Calling ALL Dog Fosters and Non Fosters Alike! Fostering Dogs - Tips, Recommendations, and Places

[Lemon-Drop]

Hi there!

So, originally, I was hoping to get a Golden Retriever or some other large breed dog from a breeder as a puppy.

I realized that it's a little out of budget, and I'm moving out soon, so it wouldn't be the best fit.

This is a little bit of our current situation:

• We will be able to start fostering in the next 6 months or so (not immediately, though)
• We have two dogs that are getting on in their age, a miniature poodle and a toy poodle
• We have other animals (no cats, though) including chickens, parakeets, fish, a hedgehog, and an axolotl
• We have a fenced dog run that connects to our deck, but no current fully fenced yard
• We can walk dog's multiple times a day for exercise, or go to a dog park if compatible
• We live in Western Washington
• I'm moving out in the next 4-5 years
• We have plenty of space in our home
• FYI, my family has decided that for at least the first couple dogs, we don't want to foster ones with fighting backgrounds
• We want to foster a larger dog

My family and I have decided that fostering seems like a good compromise because:

• We can meet many new dogs, so when I'm living on my own, I can think back and decide what qualities were my favorite
• We can help care for animals that need homes - to me this is one of my values - freeing up space for more dogs to be taken in
• It's a much shorter commitment than adopting a puppy and keeping it for life - 15 years vs a couple months or weeks
• Helping makes me really happy. Being around dogs curbs my social anxiety and depression
• It's much more affordable. While we're happy to spend what's necessary, often vet care, food, and supplies are provided by the shelter
• I'm guessing that dogs that go to foster homes are happier than ones in shelters
• Probably a bajillion other reasons I can't think of right now.

So, those are some of the reasons why we want to foster. Now, I want to know about your foster experiences, if you've done them, or dog keeping experiences in general!


So, a couple of my questions are:

• Does this seem like a good idea?
• What are some recommended organizations?
• What breeds should we avoid?
• What is it like?
• If you have fostered, did you enjoy it, and would you recommend it?
• Any concerns or things to be aware of?
• Tips?
• What is involved?

I'm excited to go on this journey, and hopefully some of you can help answer my questions!

I know this is a chicken forum, but it seems like it's one of the most active, so hoping some people can help!

Let me know if there's any more information I can provide.

 

[eveliens]

I've been fostering dogs on and off for about 20 years. Here are some tips:

• consider what you won't tolerate in a dog and be very clear with the organization this will end in the foster being returned ASAP. My No's are animal aggression and child aggression. Do not keep this dog thinking you can work through it because you will more than likely burnout and return the dog anyway after a lot of struggling.
• realize a foster dog can take 30-60 days to fully decompression and show their true behaviors; it can be very frustrating that your formally sweet and quiet foster is suddenly showing its true colors if you're not expecting it. Some dogs don't do this but most do.
• choose the organization you work with VERY CAREFULLY. They should vet you and you should vet them. A lot of rescues and shelters are wild wild west, and sometimes they will do shady things to unload a problem dog on someone else hoping your emotions will stick you with the dog.
• you said 'large' - I would be extremely careful adding an unknown large dog in with chickens and small, elderly dogs. Avoid breeds that are known for animal aggression, be clear with the organization you have other animals at home and cannot take any dog that shows aggression towards other animals.
• set up a crate and/or x-pen that is the dog's space - keep them in there for a few days while everyone gets used to each other and let the dog know it has a safe space to go if it gets overwhelmed. Set the dog up to make good choices and slowly give more freedom as the dog shows it is comfortable. I usually do crate/pen -> leash -> supervised free range -> free range. Some dogs, especially adults who are already trained, just breeze through. Other dogs like puppies or untrained adults need more direct supervision.
• be liberal with the treats - food is a fast way to build trust and make friends LOL High value treats like hot dogs and cheese in small amounts are good to get them to learn their name and to come.

