dog fostering

[Deleted]

I think I'd like to do this but want to hear some experiences, good & bad, so I know what to expect.

I have a rescue dog right now and he's very social; I think he'd love this.

But I have my worries. 

But I love making room for another dog to be rescued.

What should I ask, look for, know??

[redheadbaker]

The fostering experience differs from group to group. The shelter that fostered for required any resident dogs to meet any potential foster dogs at the shelter. Their interaction was observed by the shelter "behaviorist" (there were 3 in my time volunteering there, none were certified behaviorists, only one was a certified trainer). I don't feel that was the best environment to observe their interactions.

The shelter provided basic medical care -- vaccines, microchip, spay/neuter surgery, kennel cough meds, if needed, etc. Anything above and beyond that (say the animal had heartworms or needed entropion surgery) was the foster parents' responsibility.

The foster parent provided all food, toys, collar/leash, crate, etc.

The foster parent did all the "marketing" (the shelter provided a PetFinder listing, and opportunities for adoption events), screened adopters within shelter guidelines, and chose the adopter.

For "easy" dogs and cats, it was a good experience. For behavior-challenged animals, you got very little support.

That said, it's hard to find out ahead of time what kind of place you're fostering for, unless you know someone already doing it for that org that you can ask.

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[lavender444]

We started fostering after losing my Rottie, about a month ago. We are doing 8 day fosters for dogs coming out of kill shelters and waiting the kennel cough incubation period before going into the rescue. They are coming to us with vaccinations but not yet spayed or neutered. The rescue supplies us with everything needed to care for the dogs.

We have not taking in many dogs yet, but what we have done has gone well. We have a playful German shepherd and 2 young kids. So the rescue is careful of giving us dogs that appear to be appropriate for our household. Most are very young and need a lot of house training, but are friendly and social.