work is very lax (probably not for the best, but so far so good) and they don't know that my dog is intact. The Weim rescue that I foster for also does not know. It would be in your benefit to have your animals s/ned if they aren't already. 

Most rescues will pay for all vet bills and food/supplies. The weim rescue I foster for does, the SPCA does not pay for food, so I do that. All reciepts are tax deductable. 

As you can see, I am also in michigan. I don't know what area you live in, but if you would like some resources for good rescues to work with or breed-specific rescues in our area, let me know. I have a very large database of rescues. 

Any specific questions?


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## JustTess (Mar 19, 2008)

The only problem I had with fostering is........ wanting to keep them. George was suppose to be my first experience with fostering. He kinda grew on me and now I think he's too fabulous to give up.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Thanks for sharing guys!

DJEtzel, I am in Lansing. My parents still live in Kzoo so I'm over that way quite often. I would definitely appreciate any resources you could give me! And all of our pets are altered already.

I have been thinking a lot about fostering in general since posting this thread and have come up with some questions/concerns.

How does the adopting process generally work? I was reading that some rescues have adoption events you can take the dogs to on weekends. What else is done, if anything? How do the dogs get "exposed" I guess to the public? Who is more responsible, the rescue, the foster or both? 

One of biggest concerns is wondering how much our lifestyle would change? We like to visit our families quite a bit, which involves 1-2 hour drives and then sometimes staying overnight. My in-laws have 3 dogs of their own, so visiting them with one dog is alot, much less 2. We spend a lot of time at my parents lake house in the summer as well (which is doggie heaven lol). Are there generally any restrictions on traveling with a foster?

This kind of leads into what type of issues a foster might have and whether or not I would be capable or even willing to deal with them? How many dog needing foster homes have "issues" I guess? Or is it more just needing basic training and socializing? I guess it can be kind of hard to separate those 2 and I'm sure it depends on the lots of factors...

Are rescues pretty good about only pairing you up with as much as you can handle?

I think I'm rambling a little so sorry for that, but I feel like this could be a big lifestyle change at times, but also really rewarding. Our family atmosphere right now is really stable and I worry that fostering may really change that.

How does fostering effect your own personal pets?

Do you find yourself changing your lifestyle to fit around fostering and if so how?

I know that this would be such a rewarding thing to do, I just want to make sure that me and my family are ready to take on the challenge.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

kadylady said:


> Thanks for sharing guys!
> 
> DJEtzel, I am in Lansing. My parents still live in Kzoo so I'm over that way quite often. I would definitely appreciate any resources you could give me! And all of our pets are altered already.


Are there any specific breeds you're interested in, or does it not matter?



> How does the adopting process generally work? I was reading that some rescues have adoption events you can take the dogs to on weekends. What else is done, if anything? How do the dogs get "exposed" I guess to the public? Who is more responsible, the rescue, the foster or both?


The rescue is more responsible. There are generally events every saturday _somewhere_ for every rescue. An event notice type thing is usually sent out by email to me about events in my area (if I'm fostering for a state-wide rescue) or just the events of the week once a week. Usually a rescue will let you know before you agree to anything whether you'll have to go to EVERY event, can choose which you go to (I get to do this with most of the rescues) or if you can drop the dog off to be handled by another volunteer and you just have to pick him/her up. There is also petfinder where dogs are listed, and I know at the rescue where I work, if a person comes in looking for a specific type of dog, we show them a log-book of printouts of the petfinder ads for every dog that isn't at the actual shelter, but is in foster. If they find a dog they want to meet that is in foster then the shelter will call that person and either ask them to come in right then if they can, or will schedule a greeting for the potential adopters and foster family to come to the shelter for a meeting. In the case of the weim rescue I foster for (have only fostered one puppy) the family came to our house to meet the puppy and talk to us about him without another representative of the rescue there. (I am very involved in this rescue though and they do trust me.. I don't know how other families work this out in that rescue). 

You also have the option of taking the dog out on walks, to the park, daycares, the pet store, etc. for publicity and I have even bought an "adopt me" tee shirt for foster dogs to wear while we're out to attract attention. Carrying an application with you for the rescue (or even just a business card) can be advantagous. 