I enjoy fostering because I find it extremely rewarding! I've fostered and found great new homes for dozens of dogs. I get updates on the little guys living their best life years after the adoption. It is great. But I've seen a lot of people burnout or fill up with "foster fails." A lot of people go in with good intentions then get overwhelmed because they're given "too much dog" or an inappropriate fit for their home for their first foster. There's a reason organizations are constantly in need of new fosters.

Think about your boundaries in advance and be very clear on what you can handle when choosing a dog. For your first foster, I would recommend a trained adult dog that has previously lived in a home and was just unlucky enough to land in a shelter. They exist and they often get looked over for puppies or young dogs. I'd avoid young male dogs (9 months-2 years old) - this is when they hit puberty and are dumped for a whole host of unpleasant behaviors such as aggression, marking, humping, extreme fear reactions, etc. If you don't have the experience/confidence/patience to deal with that, I'd skip it. I'd steer away from puppies because they require a lot of care and will probably annoy and/or accidentally hurt your small older dogs or other pets. I'd also avoid bully mixes ("pitbulls") - they are notorious for animal aggression and could put your smaller dogs at high risk. Same with heelers and any other dog with a high drive.

Also understand the dog will probably not be housebroke or leash trained and it'd be good to brush up on your training knowledge. If you have the time and money, a cheap training course at petco or petsmart is great for learning foundational dog training skills you can use for all future dogs.

It is great you're looking into fostering and asking for advice! It can be a lot of fun and these dogs do desperately need to be in home settings learning to be good pets or just chill away from the stress of the shelter. Good luck.

 

[MROO]

If you're taking on a shelter dog, whether it's to foster or adopt, be sure to talk extensively with the staff before you even meet a dog. They know their charges better than anyone and want them to succeed, so let them know everything you can about your situation. Tell them about your animals, your home, your yard and your experience. Let them know your schedule and how much of a financial and time commitment you can make. Let them know about your behavior expectations.
If you're willing to take on a senior, let them know. If you prefer a laid-back or a high energy player, let them know. If you're willing to "Foster to Adopt," let them know that, too. A good shelter will take all that into consideration and find the best match for both of you. A REALLY good shelter will let you know if they don't have anyone who meets your needs at the moment, but will keep you on their list of potential fosters.
I've always adopted from shelters. One of these days, I'm going to walk in and simply say, "This is where and how I live. These are my current pets. I don't care about breed, size, age or gender. All I require is a sweet face and a sweeter disposition. Bring me someone who needs me."

 

[HomesteaderWife]

I am a bit time pressed at the moment so I didn’t have time to read all the way through each page. But from someone who worked in animal care in two shelters especially, fosters are super important. Fosters are sometimes needed for a mom and puppies - keeping them separate from other dogs. Until they’re big enough to be separated and adopted out. Many times a special needs dog that needs to heal from a wound or going through heartworm treatment. Heartworm treatment requires they are low activity so they can’t get too excited. Fostering in my experience was always dogs with special requirements as mentioned including ones needing to heal from mange and have their baths and treatment, or those surrendered or found very skinny needing to put on weight and have a helping hand. You’ll need to ask what animals including dogs they’ve been around. Make sure you know who to contact in case of emergency or in need of vet care through the shelter. Know their requirements. Another instance where a dog may need a friendly hand- if an owner passed away and they’re scared and reserved or perhaps they came from a hoarding situation. Breed wise if you’re going through a shelter you’ll probably not be able to be picky about breed specifically. If you go through a breed specific rescue that’s a different story and they’ll probably want good info on your experience with that breed in particular.

Fosters are valuable, and remember cats need fosters too! I saw way less people willing to foster mom cat and her little ones- they can be kept in a separate room away from dogs such as a bathroom when younger.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Well, we applied to be a foster and the organization accepted! Have some more paperwork/prep to do, but hopefully in the next few months we’ll be fostering!

