Top 7 reasons to foster a shelter pet over the holidays! (and there’s a giveaway too!)
Enter to win on all 10 participating blogs!!
Joining us in the fun for this year Paws & Santa Claws Holiday Giveaway are:
- Jodi at Kol’s Notes
- Christina at The Every Day Dog Mom
- Jessica at Beagles & Bargains
- Amanda at Dog Mom Days
- Joy at My GBGV Life
- April at Tenacious Little Terrier
- Elizabeth at Chronicles of Cardigan
- Sandra at Dolly the Doxie
- Kama at Kama Loves Agility
Foster a shelter pet. Make a difference
Foster for the holidays! Oh, and there's a #giveaway! Click To Tweet
So I may have mentioned that I am an enabler. I am the wrong person to ask if you want someone to talk you out of fostering or adopting a pet. I work in a shelter and often have office fosters (a gateway if there ever was one!) like Lila.
Lila’s first day as my office foster.
Give a shelter animal a break from the stress of the shelter.
Shelters do the best they can to keep animals happy and healthy but the shelter is a scary and stressful place no matter how dedicated the staff and volunteers are, or how nice the shelter may be. Giving an animal a place to decompress for a couple of weeks can help them relax and find a little peace away from the noise and the chaos of the shelter environment. Committing to foster a pet over the holidays also has the added benefit of de-stressing your life as you slow things down and focus on your house guest. As you can see, Lila was REALLY struggling to settle in her first night as a foster in our house 😉
Learn more about how a potential new pet will work in your current home dynamic
Perhaps you’re considering adding a pet to your home but you’re unsure how a dog or cat (or ANOTHER dog or cat) might fit into your family routine. Fostering is a fantastic way to get a feel for how a new pet might work. It gives you a chance to see how everyone gets along before committing fully.
Helps the shelter learn more about the animal and how they might be in a home which increases their adoptability
Unfortunately, most animals enter shelters without a complete, or even partial history. Shelter staff may know very little about an animal and the shelter environment doesn’t always allow an animal’s true personality to shine through. We often don’t have answers to questions such as, “Does this dog ride well in a car?”, “Are there signs of separation anxiety?”, “Is the dog house broken or crate trained?” Time in a foster home can provide invaluable information to adoption staff in making good matches.
Lila rides beautifully in the car!
Help a shelter pet learn new manners and get some training to help it be more adoptable
Even a couple of weeks in your home learning a routine and basic commands like “sit” or “leave it” can have a huge impact on increasing an animal’s chances of being adopted from the shelter. Providing a soft place for a shy and fearful dog to land for a short time or getting a high energy dog out for a couple of weeks on your morning run can make a difference in how that animal behaves at the shelter.
SNUGGLES
Does this really need any further explanation? Free snuggles. Enough said. 🙂
It helps you to “give” even when you’re strapped for cash
Most shelters and rescue will provide everything you need to foster a pet including food, medicine, crates, toys, treats, training tools, resources and more. All you need to do is open your home and your heart to an animal in need. I promise you, giving your time and your attention to an animal in need is invaluable!
If you’re lucky, it’ll be a love match.
I know a lot of people dislike the term “foster fail” but I’ve always said, “If I’m going to fail at anything, I’ll gloriously fail at fostering” I’ve fostered three times and “failed” twice, which is how both Piper and Lila joined my crazy crew!
Simon , Lila and Piper (clockwise from bottom)
Lila’s first day as an official member of the family (November 20, 2017)
Now, go ahead and enter the giveaway and then head to your favorite shelter to fill out a foster application! If you do foster for the holidays, please let us know how it goes!
Paws & Santa Claws Holiday Giveaway
I do not have any questions about fostering a pet.
Would you consider fostering?
Oh, sure, that would be wonderful 🙂
Great! If you do foster, let us know how it goes 🙂
I fostered a cat briefly. I would consider it again in the future.
Thank you for fostering!
How do you not get attached? I have not fostered but if did Iould most likely end of adopting. I would find it difficult to detach. It’s so sad how many pets are without a permanent home.
I have a good friend who has fostered more than 400 animals over the past several years and she has only adopted three. I think the key to really not getting too attached is to remember that when you let the animal get adopted by someone else, you are opening up another spot in your home for an animal in need and that opens up another spot at the shelter. 🙂 (Of course, I have adopted two out of three of my fosters so I may not be the best one to ask 😉
I have fostered many dogs. Most of them Boston Terriers from Mid America Boston Terrier Rescue. I have babysat a few going to their furever home!
