Do you love dogs but don’t have space or time to care for one?
Foster a dog in need. It’s easy, it’s rewarding, and it could change your life.
Let me tell you about my experience with fostering a local rescue group.
The foster parent for the dog story.
I will never forget my first foster dog, Roger.
He was a sweet and handsome young Lab mix found at the local animal shelter with several other dogs.
They all were dirty and ragged, looking pretty lost until they saw the staff bring out huge bins of kibble for them.
Then they ran into the food.
The poor guy’s body was covered with mange, and he smelled awful, but I wanted to take him home that second.
He had been at the shelter for months with no interest from anyone.
Then a rescue group posted his picture on Facebook and tried to talk some sense into me: “This dog has mange, he smells bad, and his skin is peeling off. Sounds like a stinky job.”
I just smiled at them: “Bring him over already!” I had fostered many cats for years through my vet’s office, but this was my first dog.
Although Roger had some medical issues that took care of themselves in the next few days, he was just too damaged to be adopted.
So I kept him and named him Roger the Rogue.
It turned out Roger was a great dog, but we knew it would take time for him to learn how to fit in at home or possibly find another situation where he could run off his excess energy because I didn’t have a yard.
And I didn’t have a yard.
I started fostering for a rescue group not long after I took in Roger, and the experience was life-changing.
For one thing, I loved having dogs around my house again.
Knowing they were only with me temporarily made it easier to go through their severe bouts of separation anxiety when they finally went off to new homes.
I was able to share my home and love with dogs that needed lots of attention while knowing they would return within a few weeks or months, depending on their situation.
But the best thing about fostering is that every dog is different, so each experience was unique.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to foster dogs again because of how much this experience changed me and impacted my life.
This is what I want to share with you: the joys, challenges, rewards (and yes, even some tears) that come from fostering an animal in need.
The first challenge was finding out when we could take on a new foster pup as our family already had two other rescue pups at home.
We were given a grace period to adjust to our newest three-legged family member, Phantom.
Foster a dog from the shelter.
Shelter dogs are so grateful to be there that they can’t help but love you for opening up your home, your life and your heart to them.
The only pitfall was that the shelters keep very close track of all their dogs, so we never had a doggie door.
And when we did get to take the dog out, it was with a lead or a kennel.
Cats are more straightforward than dogs when fostering, but they too can be very challenging.
Give it a new name and take care of it for as long as you can.
I’m not particularly eager to use numbers if I cannot adopt the dog or cat.
Ensure they have some form of identification and a collar with tags, so if they are found wandering around lost, they can be returned.
Adopt them out to someone who will love and care for them.
Give the new parents your contact details in case they need you for any reason.
Offer to help transport the dog or cat if needed.
Give them some of the food they are used to and any other products that make their life simpler – a blanket, toys, etc.
Many people have asked me if fostering is stressful because you know the dog or cat will be leaving soon.
It was quite the opposite as I loved getting to share my home with these animals for a short time.
Most of all, I find that fostering has made me appreciate my pets more, and our life together is better than ever.
But if you can’t make room in your home right now, perhaps the best thing you can do is spread the word about fostering by sharing this post with your friends on social media.
And finally, if you can give a foster animal the loving home they deserve for as long as it takes to find a permanent situation, it’s the best way to help one animal in need.
Make sure that whatever time you have with them is fun and engaging.
Take lots of pictures, so you can remember how much they love their foster home.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from fostering, it’s that the best thing you can do is to listen to each dog or cat and give them a chance to tell you their story.
Don’t be afraid to get emotionally involved – for some reason, dogs and cats are great listeners, and they do understand everything you say.
The more complicated part is deciding who will foster the rescue animal next.
It’s a big responsibility, but in my opinion, it’s one of life’s greatest pleasures as well.”
Takes lots of pictures with your foster pup so that they have memories when they are adopted out.
Take lots of pictures with your foster pup so that they have memories of when they are adopted out.
There is this amazing dog that I always wanted to foster, but I keep forgetting to ask my friends if I could take it in!
It’s a Husky mix, and he was living in a shelter for over two years! But the moment people would come near him, he will attack them, so not many people want to adopt him.
This dog is like a human being who doesn’t understand why others don’t like him even though he has done nothing wrong.
Every time I see his story on Facebook, it breaks my heart because no one wants anything to do with him.
But the shelter had to put up notes saying that humans are not allowed to be near him because he is aggressive.
I heard once that if you spend like four months fostering the dog, you can adopt them out.
But I’m not sure how true it is, though, since I haven’t done it yet. Look into that!
And going back to my previous point, please foster animals if you think you can give them love and care for as long as possible until they get adopted.
I would love to do it, but we have our own two pups at home, plus another one that my brother fostered for a month (but he found his owner!).
Be sure to give the dog plenty of attention, exercise, food, water, and affection!
If you ask an animal to live in your house with you, it is a high responsibility.
Be sure to give the dog plenty of attention, exercise, food, water, and affection!
“I am volunteering to walk dogs for a rescue group out of my area. I’m not sure what kind of exercise their dogs are getting, but I know some need more than others.
Is it normal to walk them three times a day?
I walk them every day after work from around 5-7 or 8 most days when I come home.
I pay attention to the dog and make sure they are fed and watered. Any medical needs tended to. Then I restart my walk.
I’m thinking about maybe doing shorter walks like 2 or 3 times a day instead of one long one because I know some shelters give them long walks, but it’s not benefiting the animals (plus it gets dark around 5, so it’s not always the safest).
Don’t let the dog sleep in your bed.
Don’t let the dog sleep in your bed, or it will think that it is its bed, which means you won’t be able to turn it back over to the shelter.
If you are fostering a dog, be sure to establish yourself as the alpha dog from the start.
Any dog that is not spayed or neutered and spends a lot of time in your house will take any opportunity it can to try to mate with your dog.
These situations will typically end in aggression by the unaltered dog towards your own.
This can also cause unwanted puppies or make the situation worse if it is an older animal.”
“If you are only fostering the dog/puppy for a short time, find out if there is a possibility of adopting them out sooner.
Always keep a close eye on them when they eat.
Once, we had a puppy eat an entire bar of soap!
We recently fostered a dog for a week, and it turned out to be an older puppy. I ended up adopting her since she just fit into the family so perfectly.
Be sure to give the dog plenty of attention, exercise, food, water, and affection!
Take lots of pictures with your foster pup so that they have memories of when they are adopted out.
Many people on this site probably did not get their pets like puppies or kittens but adopted them from shelters instead.
I’m looking at a few dogs right now that the shelter is trying to place in foster homes because they don’t want them to live in their kennel.
Please consider helping out one of these animals by fostering them for a while. They need love and care just like every other pet.”
Conclusion
The story of foster parenting a dog will leave you feeling fulfilled and content.
Whether it’s for just a few days or months, every day with your foster pup should be memorable.
Take lots of pictures to have memories when they are adopted out, and make sure the time you spend with them is engaging somehow! Foster dogs need attention, exercise, food, water, affection- don’t let sleeping in bed together happen.
And always keep an eye on what they eat because sometimes treats can lead to health problems if they have overeaten!
If this sounds like something you would love doing, then go visit your local animal shelter today!”
