When a Foster is Returned

 

There are a lot of reasons a foster dog can be returned. Let's face it, life is unpredictable. Things happen, things change.

 This is Carl's story. 

A great family came along and we did a meet and greet. Introduced the family and their dog to Carl and he was a perfect gentleman. Sweet as pie. After a bit I handed over the leash and his kibble and toys and gave him hugs and kisses goodbye. 

No joke. It was hard. When Carl first came he was shy and would flinch if I moved too quickly in his direction. When I tried to take him for a walk he would pancake to the floor in fear. A few  weeks later he remembered he was a dog and started running after squirrels in the back yard. Watching this transformation is magical. Seeing a scared pup come to life like that is one of the things that makes fostering rewarding. 

Then he came back. 

At the adopters house he started limping. They got him to the vet right away and the vet took x-rays. The x-rays showed his back leg had been previously broken. Maybe over a year ago and now the bone had grown back over the break but still didn't look good. The vet suggested amputation.  I raced to the rescue when I saw that report super scared they wanted to follow this vet's advice. 

I also called a very savvy vet tech I have in my family. She studied the x-ray and sadly said that might be in his future. Either way he was going to have severe arthritis some day due to the way the bone knitted together. 

I sent videos of Carl racing in the yard. This boy can run!  His leg is working. He doesn't seem to be in pain. 

The outcome? Holding pattern. 

Since he doesn't seem to be bothered by it right now, let him be. However is he adoptable at this point? Here's a dog that might cost you thousands in the future. Yikes! 

So right now, Carl remains at my house. Chasing squirrels and taking it day by day. Leg intact and we're praying he'll keep it and not have it rebreak or cause him pain. He does occasionally limp but then runs right back after the squirrel. I wish dogs could tell you what they feel, are they in  pain and how bad it is? 

If you're out there, dear readers, please send Carl some prayers. 

UPDATE! 

Carl has been adopted! The perfect family was found. These people had a daughter who was a vet tech and the woman's best friend was a veterinarian. Perfect. 

Have a happy life Carl! 

Not Fostering Now

I've fostered dogs for about 10 years now. Its been a crazy, wild ride and I wouldn't change one minute of it. Not the sad, sick pups I had to nurse back to health, not the wild, untrained dogs who gnawed on my table legs and not those who made me a foster failure.          ---->


Those days were full of fun and laughter and also some heartbreak. There were dogs I was happy to see move to their forever home and those that took a piece of my heart with them when they left.

Now I'm beginning a new life adventure and can't foster where I'm staying because of these two rambunctious beauties.

They are big, they are young, and they would probably squash any little dog that happened by. Not because they're mean, but big dogs play rough. They can push the couch 5 feet when they rock into it.
I'd hate to see them trample a little guy and due to an old shoulder injury I usually only do small dogs.

I miss fostering so much! I miss those sad little eyes looking up at me when they enter my house for the first time and I miss watching them transform into the happy-go-lucky pups they always should have been.

As soon as our house situation is settled I'm back into fostering. There are too many dogs out there who need me, you, us.

Fostering Addiction

Once you’ve fostered a few dogs, the addiction sets in. Instead of the, “I’m not sure I could give it up,” monolog running through your brain, you hear, “I can save one more.”

Thinking about the dog that just left your home sometimes hurts. I miss them. In the short time they lived here, they crawled into my heart. When they leave all the quirky little things they did, like running into the kitchen every time they heard the cheese being unwrapped, or cuddling next to me as I watched TV, or greeting me when I came through the door after work, suddenly seemed like big things. Big things that weren’t here anymore. And I think about them a lot! Are they okay? Does the family love them as much as I do? Will they remember me? Most importantly; Do they understand why I gave them away?

I think that last one bothers me most of all. I loved them, I fed them, bathed them, took them to the vet, tucked them into their little bed at night and made sure they were safe. Can they understand that I was just the bridge to their forever life? I hope so.

I haven’t fostered for a few years because my last foster was unadoptable. A hoarder dog, Cupcake was an incessant barker, resource guarder, and did not want to be touched. In fact, in her first 9 years on this planet, Cupcake had never experienced human affection. She’d been kept in a yard, over bred for cash, and never touched by human hands except when they were taking her puppies. She came into my home thin and scared. It soon became clear I couldn’t take her to adoption days because of her fear. No applications came for this 9 year old Chihuahua over the internet.

