Fostering: What dog breeds should we avoid?

[DrakeMom]

I didn’t mean to stir up things. I’m sorry.

Rocky, the 8 month old puppy beagle pit mix, went on a home visit a few hours before we were to pick him up and foster him. Yay, Rocky! Hopefully they will adopt him.

So we now have a pregnant cat that we are fostering for the next 9-10 weeks. A queen and teeny kittens should be safe for my backyard critters. She is in an extra large dog kennel in my insulated shed. Safely away from my pets that might stress her and safe from any random predators. Safe & cared for and away from the shelter pets that don’t have all their vaccinations yet and that often have upper respiratory illnesses that would kill young kittens.

I know many of you feel like all companion animals should be in the house (on the bed/couch, etc.), but due to my husband’s allergies, the shed & backyard is the best we can do. Fosters are loved here and cared for and we spend most of our day outside with them anyway. I work from home, so I’m here nearly all the time. I did wait until the last possible day before stepping up and fostering—waiting for an indoor foster to get them first... but no indoor person was available at this time.

I’m off to add a “crib bumper” to the crate so, just in case she has her kittens outside the nesting box, they won’t wiggle out of the crate.

I like how you mentioned how many people think animals should live inside lol. All my animals are outside and I think they live a more fulfilling life outside rather than if they were always cooped up inside. I know I would

What rabbit doesn't wanna hop around all day and eat grass and what dog doesn't wanna run around the yard all day at their free will?

 

[The Newman Shack]

It could be a real pit bull, I know of a few that were rescued and turned out amazing.

This is our handsome boy! It took some time to build trust with my husband but he was instantly protective of me and our 2 female bostons. He’s the biggest pushover out here and he worries about any small creature we find out here in the country! I have a video of him growling at his siblings because they were getting too close to his turtle

 

[addctd2plnts]

We are getting set up to foster dogs (one at a time) through our local humane society. All our pets are outside. We have three cats (in their catio at night & when we are not home; running in the yard/fields when we are home). We have a rabbit (in a hutch mainly, but allowed to hop in her fenced in area (3’ tall fencing). We have 21 chickens also. The chickens are in a fenced in area (5’ fencing) with bird netting on top. They get to “free range” in our half acre only when we are outside.

Foster dog will be on a 20-30’ tie out cable attached to our 90’ long zip line (so it will have the run of the yard without needing fencing) when we are home. Foster dog will be in an enclosed pen (on rock, not concrete) at night and when we are not home.

I can keep the chickens in their run when we have a foster unless the foster dog is in its pen.

We would like to avoid breeds that are known for chasing/killing chickens though. Currently our shelter has a malamute, pit mixes, lab mixes, beagle mixes, and some other hound mixes, but it changes almost daily.

Thoughts?
(Our dachshund lived to be 15 & was around our chickens the last 4 years of her life. She never harmed them. She followed me into their pen and was accidentally locked in there with them for an hour or so and never hurt them. Free range time wasn’t an issue either. So I don’t want to stereotype all hunting breeds or whatever—but I also don’t want to take bigger risks if it’s not necessary.)

The Malamute is gorgeous, but I’m reading about their high prey drive & how much they love to dig and thinking she may not be a good fit.

What would you avoid if you were considering fostering a dog with chickens & cats in the same yard? We will likely only foster each dog for a week or so until it gets adopted.

Prey drive is the issue. There's no way for the Humane Society to know for sure a dog won't kill chickens. Most dogs will if not carefully trained to leave them alone for 6 mos. I've fostered almost 1000 dogs in the last 20 years and have had as many as 20 at a time, because I have a special facility where I can quarantine new dogs coming out of shelters. I've never had a dog bite us, but I have 8 years of experience assisting vets and dogs are a talent I have. I am surprised they will let you put a dog on a pulley tie out. It's a situation bound to cause trouble. Many dogs come to shelters and have never walked on a leash. They freak out and panic when they get wound around anything. They need a person home to potty train them, leash train, and teach commands, to get them ready for their forever family. Leaving them outside all day can un-potty train them. I'm not sure you really understand the amazing amount of work it is to foster dogs and the responsinility it is to train them. Their very lives depend on you to make them a good house dog and a cherished family member. It takes several hours a day of work training and taking them everywhere to make that happen. It's not hard work, from my perspective, but Ive seen many fosters return dogs within hours after they get them. Few people are truly able to do the job the way it should be. It takes time and love and it's very hard when they leave. Even the ones you don't like, you have to follow through on. The shelter may tell you that you'll be fostering for a week or two, but usually it's several MONTHS before a dog gets a home. By then you start to get attached and it's super hard to let them go. I've also had a number of dogs abandoned by rescues on me, so be very careful that your expectations are really going to be met. I've fostered for shelters and only one shelter was ever remotely correct about the dog's personality and traits. Dogs in shelters react very different than they do in a home where it's calm. You need to be prepared for everything when you foster and really know your dog body language. Please talk to more fosters before you do this.