 

[Coops Dad]

Does fostering give you the option to call dibs on one if you fall in love and your heart says "this one is mine"?

My Very Good Dog, Luna, was adopted out of foster care. She's had three "forever" homes after her initial surrender and each brought her back within the 30 day takeback period, and then she went to foster as a last resort before being killed. She had a warning on her file in large red letters- "NO OTHER PETS, NO CHILDREN" but my wife brought her home anyway even though we have a million chickens and turkeys plus my wife's beagle.

Luna was very stoic around people- she'd stand and let you open a door or drawer into her without moving, and you'd have to physically push her aside. She was aggressive with the beagle- she wasn't allowed to exit or enter a room before Luna, and she wasn't allowed to eat before Luna started to eat. Not food aggressive, just "me first".

After about six months, Luna became her real self. She's very affectionate, gets along great with the beagle to the point that she allows the beagle to grab her by the throat and roll her over onto her back in order for the beagle to savage her throat. She's still got an insanely high prey drive but pretty much ignores the chickens- as long as she knows we're watching. Her greatest joy is to trot along next to the tractor when I shred the field because she gets to catch and kill field rats as they dart out from in front of the shredder.

Luna is the biggest couch cuddle bug on the planet, she loves to crawl into the couch and lay her head on my thigh as I'm reading.

She's great in public and I cannot imagine why she got a "no children" warning. There was nothing in her file and her foster family said they had no idea what that was about. She loves going to Cabela's and the feed store because she gets to love on people and get pets from strangers.

I'm happy that my wife ignored me when I said please please please don't get another dog without me going along.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I'm surprised you feel that way! After we had a dog kill one of our chickens after he hopped a fence it has been debilitating. I can't sleep, I can't even go a day without thinking if everything is secure. I assumed this was a universal experience. I will probably never own a hunting breed (specifically a lab) because of it. I am so overcome with worry that I do miss out on things! But I don't think it will ever change. I had never thought of it like that before.

I'm sorry.

I just don't see how a dog would get to my chickens... their fence is 8 ft high and covered. They don't free range because of predators, unfortunately.

 

[Coops Dad]

I'm surprised you feel that way! After we had a dog kill one of our chickens after he hopped a fence it has been debilitating. I can't sleep, I can't even go a day without thinking if everything is secure. I assumed this was a universal experience. I will probably never own a hunting breed (specifically a lab) because of it. I am so overcome with worry that I do miss out on things! But I don't think it will ever change. I had never thought of it like that before.

The dog who Luna replaced, an ancient Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix named Spidey, used to fulfill her genetic destiny by catching and bringing to me our ducks and chickens. She never physically harmed any of them but I don't doubt there was mental trauma, lol. I'd put my hand on the chicken, tell her "release" take the bird and put it on the ground. The look on her face when she'd bring the bird told me that this was her true purpose from the beginning of the universe; that all of creation and infinite time had led to the moment she'd completed her mission. Until the next time.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Hi there!

So, originally, I was hoping to get a Golden Retriever or some other large breed dog from a breeder as a puppy.

I realized that it's a little out of budget, and I'm moving out soon, so it wouldn't be the best fit.

This is a little bit of our current situation:

• We will be able to start fostering in the next 6 months or so (not immediately, though)
• We have two dogs that are getting on in their age, a miniature poodle and a toy poodle
• We have other animals (no cats, though) including chickens, parakeets, fish, a hedgehog, and an axolotl
• We have a fenced dog run that connects to our deck, but no current fully fenced yard
• We can walk dog's multiple times a day for exercise, or go to a dog park if compatible
• We live in Western Washington
• I'm moving out in the next 4-5 years
• We have plenty of space in our home
• FYI, my family has decided that for at least the first couple dogs, we don't want to foster ones with fighting backgrounds
• We want to foster a larger dog

My family and I have decided that fostering seems like a good compromise because:

• We can meet many new dogs, so when I'm living on my own, I can think back and decide what qualities were my favorite
• We can help care for animals that need homes - to me this is one of my values - freeing up space for more dogs to be taken in
• It's a much shorter commitment than adopting a puppy and keeping it for life - 15 years vs a couple months or weeks
• Helping makes me really happy. Being around dogs curbs my social anxiety and depression
• It's much more affordable. While we're happy to spend what's necessary, often vet care, food, and supplies are provided by the shelter
• I'm guessing that dogs that go to foster homes are happier than ones in shelters
• Probably a bajillion other reasons I can't think of right now.

