my first foster
I know retraining him is going to be a challenge (who knows, maybe being in a established pack that already know the rules he will thrive) I do have a few questions for those that foster. I am determined to retrain and rehome him, no matter how long it takes. (I reqired his shot recoreds and that his owner write a release of ownership to me.) How hard is it to give up your foster dog to his new home? can boys wear bling too? is there anything i should know about fostering? |
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Here he is. |
| Really tough, but when you find the right home, you just know their life will be wonderful. Of course I'm guilty of having flunked Foster 101 several times.........some were cases that made placement difficult.....Jack and his biting. Fox glued himself to me from day one after a life fending for himself on the street and was more velcro that an OES. MO because DH wouldn't let her go........his first words when he saw here was , "She's a keeper." Yet many went on and we received regular updates and when their time came, shared tears at their passing. |
| Gosh, where to start? Bling: I suppose you can do that, it's a personal preference. We have never bling-ed girls or boys but doubt that they care either way. Firstly, kudos to you for devoting your time and resources to taking Jack in.  You already have a huge advantage just by knowing his previous family and know most of the history on him. Shelter dogs come with no instructions and usually no paperwork. Some surrendering owners are not honest about the reason they are giving up a dog or behavioral problems they think will prevent an individual or group from taking over its care.Always introduce a dog slowly to the new pets on neutral territory and gradually to its general surroundings. Our new fosters are gated outside the kitchen in our sunroom for a couple of days, where they learn the sights, sounds and smells without being threatened. They are in full view of everyone but secure until comfortable. Always feed in the crate or in a gated area. I don't do any real training for at least a week, just let the dog acclimate and build up trust. Using a treat to see if a dog knows a "sit", etc., is about all we do for the first few days. Each dog has it's own learning pace. Yes, it IS possible to eventually let a foster go! You are doing what you feel in your heart  is the right thing for that particular dog. It has been tempting to keep several of the fosters that have passed through our home. Our house is small and the people looking to adopt may have better resources for caring for the dog. Whether it be more space to run in, more time to spend with him/her, better financial resources, access to better training or because they've recently lost a beloved pet and are heartbroken.  We've only kept one foster and it was because we felt we were better equipped to care for her than anyone else. Besides, she wasn't safe to go to most homes due to several bite incidents and would be put down anywhere else.  Be sure to disclose anything you know about Jack before letting him go to a new home. Make notes along the way. Don't rush to get him completely trained before he goes to his new home because honestly, that's not really necessary and usually not expected. The new owners should be able to do some of this themselves and is a good bonding experience for their new dog.  |
| Looking forward to hear about another Jack! Yes, they come with excess baggage you'll have to unpack and retrain......but what a wonderful time you'll have......even though you will question your decision for the first week or two. |
| I believe I would fail on this dog!! Kudos for taking him in and loving him till he finds his new home. |
| Im excited and nervous at the same time. Ive already decided he has to have boy bling, im just not sure what that is yet... Im hoping for an easy transition although i know it doesnt always work out that way. Thanks for all the advice. If anyone has any more feel free to give it! |
| I have nothing useful to add but he is adorable! He is so lucky to have you!! |
You never know you might keep him  |
| When a foster comes to my house, they meet the "locals" in small groups or one on one. I'm very lucky that my dogs are all very social, and like to share their home. If they weren't, I would have to revise my process! A couple potentially sticky issues for many are meal times and toys. This may be an issue for your own dogs or for the new guy. I always feed all mine separately and have a spot for the foster too. Nothing more likely to start a fight than having someone getting stared at while eating or having another dog hover or even actually get in the other dog's bowl! Also toys - your dogs may not be used to strange dogs just rooting in and chewing/playing with their toys,so you may want to pick them up. Then reintroduce them in a supervised setting. Or the new dog may not share well, or just be stressed out and get snarky. As far as training, I usually limit it to basic behaviors - stuff like potty training, not jumping on people, decent leash manners. I did have one basset foster several years ago that we trained (obedience). He had been over in WI, and been in rescue from about 7-8 months old. I followed his progress, and he went from foster home to home, sometimes being boarded in the kennel they used over there when no one could have him in their home. He was a rowdy guy, longer legged than most bassets, and "more dog" than most basset fosters are used to dealing with! Soon he was 18 months old, still not adopted....this poor guy had grown up in foster care! I couldn't take it anymore - thinking "how tough can this be?" So I had him transported over to us, and he began his foster dog rehab. He was a counter surfing, wild jumping, energetic super happy dog! We walked him, he got to play with our dogs, and he had STRUCTURE in his life. He absolutely thrived and was like a new dog. Then to finish it off, my daughter took him to my obedience classes. He loved it and was immediately a class favorite. People in class couldn't believe he was an "unadoptable" dog....in fact many wanted to trade their dogs in for him!  