Fostering for animal rescues is a concept that a lot of people may be aware of but might not have enough information on to actually pull the trigger. After fostering for close to 20 years, the founders at Dark Dog Posse have experienced many of the ups and downs of bringing shelter animals into their home, so we put together this blog post to identify what you can realistically expect if you decide to give it a try yourself.
Here are our thoughts on fostering.
Getting Started.
Rescue groups and shelters are not created equally. There are groups dedicated specifically to certain breeds of dogs if you only want to work in one space, so to speak. If you love pugs, look for a pug-specific shelter. There are also rescues dedicated to groups of dogs, such as large breeds like Great Danes, St. Bernards, Mastiffs, Cane Corsos, etc. If you only want big dogs in your home, look for groups dedicated to Gentle Giants. If you have no preference, just about any rescue or shelter will work.
Each group also has their own way of doing things. Since rescues are often started by individuals, there is no guiding policy on how things should operate. When “shopping” for a rescue or shelter to work with, look for one that is concerned about their animals’ welfare, gets them fully vetted before turning them over to a foster, and checks thoroughly on prospective adopters to make sure they will be able to provide a suitable home.
Some rescues try to get their foster dogs into adoption homes as quickly as possible. Others take great care in finding the right fit. Some people find that “short-term” rescues don’t take enough time in checking out the environments their dogs are going into when adopted. Others feel that “long-term” rescues can be too picky. Think about which way suits you best. Just know that with “long-term” rescues, it may be a few months before the right match presents itself.
Before making your final decision, take a look at the pros and cons below to have a better idea of what you’re getting into.
Pros.
Why might you want to get involved in fostering? There are a lot of great reasons, including:
- Good rescues will provide you with everything you need. Crate, pee pads, food, toys, monthly preventative treatments (for things like flea, ticks, and heartworms), and any vet visits that might come up, including all needed vaccinations and spaying or neutering procedures. You shouldn’t need to make any major investments to get involved with fostering.
- Having a foster in your home means you can learn your foster’s personality and advocate to others what they like, don’t like, their disposition, etc. If your rescue holds adoption events, you can attend those with your foster, expose him or her to a variety of people, and answer people’s questions about your foster. This also gives you an opportunity to make your own personal opinions about potential adopters that you can share with the rescue if you think it might help you foster go to one particular home over another.
- If you’re on the fence about adopting, fostering allows you to see an animal’s personality and how they interact with you and your family (including other pets or children). This provides you with a way to wait until the “right” animal comes along that fits your lifestyle. Just so you know, this can also lead to something known as “foster failing,” which means you decide you absolutely love your foster and sign the papers to make him or her a permanent member of your family.
- You can feel good about the fact that you’re helping an animal find a good family and get out of shelter life (or off the streets). It also opens up a space in a shelter for another animal to have a chance at being saved.
- Puppies are a lot of work. However, if you have the opportunity to foster more than one in a litter of available pups, they tend to keep each other company. You might think that one puppy would be easier to handle than multiple pups, but having at least two puppies gives them time to adjust to their new surroundings together, with another animal they already know and trust. That also provides them with a personal playmate.
- Some animals don’t do well in shelters. You don’t see their true personalities until they have a chance to be comfortable, less stressed, and loved. In a shelter environment, people interested in adopting may only see the “shelter” side of an animal and not its true personality, so they don’t get adopted.
- When you foster, you can train your foster so it will be housebroken, crate trained, leash trained, etc. Especially when it comes to dogs, this provides your foster with a better chance to be adopted because it has “skills.”
- Love. The feeling you get when you foster and see an animal transform into a happy and healthy individual is beyond all of the cons listed below.
Cons.
Okay, by my own admission, while I was trying to work on this post, our dogs wanted to make up for the fact that it rained all day yesterday and they were experiencing cabin fever by asking me to go out in the yard with them no less than six times while I was writing. It disrupts the creative process, but that’s life. If you work from home, it can be distracting.