 

[MixedFlock23]

Prey drive is the issue. There's no way for the Humane Society to know for sure a dog won't kill chickens. Most dogs will if not carefully trained to leave them alone for 6 mos. I've fostered almost 1000 dogs in the last 20 years and have had as many as 20 at a time, because I have a special facility where I can quarantine new dogs coming out of shelters. I've never had a dog bite us, but I have 8 years of experience assisting vets and dogs are a talent I have. I am surprised they will let you put a dog on a pulley tie out. It's a situation bound to cause trouble. Many dogs come to shelters and have never walked on a leash. They freak out and panic when they get wound around anything. They need a person home to potty train them, leash train, and teach commands, to get them ready for their forever family. Leaving them outside all day can un-potty train them. I'm not sure you really understand the amazing amount of work it is to foster dogs and the responsinility it is to train them. Their very lives depend on you to make them a good house dog and a cherished family member. It takes several hours a day of work training and taking them everywhere to make that happen. It's not hard work, from my perspective, but Ive seen many fosters return dogs within hours after they get them. Few people are truly able to do the job the way it should be. It takes time and love and it's very hard when they leave. Even the ones you don't like, you have to follow through on. The shelter may tell you that you'll be fostering for a week or two, but usually it's several MONTHS before a dog gets a home. By then you start to get attached and it's super hard to let them go. I've also had a number of dogs abandoned by rescues on me, so be very careful that your expectations are really going to be met. I've fostered for shelters and only one shelter was ever remotely correct about the dog's personality and traits. Dogs in shelters react very different than they do in a home where it's calm. You need to be prepared for everything when you foster and really know your dog body language. Please talk to more fosters before you do this.

Wow. Some responses are very discouraging. I work from home and spent about 6-8 hours minimum each day with the Malamute for two weeks until she was adopted. She was an outside dog before coming to the shelter. She was covered in poopy matted hair and I spent hours & hours grooming her. I found a tumor on her that her owner (who visited her in the shelter the day she came back to be adopted out) had no idea she had. She got to see a vet for that. I woke up at whatever time she howled to go potty as she was kennel trained and wouldn’t go potty in the carport. The last morning I had her is was well before sunrise when she needed to run down the street with me to potty. She pottied on walks not on the tie out. Did you see the photos & updates in this thread?
But I guess in some people's opinions she was better off in the concrete kennel inside the shelter (no air conditioning) with over a dozen other dogs needing the shelter workers’ attention too.
The shelter has two other foster homes currently and that’s it. I wait & see if anyone else feels called to foster (& perhaps can do the indoor dog situation), but many, many people out here in the country have outdoor only dogs (on chains even) anyway, and I don’t see how I’m hurting the dog’s chances of adoption. I groomed them (the local groomer was going to charge $150 to groom the poopy malamute & the shelter does not have extra funds like that). I walk them many times a day. I play with them. I socialize them with other people, cats, & dogs. I train them as best I know how (sit, stay, down, wait, don’t pull the leash).
But maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ll just enjoy my chickens & stop trying to help out the shelter.

 

[addctd2plnts]

As horrendously awful as that is, I have doubts on disparaging whole breeds.
I know someone who was mauled by a Golden Retriever, lost a hand.

Golden Retrievers are one breed that is often affected by hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism WILL cause a dog to get aggressive! It's such a strong link that whenever we see a Golden or other medium to giant breed dog, that has a bite history, the good rescues ALWAYS test for hypothyroidism. Our family always has a few Leonbergers, which is a breed renowned for its good nature and love for all people. Whenever there's a bite history the Leo Rescue always tests for low thyroid and they are almost always low. In 22 years of fostering and owning Leos, I've only seen ONE that truly had a problem and the breeder admitted the pup was stuck in the birth canal way too long. In fact that pup was the only surviving pup. It was absolutely crazy aggressive and everyone evaluating the dog voted for it to be put down.

