# Foster Dilemma



## zdonBGSU (May 7, 2011)

So I've been receiving applications to adopt my foster dog Lily, some of the applications do not seem too stellar. And having spent some time with Lily, my foster, I've become quite protective of her and where she will end up. Though, rationally, most of them are probably going to be nice people but at the same time, little things bother me and makes me concerned about how Lily will be taken care of. 

Example: One application did not provide references, did not allow us to contact for vet reference, Lily pulls on leash a bit, so I wanted to know how they plan on training her, and the response was "pulling on lead won't be the first problem we address... we work on it and it gets better". Ok, so not everyone has specific training methods in mind and its probably me setting the bar too high to expect all owners to know how to train dogs, and then I asked if they had questions about Lily's temperament, and the response was "We like a female tempermate". 

I'm trying to be as rational and fair and nonjudgmental as possible, and I'm not saying they will be abusive families or secret BYBs but compare to a previous application that didn't go through, where the owner obviously have done their research on dogs, training, etc, this just doesn't seem too stellar... 

but its also a dilemma in that, the rescue probably wants their dogs adopted and there may be different level of standard of what type of family is acceptable and who has more say in where the dog goes.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

I would have to pass on them as well. Does your rescue interview? When I was fostering, we interviewed potential adopters and got the hard hitting questions in person, with no time to think it over and write it down. I want to know exactly the plans and meet the potential family.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

^^ Ditto. If you get a say, I would pass them up. And if your rescue doesn't require it but will allow it, I would request to do a home visit for any pre-approved homes to ask hard questions like Stephanie said in person, and to see that they DO (or don't) own their home, have their lives together, are sane human beings, and have the means to take care of the dog. You can learn a lot more about a family IN their home than over the phone or on paper. And you can't be expected to jump for the first home, it's finding the homes that suit the dogs that it's all about, not finding the first home that will take the dog, kwim? 

Good luck on all of your decisions. I know it isn't easy!


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

They don't seem to great to me, either. But I've never fostered or had to make a decision like that so I guess I don't really know what an appropriate response to those questions would sound like. If it's possible, I agree that an interview or home visit might be more helpful.

Wish I could adopt her! ;p


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## zdonBGSU (May 7, 2011)

kafkabeetle said:


> They don't seem to great to me, either. But I've never fostered or had to make a decision like that so I guess I don't really know what an appropriate response to those questions would sound like. If it's possible, I agree that an interview or home visit might be more helpful.
> 
> Wish I could adopt her! ;p


oh but you can! 

but yea after speaking with the coordinator, it seem that we had the same impression... which is good, because not all rescues have the same standards for the homes their dogs go into I would imagine...


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

I ran into that as well. They'd send totally wrong applications, I'd turn them down for reasonable issues (the dog was 60 lbs and shed, was pushy with other dogs, they sent a home wanting a 40 pound max dog, then one who didn't want hair/grooming, and the third had a dog aggressive female already). With the puppies I had, they didn't make any of the owners take classes at all, a few have had issues and one got returned after he took off and got hit by a car. 

I would prefer a rescue who does make the people take some sort of training and so on, but that doesn't seem the case here with any of them, other than the spca.

Lana


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I know someone looking for a JRT to adopt. He's got two small kids (4 and 7) and looking for a family friendly, relatively low key Jack ("relatively"). Could she be adopted outside of Ohio? I can vouch for their home etc, his last JRT died of old age at about aged 14.


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