Cupcake just settled in here. Found a spot on the couch with her blanket and began to appreciate living in a house. Eventually, she learned to take treats from my hand and accept a pet on the head. Then she’d let me rub her back. I could pick her up if I moved really slow, but she’d be stiff as a board, as if waiting for something. I can only wonder what she went through before she arrived. I made it a practice to pick her up once a day; very slowly up, pets and ear rubs, then very slowly down. With lots of praise.

One day, after she’d been in my home for about a year, we sat at opposite sides of the couch. I reached over (slowly) and picked her up and placed her on my lap. She stood stiff as a statue while I rubbed her back and behind her ears. When I stopped she ran back to her corner of the couch and stared at me. For two weeks I repeated this once every night. One night I sat on the couch after dinner and she jumped into my lap, ready for the rub down.

Of course, this unadoptable dog had found her forever home right here in my arms. Because she still had a lot of fear and other issues, I stopped fostering. A few years passed and she developed an enlarged heart and went into heart failure multiple times. I would run her to the vet to sit in an oxygen tank, adjust her meds and hear the vet say it might be time to make that heart breaking decision. Working with my vet, we brought her back every time. The last time after oxygen and more meds, she never really came all the way back. Her breathing stayed labored and we couldn’t get the water off her heart. It was time to say goodbye. I held her in my arms as she passed and took a little piece of my heart with her. She was a good dog. Maybe she came into my home not knowing how, but she wanted to be good. All dogs want to be good. Some just need to learn to trust.

When you foster and end up keeping the pup, they are affectionately known as foster failures. Or maybe I’m the foster failure? My little foster failure taught me patience and the gift of time. Some don’t need that much time, some need extra time. Cupcake didn’t sit on my lap for the first year she lived here. By the time we said goodbye she would leap into my lap every night. I miss that. I miss her joy and affection and yes, even her little quirks.

Sometimes fostering gives you such a gift. Sometimes you foster and give that gift to someone else. Now, with Cupcake gone to the Rainbow Bridge, I’m ready to foster again. The rescue group I work with sent me this picture.

I stared at it for hours. This Feist/Chi mix is 8 months old and found in a shelter in North Carolina. I have a 12 year old Shih Tzu. I need a dog who will get along with her. Puppies usually love everyone so I’m hoping they’ll cuddle and play. One thing about puppies, they usually don’t spend that much time in the foster home. People love to adopt young pups.

Then the fostering addiction kicks in again. Once her health is cleared by a vet, this little pup will be placed on a transport and welcomed into my home.

Updates to follow…

Dog Adoption & Fostering

Whenever someone decides to try fostering a dog there's going to be a family member, coworker, or friend who will think they're crazy.
My advice? Go with your heart.

Fostering is work. You have an animal to take care of and that includes feeding, bathing, cleaning up after, and taking to adoption days or the vet. (Some rescues will do the vet visits for you.) Most rescue volunteers will pitch in and help each other with adoption days and if you have a dog that requires professional grooming, the rescue should pay for it.

Choose the right organization to work with for fostering. 

This can be your local shelter. Most accept fosters due to the over crowding. Check out their website, visit, or make a phone call and find out what they're looking for in a foster family.
Check out your local rescue. Look them up online. They should be a verifiable non-profit. Go to your state's website and there should be a place to look them up to see their non-profit status. In New Jersey that would be at the Directory of  Registered Charities   Making sure the rescue you choose is a non-profit helps to ensure all funds and donations will go to the care of the animals.

Once you find your rescue ask about their policies for fostering. Who pays for what? A good rescue will supply all the supplies (food, leashes, medical needs, flea prevention, etc.) and host adoption days in your community. Ask about what happens if you can no longer foster? This sometimes comes up if the dog you're foster doesn't get along with another pet in your home or if you have a family emergency and can no longer keep the dog. There should be policy in place for emergencies.

A good rescue usually gives a first time foster an easy dog. By that I mean one that is calm or maybe a puppy. Most puppies have no issues and just want to play. Good choice if you have kids. Some in the rescue I belong to only foster puppies and others only want to do the older dogs. I've done both. Puppies can be fun and older dogs are usually already house trained. There are good points to any age dog. Puppies are usually adopted faster than older dogs.

If you can't foster there are always other volunteer options.
Most good rescues run fundraisers and the more hands to help the better.
Processing paperwork for adoptions.
Calling references.
Doing home visits.
Transporting dogs.
Collecting donations.

Check out your local shelter or rescues. Their website should have a list of volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer and save a life. 

How to Foster a Dog

Did you always think you wanted to do something to help homeless animals, but weren’t sure what? If adoption is out of the question, you might consider fostering. Although being a foster family for a homeless dog can be very rewarding, you might have some concerns. Stay calm. It’s easier than you think.

