More On Fostering

Fostering can be one of the most rewarding ways to help homeless animals. Today it's vitally necessary because so many animals are entering shelters and rescue. The shelters are overburdened and without foster families, many of these animals wouldn't survive.


This is Winston on the left looking out the window with Monty. Winston was one of our fosters. He had both internal and external parasites and was badly in need of some good nourishing food. He came to us when he was about three months old and lived with us for four months until we placed him in a home with a couple who had lost their elderly dog and wanted a new companion. I have the opportunity to see him several times a year and he's a wonderful senior citizen now.

Just before placing Winston, I decided I wanted to keep him. I'd grown very attached to the little guy. The couple came to spend the weekend and meet Winston and when I saw how much they loved him and how well he accepted them, it was much easier for me to let him go.

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Road Dog shared this experience:

" My husband was living in California and had two German Shepherds at the time. he decided to foster a third. By the time they got home, he called the German Shepherd rescue group and told them he was permanently adopting the foster dog."

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Several of our blogging friends are currently fostering.


This is Ziggy. He lives with Dog Foster Mom while waiting for his forever family to come along and discover him. I enjoy reading about Ziggy's adventures as he learns to fit into family life. It's not always easy.

Rescued dogs can come with baggage, behavioral problems and sometimes emotional or personality problems. Part of the job of the foster family is to work on these problems and assess the type of home that the animal can best fit into.

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Another blogger that is currently fostering is Barb and hubby Bill. They have a couple of large dogs of their own and over the past year have taken in several small foster dogs. Here are some of their temporary family members.


Roo, as you can see is a special needs dog. Having a deformed leg doesn't stop her from doing everything the other dogs do, but the foster family must be sure that she'll get the support that she needs in a permanent home.


Milli found her forever home.


Isn't Dove cute. She has also been adopted.


Edith was one of the lucky ones to find a permanent home.


Nicky now lives with her permanent family.


John is living with Barb and Bill and is waiting for a family to love him forever.


Chica found her forever home with Barb and Bill and her canine family members Ernie and Sasha. Foster families often adopt one of the animals they foster. They find that the new pet is a perfect fit with their family.

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My friend Nicki has some fostering info to share.

Getting started - Pick a group or breed rescue you are interested in and that has a good reputation. Ask about their adoption requirements. Some groups don't have much in the way of screening and you don't want to invest time, money and emotion into a pet that will end up in a bad home. The ones I have worked with will only place a dog that fits into your household with you. For example, if the dog is not good with cats and you have a cat, they will choose a different dog for you. Make sure you choose a rescue that promotes the pets well - online, local paper, adoption events, etc. This will help make sure you don't get stuck with one a long time.

I have fostered anywhere from a week to several months. It just depends on the pet and who is looking at that time. Older, large breed dogs will be hardest to place. Puppies are usually quick.

The few rescues I have worked with paid all the vet bills, but asked that we buy the food. They either had an appointed vet for you to take them to, or reimbursed for the vet of your choice, if needed.


Trip is Nicki's most recent foster pup

Some will arrange for the potential homes to meet the pet and do all the talking to the adopters and transporting of the pet for you. Some will ask that you participate in this process.

We started fostering because it was something I really wanted to do. We got to experience a lot of different dogs and at the same time really help out a worthy organization and help save lives. We fostered for about a year for an all breed rescue and now intermittently for a Border Collie rescue. When we worked with the all breed rescue, they would call and tell us they had a dog and what it was. If it didn't work for us, we could swap for another, but we generally didn't get to choose. With Border Collie rescue, I offer to foster based on the need or the particular dog when I can work it into our lives! It's generally the job of the rescue to find the home, although it doesn't hurt to promote your foster dog to people you know!

The best thing about fostering is seeing the pet end up with a perfect forever home where they are spoiled and adored! The worst part is the sad stories they often come with.

We have adopted two of our fosters - mainly because they happened to be exactly the type of dog we were wanting next. They just came sooner than we anticipated! I would love to foster regularly, but it takes a true time commitment which I don't have right now, and the willingness of everyone in the family, which is not always present.


Peyton was a foster last year

As far as not getting attached - I never consider the pet to be mine. I always think of him or her as a dog I'm just pet-sitting for awhile. But it also helps that I have very specific criteria for each new dog we get and many of my fosters don't fit the bill. For most people, I think making a conscious effort to never consider that keeping the pet is even an option ( always pretend it already belongs to someone else) is the best way. Working with a rescue that has pretty high adoption criteria helps, because you know it's going to a really good home. Some rescues give the foster home the final say in who adopts the pet, since the foster family knows the pet best. This is nice as it really gives you peace of mind when you finally have to hand over the leash.


