Unless you are entrenched in the "rescue world", you cannot imagine what a difference a single act of kindness such as temporarily fostering a pet in need can make. It truly is a matter of life and death. Without families willing to open their hearts and homes for these babies, we could not save them...period. Most of the foster homes that I know of (including ours) are already overcrowded. Having too many dogs means that the foster dogs may not get the proper training that is needed to help make them more adoptable and even more critical is the fact that they may not get the attention that they deserve. We essentially become a "housing facility" for these babies, which is not what we want. However, the alternative is often death so we push on... We (including the few foster families that I know personally) cannot be the only people who care about animals enough to try to make a difference or are we??? My husband and I truly enjoy helping these innocent creatures however, we cannot do this alone. We really need some help here.
Our personal goal is to sell our house and move somewhere where we can have enough property to do this correctly (and save even more precious lives). However, it is nearly impossible to sell a home that has several dogs living in it...We have resigned the thought/fact that anyone will step up to foster animals in this area consistently (or even at all). Nevertheless, we beg again....can ANYONE open their hearts and homes for a pup in need. If one of our foster dogs doesn't interest you, perhaps you could foster one from the many shelters that my husband and I know personally in this area (don't worry...we can set you up). Some of these dogs only need somewhere to go for 2-3 weeks! For only a few weeks of your time, you can save a life...literally!
What does fostering involve? Here are some of the basics:
Regular Daily Care: This includes feeding/watering, grooming, and daily exercise. If you work full-time, arrangements will likely need to be made to let your foster dog out for a potty break/exercise. If interested in fostering puppies, at least one adult should be home during the day (or at least for the majority of the day).
Basic Training: Your foster dog may need to learn basic commands and skills such as: proper greeting behavior; come, sit, and down commands; walking nicely on a leash; housetraining, etc. We encourage positive reinforcement techniques ONLY. We also recommend using a crate when you are not at home (which is also a quick method to teach housetraining as well). Kevin and I will provide a crate if needed. These basic manners will make your foster dog more adoptable and help to ensure his success in his new home.
Behavior Correction/Modification: Many times we do not know the history/background of the dogs we help save (i.e., may be picked up off the streets as strays, etc.). However, many of them seem to have lacked a "loving past". Some may have been abused. They may have lived in the backyard with little human contact and therefore may not have learned basic skills. As a result, you may need to correct problems such as jumping, mouthing, barking, destructive chewing, dashing or running through doors, etc. PATIENCE is a must.
Socialization/ Temperament: You will likely be asked about your foster dog's reaction to various situations such as whether he/she is good with different types of people and animals. This will help us determine what type of "forever" home would be best suited for your foster dog. Your foster dog should be treated as if he/she is a puppy just starting out and therefore will benefit from a variety of experiences to improve his/her social skills (e.g., meeting new people, etc.). NEVER leave your foster dog unsupervised with people or other pets for any length of time.
Medical Care: Your foster dog may need to recover from spay/neuter surgery when she/he arrives so be prepared to walk her/him on a leash and help to keep her/him calm. You may need to dispense medications for pain management, de-worming medication, flea/tick preventative, heartworm preventative, etc. These items will be provided by us. There may be a time when we need help with taking the dog to the vet for an appointment. There are opportunities to foster dogs with special needs as well (e.g., pregnant/nursing, visual problems, recovering from heartworm treatment, etc.) so please let us know if you are interested.
Please think about helping to save a life. You may have heard people say (or have even said yourself) "You can't save them all". Well Kevin and I are painfully aware of that. In the rescue community, we commonly respond to that statement by saying "at least we can save THIS one". We can sleep soundly knowing that we DO make a difference, even though it may be a small one. Do you sleep soundly???
If you want to make a difference by fostering, please call me at 901-240-9848 or email allieot98@yahoo.com. If you absolutely cannot foster but would like to help in other ways, we would welcome that assistance as well. Some ideas and needs include: help with fundraising; volunteering to drive a "leg" or short distance for a transport (many pups need help getting from shelters to foster homes or rescues and these transports are generally divided into "legs" until they reach their destination); monetary donations; dog food/treat donations; heartworm preventative; flea/tick preventative; etc.
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