In addition, there are a few other things you might want to consider before becoming a foster and bringing an animal into your home. Here are a few:
- The “departing factor.” Some people get very attached to their fosters, but they simply cannot adopt for one reason or another. Be prepared for some tears if this happens to you when someone else adopts your foster. However, it helps to know that you assisted an animal in getting into a better situation, and that you opened a spot in a shelter for another animal to have a chance.
- The quiet factor. After a dog goes, you may notice the house is too quiet. That just means it’s time to give another foster dog a chance.
- After your foster is adopted and leaves, you may continue to do things you did with the foster while it was with you. For example, if you have two animals of your own, you may still put out three bowls of food, not thinking that the foster is now gone. It passes.
- You need to consider that you might put your own animals and home at risk for illnesses, diseases, worms, infestations, etc. if you bring in a foster. If your own pets aren’t up to date on shots, etc., you could be exposing them to something unsavory. However, if you make sure that your pets are fully vetted before fostering, you should be okay.
- You will potentially lose a lot of sleep, especially with puppies. Foster dogs howl, they get sick, and if there’s ever an issue between your pet and a foster you may need to go to the ER vet at inconvenient times.
- If you have animals already when bringing in a foster, there is always the potential that they won’t all get along. It does take some time for fosters to learn their new environment, where they fall in the “pecking order” of your household, etc., and there could potentially be some skirmishes during the adjustment period. However, if a foster just does not seem to be working out to your home environment, you can ask the rescue to see if someone else can be brought in to foster.
- Vacations. Most rescues will not let you take an animal on vacation with you. There are also times when you wouldn’t be able to take the animal anyway and you’ll need to find a temporary foster. Most rescues are good at doing that for you, but it puts additional stress on the animal when it has to adjust to bouncing from house to house.
- Fostering can be stressful on your own animals, especially if they have to adjust to new animals coming and going on a regular basis. We had one dog get rather depressed when her playmate was no longer around. However, your animals can also be great teachers for your fosters. They can help train (like leash walking), pull fearful dogs out of their shells, and it may turn your own dog into a puppy again.
- Dogs learn from each other. If one has a bad personal trait, other dogs coming into your home can potentially develop the same trait. Just be sure to nip bad habits in the bud when they are happening so your foster understands it’s not good.
Next Steps.
The easiest way to find a rescue or shelter to work with is to do an online search for groups near you, check out their website and social media, and maybe even attend a foster workshop or meeting if they offer one. Look through each rescue’s adoption application if it’s available online and see if they are asking for the kinds of information you’d want to know before letting a foster go. When you find a group that suits your needs, contact them and ask to be put on their foster list. Some may have an application that you would need to fill out while others may just contact you when a dog is coming in to see if you’re willing and available.
If you know someone who currently fosters, talk to them. Find out what they like about the rescue they are working with and if there is anything they don’t like. If you already have a rescue in mind that you want to join as a foster and it’s not the same as the one the person you’re speaking with is with, ask them if they have heard anything about the rescue you are interested in. The rescue world is a pretty tightly knit group, so you can get lots of great information from just a couple of people.
A couple of notes here: 1. If you join a rescue and discover later that you don’t like something about them, quit and choose another rescue. 2. Some rescues will only pull animals from shelters when they know they have a commitment from a foster. If you say you are willing and available, they will pull. If there is a reason you’re not willing to foster a particular dog, let them know and they will try to find someone else who can. Maybe you only want to foster female dogs. Maybe you only want to foster puppies. Or maybe you only want to take in senior dogs. Fostering is done on a volunteer basis, and you can say no at any point. Letting your rescue know your likes and dislikes will help them find the best candidates for you. If they know you only want puppies, they most likely won’t contact you to foster older dogs unless there is an emergency.
Lastly, the opinions stated in this post are based on personal observations, but it certainly isn’t an all-inclusive how-to guide. If you have additional questions about fostering, feel free to leave a comment in the section below and we’ll try to address those we can. Likewise, those of you who are already fosters who have anything to add, we’d love to make that information available to others. Feel free to leave your thoughts below as well.