Lyric started out as a foster, but was adopted by Nicki

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If you're interested in learning more about becoming a foster family there are a number of organization you can contact. here are a few to get you started:

www.fosterdogs.com

www.fostercats.org

purebredcats.org

www.smallbirdrescue.org

Fostering

In today's terrible economy, everyone feels the pinch, but the situation is dire for many pet animals whose families can no longer afford to keep them. Household pets are being turned into shelters at alarming rates and the shelters are swamped. They don't have enough space, supplies or volunteers to care for all the animals looking for homes.

In the 24 years that Rob and I have been together, we've done rescue. Pylon, Bentley, Lucy, Monty, Morgan and Tsar were all rescues. We've done fostering, MG, Cookie and Winston, and recently we've been doing some transports, moving animals across country to find safe situations for them. The one thing we haven't done is shelter volunteering. I don't think I can do it. I have trouble just walking into a shelter. I want to bring them all home. I have the greatest respect and admiration for shelter volunteers.

On Dogs-N-More we'd like to discuss each of the ways we can help homeless animals. First let's discuss fostering. I know that several of you foster. Will you share your knowledge with us so that maybe some of the rest of us might consider trying it, or at least understand better what you do?

Lucky

Each of the animals pictured on this post is currently available here in Missouri. They are all listed on Petfinder, if you are interested in learning more about them or in giving one of them a home.

Kingston

Here are some of the questions you can help answer:

Why do you foster?

How long have you been doing it?
How do you get started?

Zoe

What types of animals do you foster?

How do you decide which ones to take?

Rocco

How long does an animal usually spend in foster care?

How do you find a permanent home for an animal?

Topsy

Are you responsible for all expenses?

What happens if no one adopts the animal?

Sassy

What is the best thing about fostering?

What is the worst?

Tex

Have you ever adopted an animal you were fostering?

Why or why not?

Natty

Will you foster again?

Why or why not?

Ozzie

Remember, it's not only dogs and cats that need help finding homes. All types of animals are currently in shelters or rescue organizations waiting for someone to give them a safe and loving home.

Cassidy

Perhaps you don't have room for a big dog and you're allergic to cats. Have you thought about helping a bird like Cassidy or a bunny like Charli?

Charli

What are some of your best fostering experiences?
What are some of the nightmares?
What are the funniest?

Edward

What should we know before considering fostering?
OK, everybody knows the big question--- how do you give them up after having them in your life for awhile and getting attached?

Mr Oinkers

I know several of you currently foster and more have done it in the past.

E-mail your answers to me wilcoxhall@ymail.com

I will post whatever you have to say about fostering. Want to write an entire post about it? Send it to me and I'll post the whole thing. This is an important thing you're doing. Without foster homes, many of these wonderful, happy, healthy animals would be euthanized.

What Kind Of Dog Is That?

I love puppies. I guess that doesn't come as a big surprise to any of you.
I can't think of anything that can brighten my mood as fast as cuddling a warm puppy against my neck and inhaling that sweet puppy breath. I love their soft little ears and their smooth pink pads.

I've always thought that new puppies look like little fat sausages with ears, legs and tails. But, have you ever noticed that newborn puppies look alike regardless of what breed they are and what they'll wind up looking like when they grow up?

Here's a little quiz. See if you can tell what breeds these newborn puppies are.

Puppy # 1


Puppy # 2


Puppy # 3



Puppy # 4


Puppy # 5


Puppy # 6


Puppy # 7



puppy # 8


Puppy # 9


Puppy # 10



Puppy # 11


Puppy # 12


Puppy # 13


Puppy # 14


puppy # 15


Puppy #16



Puppy # 17


Puppy # 18

OK, notice how much alike they all look? They all have little round muzzles for easier nursing and they all have short, strong little front legs to help them find the milk bar and push their siblings out of the way. They're designed for survival in the first critical weeks of life. After that they'll start developing their breed characteristics.

The above are all purebreds, but mixed breeds look just like them. Did you guess what breeds they are?