So, those are some of the reasons why we want to foster. Now, I want to know about your foster experiences, if you've done them, or dog keeping experiences in general!


So, a couple of my questions are:

• Does this seem like a good idea?
• What are some recommended organizations?
• What breeds should we avoid?
• What is it like?
• If you have fostered, did you enjoy it, and would you recommend it?
• Any concerns or things to be aware of?
• Tips?
• What is involved?

I'm excited to go on this journey, and hopefully some of you can help answer my questions!

I know this is a chicken forum, but it seems like it's one of the most active, so hoping some people can help!

Let me know if there's any more information I can provide.

I love that. I used to foster until I got a grumpy saint bernard so I have to wait till she dies but careful the more you get to know them the more you love them lol

 

[MROO]

I am a bit time pressed at the moment so I didn’t have time to read all the way through each page. But from someone who worked in animal care in two shelters especially, fosters are super important. Fosters are sometimes needed for a mom and puppies - keeping them separate from other dogs. Until they’re big enough to be separated and adopted out. Many times a special needs dog that needs to heal from a wound or going through heartworm treatment. Heartworm treatment requires they are low activity so they can’t get too excited. Fostering in my experience was always dogs with special requirements as mentioned including ones needing to heal from mange and have their baths and treatment, or those surrendered or found very skinny needing to put on weight and have a helping hand. You’ll need to ask what animals including dogs they’ve been around. Make sure you know who to contact in case of emergency or in need of vet care through the shelter. Know their requirements. Another instance where a dog may need a friendly hand- if an owner passed away and they’re scared and reserved or perhaps they came from a hoarding situation. Breed wise if you’re going through a shelter you’ll probably not be able to be picky about breed specifically. If you go through a breed specific rescue that’s a different story and they’ll probably want good info on your experience with that breed in particular.

Fosters are valuable, and remember cats need fosters too! I saw way less people willing to foster mom cat and her little ones- they can be kept in a separate room away from dogs such as a bathroom when younger.

Hope this helps some.

I fostered kittens for Chesapeake Feline Association in Maryland. Including some I handled on my own, I had close to thirty come through in just under two years. Three of those - two kittens and a senior queen - ended up as foster fails. We lost our old lady just before the pandemic began, so my son decided to adopt again as part of the "Clear The Shelters" movement. We ended up with one adoption and one foster - both terrified ferals who would collapse if you so much as looked at them. And you guessed it ... you can add "Fall" to the end of the foster's label. He turned out just too gorgeous and too sweet to give up. Did I mention that I no longer foster kittens ... or cats? We've found other ways to support the rescues, but no more fosters for awhile!
So, I guess my real advice would be two-fold:
First, when choosing or accepting a foster, don't overlook special needs - whether they are senior pets, feral "barn cats," or otherwise "extra work" dogs (blind, deaf, tripod, etc.) Most respond to patience, love and readily available food.
And Second, be prepared for your heart ... and your home ... to fill up when fostering.

Pics of our "Untamable Ferals:"

Poe caught in the act of creating one of the downsides of fostering ... ragged edges on the stairway carpet. This was at one year - you should see him now, with a massive mane and fully grown into those feet!

Kohana, wondering why her hooman woke her up from her nice, comfy lap-nap.
Yup - "Don't take in ferals. They can't adjust to indoor life." SO NOT TRUE!