Fostering truly saves lives! Thank you for fostering so many pups! 🙂
I’ve never considered it before thus I don’t have any questions at this time.
Would you consider it now having read the benefits?
I have never fostered a dog before. I’d be afraid that I found love with that I need to be a foster fail. I would also be concerned that my two dogs will be jealous.
It’s definitely hard not to fall in love with your fosters but if you can focus on the incredible benefits fostering offers and the idea that you are preparing a dog for it’s new home, that can help a lot. If your dogs tend to be jealous, take things really slow, crate an rotate and remember that if a dog is just there for a short time, your dogs do not necessarily need to be best buddies.
I fostered a cat for 30 minutes before deciding to keep him. He’s now named Loki, and he’s an adorable fluffball of love!
That might be a foster fail record! 😉 I love it! 🙂
I have not fostered, but I have adopted two cats and two dogs. I would consider fostering
Wow! Four rescue pets! That’s awesome. Sounds like you’d be a fabulous foster 🙂
I have fostered and will look into it again.
I know a shelter near you would be grateful!
I have fostered around the holidays before. It was a lot of work but he ended up being adopted pretty quickly which was nice! How can I be sure the rescue or shelter I work with won’t lay on a guilt trip when I no longer can foster?
That’s a fantastic question! I would say, do some research first in to the organization you want to work with and be very clear about your timeline for fostering. If a shelter or rescue group pulls the guilt card, it’s probably best to move on to another organization. I know at our shelter, we are so grateful of our foster families. We want long term relationships and that starts with respecting the needs and limitations of our fosters without judgement or guilt.
I’d like to know how NOT to get attached and want to keep the foster animal. That is the #1 reason why I can’t even think of it, because I’d never be able to let them go!
So…having foster failed two out of three times, I may not be the best person to advise you on not getting attached 😉 I will say this, while it can be really hard not to let them go, if you can focus on the fact that when you let a foster move on to be adopted, you have opened up a space for another animal in need.
I have never fostered and I would love to but I don’t think my dog would like that.
It really does depend on the dog. When I brought my first foster puppy home, I told the rescue that they might have to come get the puppy later that day because I really didn’t know how one of my dogs was going to react. We took it really slow and it actually turned out to be the best thing for Simon. Turns out he is a fantastic “Uncle” type of a dog 🙂
Yes, I would love to foster when my kids are a little older. The hardest part would be giving the pet to the new owner.
It is the hardest part but it’s also the most beautiful part. Knowing that you have helped prepare an animal for life in a home is pretty special. Plus, often times the new adopters will keep you posted with pictures and updates 🙂
I have never thought about fostering a pet. I think I would get too attached. Have you ever had that happen with a fostered pet?
Thank you for the chance to win!
Yep! Piper and Lila are both foster fails 😉 They both became permanent members of my family. That being said, it is incredibly rewarding when an animal you have fostered goes on to a wonderful home. Good luck in the giveaway!
i haven’t fostered but we adopt from shelters and my mom does fostering
Thank you for adopting! And thank your mom for fostering. 🙂
I would love to but unfortunately I live with my parents and I’ve asked them about it before but they wouldn’t agree to it.
When you’re ready, there will be a perfect foster waiting for you 🙂
I have not fostered before, only adopted or rescued.
Thank you for supporting pet adoption 🙂
I haven’t ever fostered before. I would love to help more and fostering would be a great way.
Please let us know if you do foster and how it goes for you. Shelters and rescues are always in need of committed foste families.
I have never fostered but I have two big dogs so I am not sure how they wold react to another dog in the house. They are friendly to other dogs.
Depending on the shelter you work with, they will typically have staff or volunteers who can help you assess how your dogs will do by facilitating dog-to-dog introductions. Sometimes even the friendliest of dogs can be a little territorial in their own home so you really want to take intros slowly, plan on crating and rotating and reach out for assistance as needed.
I have never fostered before but my father-in-law did for many years. I’ve thought about it but think I’ll wait until my kids are a little older.
Thank your father-in-law! I’m sure his efforts were greatly appreciated by the shelter he worked with and by the animals whose lives he touched.
yes and it was easy yet hard and sad and i would again
That sums it up perfectly – it’s easy and hard at the same time. It’s happy and sad and most fosters would absolutely do it again. 🙂
We’ve never fostered, but my momma did take in an “apartment cat.” She doesn’t know how she wouldn’t get too attached if she fostered.
