BoulderPets.net

Fostering a dog

Fostering a dog is about saving that one dog’s life. It can be rewarding and frustrating, a joy and a chore, heartbreaking and fulfilling.
Fostering may also be a way to see if a certain dog is right to be a permanent member of your household.

Please be aware that if you commit to fostering under the auspices of a rescue group you will be expected to follow through on that commitment even if you decide that you do not want to keep that particular dog permanently. Make sure you have a clear agreement as to how long your commitment is, what kind of input you have as to what happens to the dog when it is under consideration for permanent adoption, and what kind of input you have if the adoption does not work out for any reason. You will get attached to a foster dog and these questions can be the difference between a good and a bad experience for you.

Many foster dogs will come from a life of poor social upbringing and need to be taught how to get along with others in the most basic way. They may need rescue simply because their previous owner had no idea how to live with a dog and teach a dog how to live with a human. They may come into your care because of abuse, neglect, or simply lack of education. This can be frustrating at first but if you once see how a dog can overcome its circumstances under careful loving care, how naturally loyal, social and big-hearted these creatures are, you yourself will never be the same again.

Other dogs may come into rescue already well behaved and socialized, perhaps through loss of an owner, or through financial difficulties. Some may be unwanted puppies that never found a home. They all need someone to look after them, someone to teach them, someone to care for them, and, being dogs, they need someone for whom they can do the same. Being dogs, they also need a job.

Ideally, foster families will be willing and able to teach a dog the things it will need to know in order to live well and happily in a permanent home. That may include any number of the following things:

• Housebreaking
• Teaching it get along with others, both human and canine (feline would be a bonus too)
• Obedience training
• Teaching basic manners
• Giving it a job to do (a job can be as simple as retrieving a ball or sitting at your feet for a time)

Fostering is what gives many dogs their best chance at success. It enables you to give potential permanent adopters a history and a much fuller picture of what to expect. It can give the dog the skills to fit in well in a home that might otherwise become to frustrated to keep it. It can give you enough information to be able to find a home that is a good fit. Finally, it can give you enough information to help the new owners shape the dog into one that will be a joy for them to live with - and that is what keeps a dog alive.

Do you love dogs? Do you have room in your heart and room in your life to help? Can you commit to spending time with a foster dog to teach it social skills, trust, and respect? If so, fostering may be for you.