Here are the answers:

Puppy # 1 Collie
Puppy # 2 Beagle
Puppy # 3 Scottish Terrier
Puppy # 4 Golden Retriever
Puppy # 5 Boston Terrier
Puppy # 6 Newfoundland
Puppy # 7 Border Collie
Puppy # 8 English Bulldog
Puppy # 9 German Shepherd
Puppy # 10 Staffordshire Terrier
Puppy # 11 Boxer
Puppy # 12 Labrador Retriever
Puppy # 13 Doberman Pinscher
Puppy # 14 Portuguese Water Dog
Puppy # 15 Weimaraner
Puppy # 16 Bedlington Terrier
Puppy # 17 Dachshund
Puppy # 18 Icelandic Sheepdog

How many did you get right? Aren't they cute? Wouldn't you love to cuddle any of them?

Warm Weather Reminders

While some of our friends in other countries are looking forward to winter, warm weather has come to the US after a rough winter. We're all aware that we need to take certain precautions to keep our pets safe when the seasons change, but it never hurts to have a reminder.

Probably the most important thing to remember is to provide plenty of water for our fur kids. It's good to check frequently to make sure the bowl hasn't been turned over or no insects (think ants) have invaded for a swim party. My dogs love to get their big feet in the bowl and splash all the water out.





We may want to change our walking or exercise schedules and do them during the morning or evening when the temperatures are cooler.

We all know that it's deadly to leave pets or children in a closed car. They may look sad when you leave without them, but it's totally forgotten when you return and they remain safe and healthy.





If your pets are white, short haired or shaved down, you want to consider sunscreen. Also dogs with brown instead of black noses and those with stand up or prick ears can suffer sunburn to their ears and noses. There are sunscreens available made for dogs that will not hurt them if licked. Just try putting sunscreen on a dog nose without it getting licked.


Above are two of my dogs. Tsar has very pale skin under all that hair. When we put him in a lion cut he feels cooler, but we must watch him closely so he doesn't burn. Generally in hot weather he goes outside only in the morning and evening. Norma Jean has a lot of white. The skin under the white patches is pink and burns easily. If she's shaved down she needs special attention. Morgan has a pale brown nose so I slather sunscreen on her as she goes out the door.


Many of us like to open the windows and get some fresh air into the house after a long winter. Our pets enjoy it, too, but falls from open windows can cause serious injury or even death. Be sure if your dog or cat has access to an open window that there is a screen or barricade to protect them from leaning too far out while watching the squirrel on the tree limb just out of reach.


I love spring, but it brings the re-emergence of fleas and ticks and the diseases they carry.

This is the dog flea. A dog can be covered with these creatures and they get into furniture, carpeting and bedding. If left untreated they can cause hair loss, anemia and tapeworms.

The brown dog tick can cause some severe illnesses such as Ehrlichiosis with weakness and bleeding problems or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever with neurological abnormalities.


The Deer Tick, above, can spread Lyme Disease with lameness and arthritis or Anaplasmosis with it's joint pain and seizures.


Mosquitoes can spread Heartworm. All these insect borne illnesses can be prevented. Check with your vet for the prevention treatment that's best suited for your individual pet. What works best for one may not be right for another.

Poisoning is another potential hazard if your dog or cat eats your flowers from the garden. Check before you visit the nursery to see which plants are toxic if eaten. The ASPCA has a good list in alphabetical order with photos of plants that can harm your pet.

Keep your eyes open for those little signs in your neighborhood that say the lawn has been treated by a lawn service company. The chemicals can be toxic. If your dog walks thru the newly treated grass, then licks his feet, he can ingest the chemicals.


Some lucky dogs have access to water, either a lake, pond or pool. Be sure that your dog is supervised in and around the water. Even dogs that are good swimmers can fall into a pool and not be able to climb out. They can tire and drown. Lakes and ponds can have places for the dog to become entangled in roots, vines or fishing line. Check that there are no fishhooks left lying where a dog can step on them.


If you're going boating with your dog or if he's an unsure swimmer, be sure he's wearing a life vest. It will help keep him afloat if he falls overboard and it has a handle on the back to help pull him to safety.

Warm weather brings lots of new loud noises that might frighten your pet. With windows open, street noises seem louder and there is thunder and fireworks. If your pet seems frightened of these noises, there are ways of dealing with them. Check with your vet for ideas suitable for your animal.

Don't forget to have ID on your animal. With doors and windows open and new frightening noises all around, a dog or cat might try to escape the commotion and become lost. Be sure that if you and your pet do get separated, he can be identified and returned to you. Use whatever method works best for you, microchip, tattoo, and ID tags.

Let us know what other warm weather worries you have to deal with. By exchanging ideas we may help someone else keep their pet safe and healthy this summer.