The foster family opens their heart and home to a dog from a shelter and agrees to work with the pup on basic house manners. The dog you foster might come with a history of abuse or neglect and will need a lot of patience to assimilate to a home again.  Other dogs might be very easy and quickly become acclimated to your family.  Each dog is different, but don’t worry. Here are a few tips that will improve your fostering experience.

1. Find a good dog rescue organization to team up with. Every area of the country has animal rescue groups. Look online or in your local paper and call a few in your area. This is your chance to interview them to see if they are a responsible group. Ask questions such as: “Will the group pay to have the dog spayed or neutered? What if the dog doesn’t get along with my dog? What if he has a medical problem? Who will take the dog if I go on vacation?” Getting answers to these kinds of questions will give you a good insight into the type of people you will be working with and how much support you will get if a problem arises.

2. Be prepared for a variety of behaviors. Most dogs are good and want to please, but shelter dogs need a little time to come out of their shell. The dog may cower and hide when he first arrives in your home. This usually isn’t a problem. Give him space and let him come to you. The little fellow has probably had a rough few days of arriving at the shelter, being transported to the rescue organization, and finally to your house. He doesn’t understand why he lost his home or why he keeps being moved around. Show him where the acceptable bathroom place is, give him food and water and soon you’ll see a wonderful personality emerge.

3. Know a few accidents are normal any time a dog moves to a new home. If your foster dog has an accident gently correct him with a firm, “no”, and show him the proper place to potty. When he does potty outside praise him so he knows he did it right.

4. One of the best tools to get a dog adopted is photos. All good rescue groups have accounts at places like Petfinder.com and Adopt-a-pet.com. When the dog is in your house take some cute pictures of your foster. Send them your rescue group as soon as possible so they can put the photos up on the website. You could even take a short video of your little guy so everyone searching for a new pet can see how precious he is. You should also let your rescue know if there are any behavioral quirks such as chasing cats, resource guarding or marking.

5. The hardest part is saying goodbye. You’ve given him love and affection and watched him go from a frightened little pup to a wonderful family dog and now it’s time to give him up. You’ve read the adoptive family’s application, checked references and decided they would be a good forever home for your foster dog. When you hand the dog over to the new family your heart may break. You’ve fallen in love with the little guy and now he’s leaving. It can be a very emotional time for the whole family, but remember there’s another dog out there that needs a loving foster family so he can find his way to a good life.
   

With so many animals being dumped in shelters every day, fostering one dog might not seem like much, but remember you’ve saved a life. Now that your first foster is adopted into a good family, you’re ready to save another homeless dog. You are the bridge between a scary shelter and a loving home. Be the bridge that gives these dogs a happily ever after and discover the magic of unconditional love.  

Fundraising for Dog Rescue

We save the dogs, bring them into our homes, share love, good food, and a warm bed. Then comes the hard part; handing them over to their forever home.

Now for the other pain of Dog Rescue; FUNDRAISING!

Rescuing dogs is more expensive than anyone, but the rescue team, will ever know. Dogs come into rescue with heartworm, parvo, infections, and too many other problems to list. (Newbies please don't get scared! Not all dogs come in with issues. Most are perfectly healthy, wonderful pups) When dogs come in with health issues the $$$ can add up quickly!

That dog that came in thin as sticks with cigarette burns on his back needs a full blood work up to be sure he's healthy and the burn marks are going to heal. (he is, they did). The one that seems to be limping when he came off transport needs x-rays (and more surgery to heal his back leg). A litter of pups where three out of five end up with Parvo need to be treated by the vet for at least a week (yes, they made it and are now in good homes!). This list goes on and on....

Most times adoption fees don't cover it all. Veterinary bills can add up super fast so a Rescue is constantly looking for more fundraising ideas. Here's a few we've used in the past;

• Cans. Cans can be put in local stores with pictures of your cutest pups to ask for donations. This requires some organization as someone has to check the cans on a weekly/monthly basis.
• Paws for the Cause. Purchase paper/cardboard paw print cutouts and get a local store or restaurant to sell them for a small fee. As people buy the paw they put their name on it and it's posted on the wall of the business. This makes the business look community minded while earning money for the dogs. 
• Bowling days or Restaurant Dinners. Get together with a local bowling alley and offer games of bowling where the rescue gets a cut of the profits. Check with a restaurant in your area to host a Rescue night. When anyone mentions the rescue, the restaurant donates part of the profits. This is usually not a very big fundraiser but is a great way for volunteers to get together with friends and family to support the rescue. 
• Gift auctions & Bingo nights. Lots of work to organize this as gifts have to be secured from generous donors to make up the gift/gift basket prizes. Check out local fire departments and schools as places to have your venue.
• Craft shows. Another top earner, but takes a good organizer. Find a venue, sell spaces to crafters and vendors, sell some food and drinks. 

