We'll be moving into a home shortly and I am very interested in beginning fostering dogs. Not sure if I'll do specific breed rescue or spca type fostering but I'd like to know the details. I know lots of people on tdub do this so some firsthand information would be great. What have you learned from this? Advice you wish you knew before getting involved? What's the financial aspect look like? Anything else I left out would be great.

Thanks!

12/19/2006 5:32:13 PM

Kitty B was always trying to get me to let her foster dogs when she lived with me

maybe she'll have better luck with you

[Edited on December 19, 2006 at 7:16 PM. Reason : +]

12/19/2006 7:16:07 PM

ha, sure if she can find dogs in Knoxville.

12/19/2006 9:16:51 PM

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

12/19/2006 9:22:29 PM

Most rescues will pay for all vet care, collars/leashes, hw prevention, flea/tick prevention. The foster home pays for food and in any damages to their home. If you get deeper in rescue, you have to pay for more stuff. Since I am in charge of NC/SC for the Aussie Rescue, I pay for stamps, "goodie bags" for adopted dogs, etc. If you do transports you will have to pay for gas but you can write off your miles if you have a log of them.

Just remember that a lot of these dogs just need a stable pack leader. A lot of them are NOT house broken, crate trained, etc and it is the job of the foster home to train them. It can be exhausting but it is very rewarding!!!

I have been fostering for 2 years now and I LOVE IT!! Also remember, that you will probably want to keep your first foster dog but if you do that you will probably have to stop fostering and foster homes are what keep rescues going.

I think it is wonderful that you are considering fostering and I wish you luck. Feel free to contact me with any questions!

12/19/2006 9:22:50 PM

something ab the original post made me think she thought there was an income involved in fostering, i could be wrong but thats the vibe i got

12/19/2006 9:37:49 PM

Awesome! I'm considering getting one more dog, most likely an aussie shephard, so damn smart! I'd like a dog that is smart and can teach my crazy lil pup the right way to go, I think having a "herding" type dog would help foster dogs learn how to get house broken and listen to commands a little easier.

I'm prepared for all sorts of interesting things to come my way and had a feeling it'd be a lot of work. What's te longest you've ever fostered a dog? Do you guys do trial home type things to see if the new owner will like the dog and it's quirks? Is there a fee the adopter pays? I'm assuming there are organizations I go through to get fostered dogs so all the dealing goes through them I guess?

I think it would be very rewarding. How much time do you spend with a dog and how amny do you have at one time? Right now I work 10 hour days four days a week but am off three days in a row...

Also we plan on using an invisible fence for our dog unless our new house has a fence already, do you think it'd be bad to use one on fostered dogs? I know sometimes it takes a while for a dog to get used to the collar...

oye

[Edited on December 19, 2006 at 9:40 PM. Reason : naw, I'm thinking how much financially do I put out of my pocket]

12/19/2006 9:39:33 PM

fostering is great
but it's a lot of work.
And you will spend money out of pocket.
10 hours is WAY to long to keep a puppy or any dog in a crate or inside without going outside. So unless you have a roommate or someone who can come by and take the animal outside and for a walk.. maybe you should reconsider.
And I personally wouldn't feel safe leaving my dogs outside with an invisible fence. It doesn't stop all dogs and definitely doesn't stop other animals or people from coming into your yard.


I've fostered for years now. Some dogs were "sponsered" by a rescue organization and others I rescued and fostered independently. If it was through a rescue - the rescue organization paid for all vet bills and provided me with frontline and heartguard. They can also provide you with food, crates, collars, leashes, etc..
I have four dogs of my own and i already buy tons of dog food so after awhile i just ended up buying my own food. just another mouth to feed.
When i rescued on my own I paid for all expenses out of pocket. I found a vet to do vaccines at cost for me and was able to adopt out many dogs on my own.

