Fostering a rescue dog is not like watching your best friends well behaved dog while they are on vacation. I think this is the biggest misconception for new fosters and what leads to new fosters having a bad experience. Anyone who loves animals typically wants to help, but new fosters commonly have a romantic vision of what fostering a rescue animal will be. Don't get me wrong they are amazing animals that deserve a chance, but they can come with baggage.
For a lot of these dogs they may have never even lived in a home before they get to their foster home. They may or may not be house trained, have house manners, separation anxiety or other issues common to the instability they encounter. I would never want to talk anyone out of fostering but I also want everyone to have a real picture of what fostering is. It is hard work. It is dirty. It is frustrating and when done well, it will touch your soul in a way you have never before experienced. The fosters job is to get to know the animal and work with it to learn what he/she will need to know in order to be a great companion animal.
Also be aware and familiar with the different breeds of dogs. If you are a more sedentary person then don't offer to foster a herding or active breed dog. Likewise if you are looking to take your foster dog running with you everyday then don't foster a breed that isn't very active. Do you like small or large dogs? Do you have experience whelping puppies or kittens? Are you good at carrying for dogs with medical needs? Is there a particular breed you have a lot of experience with? These are all questions you should ask yourself before agreeing to take a foster dog or cat.
People often tell me, "Oh I could never foster. I would keep them all!" That is not necessarily true. I love animals but the dogs and cats I have had, although amazing, didn't feel like my pet. I loved working with them and gaining their trust. Showing them love and watching them learn how to play with toys is awesome. When they were adopted I did the ugly cry on my way home. The first few days I worried about how they are adjusting to their new home and if they are ok, but I knew they weren't mine. I was merely blessed to watch over them for a short amount of time until they moved on to their happily ever after.
Most of the dogs that are pulled by the shelter I volunteer with come from high kill shelters. They have a clock ticking above their heads. They are amazing animals but they will die because no one wants them. So by fostering I can save an endless number of an animals simply by opening my home to them. The more fosters a rescue has, the more animals they can pull and save. So I am ok with cleaning up messes until they master house training. I have the patience to work through training issues. And I happily shed the tears, knowing that because I am willing to risk some heartache, another animal will have a happy life with a new family. I do get lucky and get dogs that take little effort with because they are already so well behaved and I have had some that needed to learn everything. What I have never had, though, is one that deserved to die. Foster an animal, safe a life.
No comments:
Post a Comment