> One of biggest concerns is wondering how much our lifestyle would change? We like to visit our families quite a bit, which involves 1-2 hour drives and then sometimes staying overnight. My in-laws have 3 dogs of their own, so visiting them with one dog is alot, much less 2. We spend a lot of time at my parents lake house in the summer as well (which is doggie heaven lol). * Are there generally any restrictions on traveling with a foster*?


IME, there is not. You are responsible for that dog, and as long as the rescue doesn't say otherwise (and you aren't missing any events necessary), you have the right to take the dog while travelling (I do this with fosters to my boyfriend's parents house often), you can board the dog (at your expense), or if you're going out of town for a longer period, some rescues will find you temp. foster homes in your area to foster for a weekend or week while you are gone. I am lucky in the sense that if I am fostering for work, I can take a dog in and put him in a cage for a day if needed, or for a weekend whenever if I leave a note, then come back and get him when I'm ready again. Most rescues don't have actual shelters though, like the Weimaraner rescue I volunteer for.

As for how much your life will change, that depends. Mine never changed MUCH. With Pippa, the little chihuahua, all it added was a little time for feeding, potty, and a few minutes of play a day. For the cat, it changed me cleaning the litter box more and refilling the food dish more often.  For the puppy, it was a little more stressful because I did have to take time to train, potty train, etc. but it wasn't too bad. A little whining/barking at first for crate training. A little stress for the first week, then we got into a good routine. 



> This kind of leads into what type of issues a foster might have and whether or not I would be capable or even willing to deal with them? How many dog needing foster homes have "issues" I guess? Or is it more just needing basic training and socializing? I guess it can be kind of hard to separate those 2 and I'm sure it depends on the lots of factors...


You can choose exactly what type of dog you want and can always let the coordinator know that it isn't working out if they send you a dog under false pretenses and it isn't what you expected. They realize (especially first time fosters) that you can get overwhelmed, and will generally start you out with something easy, in your comfort zone, that they KNOW you'll be able to handle. You can choose to move onto more issues if you want, but some dogs will come with issues that aren't always obvious upon intake. If you specify things you aren't willing to deal with, they will usually make sure those issues don't exist. (ie; dog aggression, food aggression, etc) 

That said, a lot of dogs won't have issues other than bad manners. You could just choose puppies if you wanted to make sure you wouldn't have bad issues, or older dogs. You can choose specific breeds/sizes, too. I prefer getting small or very young/old dogs, so that I do not have to worry much about aggression issues with my dog, toys, food, etc. 



> Are rescues pretty good about only pairing you up with as much as you can handle?


IME, yes. 



> How does fostering effect your own personal pets?


Hasn't really seemed to effect Frag much. He still gets the same amount of training and play/exercise. He's just more tired inside and has slightly stricter rules.



> Do you find yourself changing your lifestyle to fit around fostering and if so how?


Depending on the animal I get up earlier, have to come home on breaks/between classes more often, go out to the store for whatever more often, sacrifice time on the weekends or during the week to show them, etc.

Doing research on it is definitely a better alternative than getting in over your head!


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## sizzledog (Nov 23, 2008)

My responses in blue. My husband and I foster for a Doberman rescue organization, and we currently have one foster dog.



kadylady said:


> How does the adopting process generally work? I was reading that some rescues have adoption events you can take the dogs to on weekends. What else is done, if anything? How do the dogs get "exposed" I guess to the public? Who is more responsible, the rescue, the foster or both?
> 
> Every organization handles things a bit differently. We have adoptathons every 2 months, but most adoptions are done by the adopters visiting the dogs they're interested in (after they've been approved to adopt) and the foster home deciding that they're the right people for their foster. We also have a Petfinder page,but the adoption procedure is the same.
> 
> ...


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Thanks for sharing your experiences! Hearing personal experiences puts my mind at ease a little bit and gets me excited about wanting to experience it myself. Also good to know that a rescue generally wouldn't throw something at me that I couldn't handle. But I guess that probably wouldn't be in the dogs best interest either.