These are basic fundraisers. If you have any other ideas please post them! We'd love to share the ideas to save the pups!

Fostering Dogs and Volunteering

Over all I've probably fostered about 100 dogs. I never realized there were so many of these lost souls through my home until I started to look through the files on my computer and saw all those furry faces. All went to good homes.
My last foster was Corona, the Chihuahua rescued from an abusive hoarder. Nine years old, fearful, barker...as she was at that point; unadoptable.
Good news! She's adopted. Right here, by me. It took so long to gain her trust I just decided to keep her. Now she joins my other fur-baby, Gracie the puppy mill Shih Tzu. Two quirky dogs. Corona doesn't know how to play, Gracie loves squeaky toys. They've come up with their own weird kind of play where Corona runs circles around Gracie with a bone in her mouth and Gracie barks at her.

My cat is 20 years old and having trouble walking. She's tiny and now frail, has to be lifted onto furniture and roams the house at night screaming.

So I'm taking a break from fostering for now. I don't want to risk this 20 year old frail cat to harassment by the puppies or danger an older, bigger dog can bring.  Sometimes when a dog first arrives it can be unpredictable. Even if cat-tested at the shelter, once in the home it could be different. Food or bed aggression could cause a problem.

Instead I'm at the adoption days, helping with fundraising, public relations and any other opportunity that comes up.

If you want to help homeless dogs and can't foster check out local rescue groups and find out what else is available.
Foster
Adopt
Donate
Volunteer
Everything is part of the process that brings these wonderful dogs into their furever home.

Pancake Dogs Need Forever Homes

I've been fostering for a few years now and I've probably had maybe 100 dogs through my house. (Only 1 or 2 at a time!) some are here and quickly get adopted. Others are harder to find homes for. They have issues. Things happened to them in their short lives that left scars. Invisible scars that can't be seen from the outside.

They might have been neglected. They might have been unsocialized. They might have been beaten. They might have watched other dogs being abused. We may never know. But there's something there. Its in their eyes, in a look of panic they have when approached, in the tension in their bodies. And we have to deal with these issues when they come into the foster home.

I don't want to scare a potential foster to think every dog that might come into your home has a problem. Most don't. Most of the dogs I've had were loving, sweet pups who went on to make great family dogs. If you find a good rescue who knows the ins and outs of fostering they will make sure your foster dog fits your family dynamics so that your fostering experience will be a good one.

When I get a dog into my house that has that deep fear I ignore them. I set up a bed and a crate and show them the water dish. Then I let them sit there, crate door open and ignore them. A dog with fear issues doesn't trust easy. They need time more than anything else. So I watch TV, prepare dinner, do my computer work and avoid eye contact. Eventually they venture out to explore their surroundings. Slowly. We have a fenced in back yard and after a day or so I'll just leave the door open and let them wander in and out. I offer treats and if they don't want to come near me, I just drop them on the floor.

Because these dogs came in contact with some very bad people, they need time to learn to trust again. It's not going to come quickly and sometimes it's not going to be easy. They say time heals all wounds but these dogs need kindness too. They need to know that not all people are bad. Not all people will hurt them.

Corona came from a Hoarder but she pancakes when I reach for her. Pancake is when the dog flattens itself to the floor and cowers in fear. I've had this pup since January and she still pancakes. This shows me that not only was she from a hoarding situation, she was abused, too. Corona weighs 10 lbs, a little Chihuahua.

Sometimes its hard to hold the anger at the people who did this at bay. I have to remind myself that this little soul came into my life to share love and kindness. The anger I feel at those horrible people is useless at this point. It has no place between Corona and I and I have to let it go.

After those first few days of ignoring her, Corona slowly came to trust. She now will take treats from my hand, come over to be petted and runs around the yard chasing squirrels. She is now free from the hoarder and most of the fear that kept her a prisoner in her own mind, but the scars are still there. When company comes over, she barks incessantly. I either have to hold her or crate her. But its improving. It's one of the last things we're working on.

Right now she's beside me on the couch, tapping me with her little paws so I pay attention to her and not my keyboard. She's giving me kisses and letting me know when she has to go out. She's sweet and loving but at 8 years old, adopting her out will be hard.