You never know what you're going to get when fostering. I personally love fostering puppies.
my dogs love puppies and help me with them. the puppies learn from my dogs and its great socialization for all. Puppies are a lot of work. housebreaking, cratetraining, socializing, teaching house manners, training, etc.. There have been times when I had 5 puppies in the house.
and while adult dogs can be easier if you foster one that's already housetrained and was well-taken care of... you never know what past the dog has. Whether it was abused, neglected, trained at all, etc... you end up correcting others people mistakes. It takes a lot of patience and work.

My longest foster was with us for 7 months. Sometimes I place dogs in less than a month.
I do home checks, reference checks, vet checks, and educate new dog owners before placing an animal.

Best Friends Pet Adoption is always looking for new foster parents.
http://www.bfpa.org/content/view/33/52/

12/20/2006 8:06:21 AM

my sister does it..

she works for a pet-sitting place.. forgot the name.. i'll post it later.. she goes to people's houses and watches their pets while they are out of town (plays with em, feeds em, gives em water, etc)

But anyways, she fosters from this group and right now she has the cutest Hound I have ever seen. It's two years old and someone just left it behind when they went out of town. If anyone is interested in getting a hound, PM me... although my dad LOVES it and might get him.

12/20/2006 8:12:37 AM

Step 1: be a batshit crazy woman.

12/20/2006 10:00:38 AM

Herding dogs are very smart but most of the time they can out-smart their owner which causes problems and the dog gets blamed for it. Young herding dogs (and some older) have A LOT of energy and need physical/mental stimulation. I will admit I can get lazy with my guys sometimes but I also have too many at my house now.

Most rescue organizations have applications for adopters and once the adopter is approved will work on getting them a dog. We don't really do trial periods for adopters but if it doesn't work out they HAVE to return the dog. If they don't or if they give the dog to a shelter or someone else that is breaking a legal contract and legal actions will follow. This doesn't happen though (usually) because we weed out the non-responsible dog owners and only adopt to the perfect home for the dog.

The longest we had a foster was 6 months and it KILLED me to give him up. We always keep our dogs in foster care for at least 2 weeks, but not all rescues do this. Fostering is not an easy task but it is very rewarding. Foster dogs can stress you out, cost you money, and of course you get attached but seeming them later with their owners is priceless. You also have to worry about accidents in the house and them chewing up stuff. It is just part of working with new dogs, regardless of whether or not they are rescues.

i agree with XCchik, 10 hrs is WAY too long for a puppy to hold urine. Their bladders are not capable of doing it.

Most rescues will not adopt to homes or allow foster homes to use invisible fences. they are a P.O.S. 1-any other animal can still come in the fence to attack, steal, etc. 2- if a dog (especially a herding dog) wants to get out bad enough no shock will keep them in. We hear about it all of the time with aussies.

If you are seriously considering it, then look at different rescues. There are all-breed dog rescues, all-breed dog and cat rescues, and then specific breed rescues. Read up on the internet to learn about the particular rescue and what they need and recommend. All rescues always need foster homes!

12/20/2006 2:33:39 PM

My boyfirend comes home at five and I leave at 8:30 in the morning. I'm jsut saying my schedule is long. Also it's only two days a work week for me. I work the weekend so the boyfriend would have to help out those days.

I'm just trying to get a feel for what it would be like. It will be at least a year down the road so I'm not sure how my finances will be or anything like that but it is an idea I've been mulling in my head.

I know how smart Aussies are. We have two daycampers that come regularly and we have several doors running down the halls of our kennels that open on different sides at random, well these Aussies know which side they open on and point their nose at it. Only breed I've seen there that does it.

My Aussie will definitely be going to obedience classes with me and enrolling in daycamp once "she" is spayed. Of course I won't be getting her until we have a house.

We are looking for a home with a fence, and heck I might even have one installed id we plan on staying there a while and wish to do so.

Animals are wonderful creatures and I want to do my part to help them out. Whether it be fostering, volunteering at animal clinics, or even becoming a vet....down the long road. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Thanks for all the answers...if I think of anything else I'll let you know!

12/20/2006 4:28:02 PM

i wouldn't let you take care of my dog - what makes you think you are able to do this successfully?

12/21/2006 9:18:40 AM

Deleting my post makes you so badass!!!1

12/22/2006 8:17:12 PM