We probably wouldn't be ready to foster until March or April at the earliest, I want to give us and our pets a chance to adjust to the new home before adding a foster.



> Are there any specific breeds you're interested in, or does it not matter?


My biggest breed interests are probably golden retrievers, springer spaniels, and aussies, but I would definitely be open to working with an all breed rescue. I would like to learn and be exposed to more breeds of dogs. I also have pretty much zero experience with small dogs, but would like to learn and be exposed to them as well.

You mentioned that you work with primarily two rescues, I think. Are you just on a list and they call you up if they have something that fits your criteria and you let them know if you have openings? 

I've been reading a lot on this rescue's site Last Day Dog Rescue. Do you know anything about them? It seems they have quite a few dogs needing fostered.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

kadylady said:


> Thanks for sharing your experiences! Hearing personal experiences puts my mind at ease a little bit and gets me excited about wanting to experience it myself. Also good to know that a rescue generally wouldn't throw something at me that I couldn't handle. But I guess that probably wouldn't be in the dogs best interest either.
> 
> We probably wouldn't be ready to foster until March or April at the earliest, I want to give us and our pets a chance to adjust to the new home before adding a foster.
> 
> ...


They are a GREAT rescue. I need to send in my app for fostering with them, actually. There is a user here that has a foster from them right now, and Twab does home visits I believe for them and used to foster. Very good rescue.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Again, thanks for all the information DJ! I think I will send in an app to LDDR once we get moved into the new place (I think I read that some rescues do home visits?) and see what happens. 

The Aussie rescue said they recommend foster parents have an ASCA membership? Is that common with specific breed rescues?


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

kadylady said:


> Again, thanks for all the information DJ! I think I will send in an app to LDDR once we get moved into the new place (I think I read that some rescues do home visits?) and see what happens.
> 
> The Aussie rescue said they recommend foster parents have an ASCA membership? Is that common with specific breed rescues?


No problem! Yes, some rescues will do home checks before you can foster, and I believe LDDR is one, but I cannot recall. 

I didn't know the Aussie rescue recommended that. I don't really see why, and no, from what I've read, it isn't common.


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## sizzledog (Nov 23, 2008)

The rescue I volunteer for requires a home check before you're allowed to foster - since the foster dogs still technically "belong" to the rescue, they want to make sure they know exactly what type of environment they'll be living in.

As for requiring ASCA membership... that's very odd!


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

From the application form:



> We encourage our volunteers to become ASCA and/or ASCA affiliate club members. Please download the ASCA Membership Form from the ASCA website, or email the ASCA business office at [email protected]. You also may request from ASCA a free packet of information about the Australian Shepherd.


At the top of the page in the header it also says "The official rescue organization of the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA)". So I'm guess they are probably just promoting their club? And wanting people involved with Aussie's or having Aussie experience maybe?

Either way, it's not that big of a deal to me, just wasn't sure if it was a common thing. I don't know that I would want to start with an Aussie right away. I love them and have several friends with them and hope to own one someday, but am also realistically aware of my capabilities at this time in my life.

I found two Golden rescues, one in GR and one in Detroit that I would maybe send in an app for eventually. 

DJ, can you tell me more about the transporting that you do? Do they reimburse you for mileage or is it a tax deduction type deal?


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

kadylady said:


> At the top of the page in the header it also says "The official rescue organization of the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA)". So I'm guess they are probably just promoting their club? And wanting people involved with Aussie's or having Aussie experience maybe?
> 
> Either way, it's not that big of a deal to me, just wasn't sure if it was a common thing. I don't know that I would want to start with an Aussie right away. I love them and have several friends with them and hope to own one someday, but am also realistically aware of my capabilities at this time in my life.
> 
> ...



Hm, I guess I had just never noticed that before...

Sometimes the Weim rescue will reimburse me for mileage, but what they don't IS a tax deduction. I find a leg of a transport they need help with and volunteer. I'll either meet a previous leg and take the dog to another leg, or will pull a dog from a shelter/owner surrender situation and drive a "leg" to the next driver, or to the destination if it isn't far. I also subscribe to a yahoo transport group where dozens of rescues post transport plans and ask help for legs. There aren't too many that come through Michigan, though. (and it will clutter up your inbox!)