I think the reality is that unless the animal you are fostering is just not a good fit with your household or personality, you always get at least a little attached to each foster but if you can recognize the good that you do with for the animals you foster, it can be a little easier to let them go one to their adoptive homes.
I fostered once and ended up adopting both cats, I don’t think I could do it again and not get attached.
It is really hard. Like I said in the post, I have fostered three times and two of those fosters became permanent family members. I will say that getting pictures from the family that adopted my first foster makes it all worth it.
One of the only things I miss now that I live on a boat is fostering. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
My husband always wanted to adopt our fosters but I didn’t. We fostered such wonderful puppies and dogs that I used to get excited thinking about how these wonderful dogs would go out into the world as fabulous ambassadors for shelter pups.
I guess if I had a question it would be to look for a suggestion for ways I can help shelters from the boat (cash is pretty dear, however).
It sounds like you are an amazing foster that any shelter would love to work with. I don’t know if you have internet access on the boat, but perhaps you could help with social media shout outs, shares and retweets for a shelter or rescue that you like. Helping them to spread the word about their organization would be extremely helpful. You could also consider organizing a virtual fundraiser on GoFund Me or on of the other crowd funding platforms.
I fostered my dog, I would do it again in a heart beat!
Yay! Fostering truly does save lives! 🙂
I haven’t fostered yet, but I would definitely consider it. THanks for the chance! 🙂
Please let us know if you do end up fostering for an organization. We’d love to hear how it goes for you!
We fostered a cat Jingles about 4 months ago we truly love and adore her. Shes brought so much joy to our kids and family i would Recommend fostering any day
So glad to hear that you and your family had such a wonderful fostering experience. It sounds like Jingles hit the jackpot!
I fostered several dogs in grad school, but I really like just having 1 dog. I ended up getting sent a lot of fosters that no one else could handle, so we both got a lot of experience working with different personalities, but it was exhausting sometimes. Galen is enough of project on his own now that I’m working full time I spend almost all my time outside of work with him (he’s pretty darn close to perfect now with all that time spent).
So glad to hear that all your hard work with Galen has paid off. I too have a “project dog” – well, three actually 😉 It is a great deal of work but totally worth it!
I have fostered when I was younger before I married. I would still do it if I had the space.
If and when you are ready to foster again, there are plenty of wonderful animals out there who could use a shelter break 🙂
We have not fostered but we do adopt sick and older pups. Our Yorkie was 10 when we adopted her and our pom had congestive heart failure when we adopted him. They both died last year so we adopted a 2 year old Papillon/Dachshund who had been dumped and then returned twice. We wanted a 5-8 year old but sometimes that can’t happen! We brought her home last year to our now 15 year old Schnauzer mix (we adopted when he was 7) and she taught him to play!! She was definitely what he needed. My husband says no fostering because we’ll keep them all. lol
You are making me cry! Anyone who adopts senior and hospice pups is a hero in my book. Thank you for all that you do for animals in need!
I have never had more than one dog at once. Is there a quick way to tell if they are going to get along when bringing a new dog home? My dog is a rescue that’s timid around people, but generally friendly with other dogs.
You could ask the shelter or rescue group you want to work with to set up a meet-n-greet with your dog and some of the shelter dogs to see how the interaction goes. Whenever I bring a new dog into the house, we crate and rotate for a few weeks, pick up all the toys, as even the friendliest of dogs can get territorial in their own home and with their own toys. Take it slow and ask the rescue or shelter for support.
I’ve actually fostered several of the dogs from my own rescue, when I had it. I tend to have so many of my own furbabies it can be hard to foster. The last three dogs I adopted came directly from high-kill shelters where they would have been killed if I didn’t adopt them. They had no training and little socialization so they took a lot of my time. I love them all! I also volunteer to drive rescue transports, too.
Rescue transport volunteers are amazing!! Thank you for doing what you do for the animals. There are so many dogs in need of socialization and training. Thank you for your commitment to your three! 🙂
So my question would be – do you set the terms of dates for fostering or is it until the dog gets adopted? I’d love to foster but get surgeries and medical treatments intermittently throughout the year so I’ve always assumed it’s not a possibility.
It is totally up to you. Some fosters sign up for long-term fostering. Others are emergency fosters only and commit to a few days at a time, at most, while a longer term foster can be arranged) and others will sign up for a few weeks at a time. Most shelters and rescues will (should) work around your schedule, especially if you have health related activities. Hoping you’re healthy and well.
