Getting into rescue and fostering
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| I'm just getting started with the rescue up here in MN. Once we're done getting the house ready, I'm gonna start helping with the paperwork parts- going over applications, calling for vet checks, etc. We may foster down the road, once everyone is all settled in and we've got the fence up, but you don't necessarily have to foster, to help the rescue out! good luck with your volunteering!
Karen  |
| I loved fostering. It is a very rewarding experience. Usually the rescue covers all the costs of vet bills and food, and with cats they'll cover cat litter as well.
I haven't done many rescues lately, one cat last summer, another cat the year before that, as well as a territorial husky who was abandoned. My favorite fosters were when I got a foster who was pregnant, usually hunting dogs left in the fields at the end of the season, and I would foster them while they had and raised their puppies. I LOVE puppies...lol... and I have always known I wanted to raise dogs and cats. I raised cats for 15 years, but have never been prepared to raise dogs until the last couple of years. Fostering gave me a chance to raise puppies while helping, allowing those pups to be born and raised in a home instead of a shelter. Also, I could have the joy of raising pups without adding to the problem. Then of course there was "Frazzle"   
Frazzle was here for a few weeks, and that was a challenge for me, as he was a stubborn adolescent male oes. We got through it though. The husky I fostered last year was male also, and was only with us for one day and his owners were found. He was a stubborn boy too. LOL You won't enjoy all of them. LOL Most dogs, no matter what they've been through, are grateful for some love and care, and show it. Some, although probably grateful, will test you over and over again before deciding to trust you. I've been lucky in that my pets always seem to get along with a "house guest". I'm very careful to do nuetral introductions, and of course close supervision. It's good to see a foster get along with other pets, but one on one time is important too, so rotating crate time works well for that. As to requirements, it's depends on the organization you are working with. A fenced yard is usually a requirement but not always, children over a certain age are usually mentioned, but not always. In my case, at the time, I did not have a fenced yard, but I had no intention of letting the dog out unattended, so not a problem. Also, because of my experience, and the fact that my kids have always been raised with animals and the fact that I would never leave a dog alone with my kids, made the kids not an issue. Every situation is different. Becuase I had young kids at the time, they would of course never send me a dog they thought was questionable in any way. That being said, the only behaviors I have had to deal with and retrain are things like barking, leash pulling, chewing, territorial marking etc... never outright aggression. I don't think I'd have a clue what to do with a truly aggressive dog. I think the reason I don't do it as much now is, for one, I am busy with my own pets and focusing on showing them and getting ready to hopefully have my first litter of oes sometime in the next year. I don't want to risk any parasite infestations or viruses, which is something else you need to keep in mind. Bringing in a foster, almost always means fleas, so make sure any dog you intend to foster has been treated for fleas and worms etc at least 7 days before it is brought to your home. Anyway, I've rambled on enough...lol.... I'll post again if I think of anything else. It really is a very rewarding, fun experience. |
| Thanks Karen and Stacey I may take Karen's suggestion and start with helping with paperwork, home checks, etc. |
| Stacey, how old are you? You've had a ton of animals over the years! I thought you were only about 30, am I wrong? It sounds like your house was always full! |
I as well have wanted to get involved more! I started by joining a lot of clubs and trying to get to know people. I volunteer with an org called B.A.R.K. in Ottawa and really want to foster once my fence is up!  STUPID FENCE!
I certainly think that it takes time and a lot of research before diving in! OH, and talking your husband into it...maybe that's just me!  But I figure I have 40 acres of land that is just SITTING there, and someday maybe it will be a home to those that don't have one. But I want to go into this slowly and with my eyes wide open. I have a lot to learn!  All I know is that our passion for our sheepies really could be channelled into helping so many! And I also look forward to relieving some of the pressure off all those people who are working so hard in rescue orgs!
But I think that every little bit helps, doesn't it?
Good luck! Maybe some day, it will be us giving advice to new rescue people!
Colleen and Gucci George=>I would love lots of friends! |
| I agree Colleen. Since I know it will be awhile I want to know the good and bad, better to be prepared for whatever harppens. I don't think there is a formal OES rescue group in MI but intend to find out. |
| I would think that the first questions one would ask themselves about fostering, owning, raising or adopting a dog or especially dogS would be, does my house have to be spotless. Can I stand the thought of having hair balls up against the fridge, muddy floors, trash tipped over and carefully sorted through on the kitchen floor.
Do I want mud, dirt, and dust on me, my furniture, walls and floors. Do I mind the occassional hole chewed in the drywall, the chewed up shoes, the scratched wood floors, the holes in the screendoors they forget to open on their way out, and the snags in the carpet from the nails that got a little too long. Do you mind friends and family coming over and seeing all of this on your "worse" day? Like right after a heavy rain, when they've refinished the house with fresh coat of mud, and brought in that wonderful wet dog fragrance they tend to have on a rainy day. If you can answer yes to all the above, then ask yourself the following: Can I bring loving, and sometimes hateful little creatures into my home, fall in love with them only to say goodbye over and over again. If not, can I afford to keep all those pitiful, big brown eyes staring at me that I only meant to foster? Good luck to everyone that fosters and adopts. You do wonderful work! |
| No problem with any of that Pam, I already have it |
bestdogsx4 wrote: No problem with any of that Pam, I already have it
The X4 in your name pretty much told me you knew what I meant. My post wasn't directed at you specifically. I know some people don't think about that kind of stuff, so I thought I'd throw it in as a reminder for them. |
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