You can choose how far you want to drive and give a rescue the times you're available, too. I generally don't drive more than 100miles one way.


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## doggiecrossing (Jan 13, 2011)

Hi we are foster dog parents and are currently fostering a loveable mutt named Braxton. He is a sweetheart. We have 3 dogs of our own. Since we have a female lab (omega), female queensland heeler mix (thinks she is alpha), and german shepherd mix (the alpha) we will try to just foster male dogs that are omega so that we can keep the pack content. We will go meet the dog first to make sure he will fit in with our pack, as they will be living, eating, and walking together. You do grow attached to them, so it is hard to say goodbye when they go to their forever homes, but I always try to think that each time a foster dog is adopted out it is one more dog saved. 
It is a great rewarding experience, I highly recommend it.


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

Thanks for thinking about fostering! It's so rewarding to see dogs find their forever homes. I would suggest looking around at the different rescues near you. You can go breed specific or all breed, either way it's helping out. I would just make sure that whatever breed you look for are managable with cats, or that you have a good idea of how to keep separate nations/easy escape routes for cats. You might also want to ask them where they board the dogs that don't have foster homes and what sort of activities they have for those dogs...my rescue gets together every Saturday to walk all the dogs in boarding and work on training/socialization. Then you can get a chance to meet the dog a few times before you decide on if he/she will fit in with your family.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

Thanks guys!

Do you ever take any of your current dogs to meet a potential foster beforehand to see how they get along? Or do you mostly just meet them yourself and judge how well they will interact with your dog?

Luke is such a happy-go-lucky, submissive dog I really don't worry about him, other than we have never had another dog in our house, we've always gone other places.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

kadylady said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> Do you ever take any of your current dogs to meet a potential foster beforehand to see how they get along? Or do you mostly just meet them yourself and judge how well they will interact with your dog?
> 
> Luke is such a happy-go-lucky, submissive dog I really don't worry about him, other than we have never had another dog in our house, we've always gone other places.


My dog does not ever get to meet/see a foster before I get it. Generally speaking, I get a puppy or small dog and know I'll be able to control the situation. Otherwise, asking the rescue that pulled the dog about it helps, and if it doesn't work out, I can send him back. Frag is very submissive as well, so I know he's never an issue. If the other dog isn't straight out DA, I know there's a large chance everything will be fine.


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## doggiecrossing (Jan 13, 2011)

I have never taken any of the dogs to meet potential foster first, but I will spend time with the potential foster first to see if he will be a good fit in our pack. I can tell by the personality of the dog and how he is around other dogs at rescue. Once I bring foster dog home, I also introduce our dogs to him one at a time to not create a pack vs foster dog situation.


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

I do, but we foster malamtues, and malamutes can be a bit picky about their friends. So it's important to do a meet and greet on neutral ground just to make sure that there's no immediate dislike.


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## mdswann (Jan 23, 2011)

Information Video on Dog Fostering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyefkd9vR4o


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

I think I would like to get a couple books to help me prepare for fostering. Are there any you guys would recommend that either relate to fostering or would help me be a better foster parent? I'm thinking something to help learn dog communication/body language would be very beneficial.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

I have no recommendations for that type of thing, sorry! Hopefully someone else will!


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

Sorry, I don't have any for that. I think it's more of a "try it and see" type of a thing once you know how the process works. It will either work or it won't. Ideally, the rescue should try to match you up with a fairly easy dog for the first time so that you can get a feel for the process and some more experience working with rescue dogs...I would make sure to ask, just in case. 

It's sad how many times you see posts about how people won't foster anymore because the first dog they had was a nightmare. In the end, it's not the dog's fault, but if your first foster turns your life upside-down, it's hard to want to try again. Some people say its important to just take the dog in most need, but there are always going to be dogs in need. Taking a dog that is out of your league isn't going to help the dog. They might just get more confused by your reaction to what's happening and it could set them back further.


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