I posted new pics on the website, and had a new description wrote up about him. Sure enough, he went to a perfect home within a month, with a single guy in his 30's who was active (ran, assistance football coach for a college) who wanted a dog he could take with everywhere. He worked out great - he even became a mascot of sorts with the team! Good luck! |
| Thats wonderful to hear! I didnt even think of the toy thing. My dog share their toys with each other (they share everything) but jack may not like to share. I planned on introducing him to my dogs one at a time. 3 large dogs saying hi at once is alot for a dog thats never been socialed with dogs his own size. As much as i would love to have anouther sheepie (especially lilys brother) i cannot keep him. Only foster. |
| In a sense you are 'keeping him'. You are keeping him safe and warm and fed and will help socialize him and teach him until his forever family comes along. I think that you are wonderful to be doing this and I hope that you keep us updated. I have never fostered myself, but as I learn more from the experienced fosters on this forum I think that maybe, one day, I could be confident enough to do it. So as a first foster, I will be following your story, the good, the bad and the ugly, hopefully mostly good! |
| I definitly will be keeping everyone updated. I dont like to use the word keeping, holding on to him til his forever family finds him is much better. Jack hasnt even got here and my fiance already made a theme song for him and is attached. To think he was apprehensive about it at first! I hope everything goes smoothly too! |
| Update! So I have a little bit more information on jack. The good: loves to be groomed, doesnt chew up anything that isnt his. Crate trained. Good with cats. Good with small dogs. The bad: Has been known to mark in the house, is intact, may have allergies, jumps fences, neighbor torments him so has shown agression to neighbor but no one else, only knows sit, and has no recall, no socialzation with dogs his own size, does not do well on a leash. Looks like i have my work cut out for me! |
| Im getting really anxious about jack coming today. I cant shake this feeling his owner has been lying to me. She wont tell me the vets name or office that he goes to, so i can have them fax over his vet records to my vet. She insists on going to get them. She wont let me pick him up from her house, even though i know where she lives and it would be easier. So she insists that they come over to drop him off. Its just not giving me the greatest feeling. |
| Maybe she hasn't told her vet they are giving him up - she may be embarrassed... Ditto for the house. Maybe she just needs to have some control over the situation. I don't really think her behavior is that odd...it's a stressful time...you see all sorts of behaviors! What do you think she is lying about? |
| Im not sure, it probably just the stress of the situation and added stresses from yesterday. I found out last night that the last of my childhood dogs is probably not going to make it through the week, i need to go say my goodbyes today and our household income has just been slashed in half. I dont deal with it very well. I dont lash out just over analyze it. |
AnInnocentEvil wrote: Im not sure, it probably just the stress of the situation and added stresses from yesterday. I found out last night that the last of my childhood dogs is probably not going to make it through the week, i need to go say my goodbyes today and our household income has just been slashed in half. Sorry about that...both the loss of your pet and the job situation.  I dont deal with it very well. I dont lash out just over analyze it. That actually made me smile...my best friend does exactly the same thing! I hope your day goes better, and the transfer of your new foster boy goes smoothly. It always doesn't, as it's emotional for the person giving the dog up...even when they are obviously not good pet owners  , but look to the future and the good that will ultimately come from it for this dog. That makes it all so worthwhile! |
| Thanks. Yes! Im excited for jacks new life! He will never be tied up again or think hes a bad dog for no reason because hes never been taught right behaviors from wrong. I already have a sheepie experianced home interested in him, that would be perfect but he would have to at least walk well on a leash, not jump a fence and not jump up on ppl before he goes. They are prepared to wait and and are such wonderful people, i actually couldnt ask for better owners than them. So i really hope all works out! |
| And the list gets longer of homes that want him! Wow i cant belive it. So many want to help and want to give him a home. Even my little sister! (She doesnt get bumped to the top just cuz shes my sister, she probably could handle him but not too sure about grooming) the first ppl on the list is the ppl i already mentioned. Ive already told everyone that. |
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