 

[Flockincrazy]

Huskies have a high prey drive but not all hounds do my beagles sleep with my chickens and ducks and have never hurt any of them it really depends on the dog

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Huskies have a high prey drive but not all hounds do my beagles sleep with my chickens and ducks and have never hurt any of them it really depends on the dog

My golden retriever wouldnt hurt our chickens. And i know someone who had a huskies and he wouldnt hurt them. I also know hound dogs that wouldnt hurt chickens. It is the way dogs are raised and trained.

 

[Flockincrazy]

My golden retriever wouldnt hurt our chickens. And i know someone who had a huskies and he wouldnt hurt them. I also know hound dogs that wouldnt hurt chickens. It is the way dogs are raised and trained.

I agree every dog is different

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. We went to the humane society yesterday afternoon and took home the Malamute Missy. She is 8 years old and has lived outside in a kennel her entire life. Surrendered due to a divorce and having no home (husband’s dog-wife got house-he is living with friends). This dog is super sweet. Good with kids and all the neighbor dogs here. She ignores the chickens and cats (which are staying in their pens). Since we got her at 4:30pm, we’ve been with her 4 hours last night and 3.5 hours so far today. We’ve bathed her, brushed out her undercoat (enough wads to fill at least two Walmart grocery bags), taken her for mile long walks, trimmed most of the matted fur out (she doesn’t like me to touch her tail or poop mat by her butt), introduced her to neighbors and their dogs, taught her to sit and lie down, and, of course, provided food, water, & shelter.


I understand some people might think what we are trying to do is pointless... but it’s honestly the best I can do. My husband is allergic to dogs. He took three allergy meds every day for the 13 years my dachshund lived in our house. Gracie was my mom’s dog; my mom passed away from cancer and my hubby was willing to take meds daily for over a decade so that I could take my mom’s dog as our own. I knew before getting married about his allergies and agreed to only having outside animals—but he chose to make a 13 year exception for me. So Gracie has passed away (last May), & I’m ready to try out outside dogs. We are starting with fostering because 1. Our shelter is often at capacity and this allows them to save more lives if we can empty a kennel by fostering, 2. We would like to train the fosters (no pulling on the leash, basic commands, socializing with other animals & people, etc), in hopes that it makes them more adoptable, 3. It is a way for me to see if my heart can handle having an outside dog—my pups have always slept in my bed. We have waited until fair weather to start fostering knowing that they can’t come inside (though, in the event of storms, I do have a garden shed that’s anchored down and on a concrete pad that the dog can go in).

Missy the Malamute has lived outside in a kennel for eight years. She dug a dog sized hole and slept in it under the carport last night. I think she’s happy here. She smells better and has way less hair than she did yesterday. Hopefully later today I can earn her trust and trim that 8” tail mat off... and get that plate sized poop mat off her leg. Hopefully we can continue to teach her basic commands and help her get adopted into her forever home. Hopefully someone will bring her inside & let her sit by their air conditioner. Hopefully we are making a difference one dog at a time... even if we can only keep them outside. (Our shelter isn’t air conditioned... dogs are either in a concrete kennel or out on a 20’ tie out with a doghouse during their time at the humane society. So maybe being at our house is at least equivalent to being at the shelter.)

My dog was outside for 11 years and has recently just come inside do to old age. Some dogs enjoy being outside. I adopted a dog and all she wants is to be outside. But she has to be an inside outside because her breed does not fit requirement for outside winters. Beautiful dogs and I think your doing a great favor for where you are

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

My dog was outside for 11 years and has recently just come inside do to old age. Some dogs enjoy being outside. I adopted a dog and all she wants is to be outside. But she has to be an inside outside because her breed does not fit requirement for outside winters. Beautiful dogs and I think your doing a great favor for where you are.

My family use to have a german shepard husky about 8-9 years back. And he loved being outside. He wouldnt go inside. When he got to the point we knew he couldnt get around well we brought him in but he didnt like it.