I have never fostered but I might in the future
We cannot foster because there is a two dog rule in our subdivision and it is enforced.
i would consider fostering a pet, if i had the space
Toys and treats
I would love to foster and plan to when my own dogs pass. My chihuahua is terrible (despite 4 obedience classes and a dog trainer that came to my home numerous times) and would never accept another dog into the family, temporary or not.
It’s definitely good to know your own dog’s limitations and needs when it comes to bringing a new animal into the home, even on a temporary basis. Piper is still adjusting to Lila’s presence in the house.
We have never fostered. Unfortunately with on-base housing it can be a nightmare even owning a dog. Maybe when we get out of the military we can foster pups.
I’ve heard that it can be tough to have dogs on some military bases. If you still want to do something to help over the holidays, many shelters are short staffed this time of year and most would love to train up some new volunteers to walk dogs or socialize with the cats. 🙂
I fostered once and foster failed. It was a great experience and led me to adopt other dogs that needed rescue. Now we have all the dogs we can reasonably handle.
I’m at three, which is most definitely my limit – at least until I have acreage and a staff 😉
I have considered fostering before, but my living situation isn’t ideal for it right now. Maybe one day when I’m a stay at home dog mom living on a big property I can foster all the dogs! I’ll have questions for you then : )
I always say that as soon as I have acreage and a staff of my own, I will foster ALL THE DOGS! 😉
I have never fostered before. Before I got my own doggers, I considered fostered older dogs. Unfortunately I am not in a position to do so now. I moved into a tiny apartment after my kiddo left for college!
When my daughter left for college, I got my first foster and, shocker, I foster failed on the second attempt 😉
I have fostered dogs in the past. Currently we have 6 pets in the house. We drifted towards adopting senior dogs rather than fostering. It’s hard to let them go once you make a bond.
Six?!? That’s awesome! I’ve got all I can handle with three 😉 I have such admiration for folks who foster and/or adopt senior pets. We have several senior dogs and a couple of senior cats at the shelter right now and I really hope they each find a home for the holidays.
I would probably not be able to foster any animals at this time because my 102 year old grandmother lives with us and our dog does not like other animals.
Whenever you are ready, there will be animals ready to foster. In the meantime, wish you grandmother happy holidays from us! 🙂
I could never foster, because each and every one would have to stay after an hour.
Ha! I totally get that! Five minutes is generally the cut off point for me 😉
Yes, but not during the holidays. I travel then.
Hope you are getting to travel someplace fun!
Yes, I’ve fostered and will again. But the holidays are too stressful to give the foster a fair shake. Way too many people in and out of my house and business to be fair to a new furry friend. At least to a new furry foster.
Thank you for fostering! I totally understand that the holidays can be too stressful for some. Whenever it works for you and your family is awesome!
Although I’ve never fostered a dog from a shelter, I guess you could say I’ve been fostering dogs my whole life…As a kid we were always bringing home unwanted pets, scooping up puppies from friends. I still do…One of my current dogs was left behind by a friend that passed away.
That totally counts! Thank you for being a safe place for animals in need to land 🙂
I would LOVE to foster!! Just convinced the BF to start soon 🙂
Woo hoo!! I hope Henry is on board 🙂
I fostered many years ago when I had graduated college before getting pets of my own (I grew up w/ dogs). It was a great experience. I now have a dog and cat, both rescues – and would prob. not foster again just because I wouldn’t want to put my current animals at risk or disrupt the flow we have in my home that could cause some unfavorable behavioral issues with them that don’t exist now.
I completely understand about not wanting to disrupt the flow. It can definitely be challenging to introduce a temporary animal into the mix. You have to do what works best for you and your crew.
I don’t think fostering an animal would be possible at this time. I’d love to but feel that I wouldn’t have enough time to spend with it. We have 6 kids and a German Shepard, so the house is quite hectic as it is.
You definitely have your hands full! 😉
I love this post! We fostered Ralph right after the holidays (and failed at letting him go anywhere else ha!). I would definitely foster again, but right now we are limited to two dogs, so I make my contributions in other ways. Hopefully we’ll move somewhere that allows us to have more than two pets sometime soon!
Yay for foster failing!! 🙂
am currently fostering a German Shepherd…and in danger of being permanent. 😉
Yay! Would you like me to enable you or discourage you? 😉
I have never fostered but would love to. I think it would be great for my 2 dogs to be more social, and love the idea of helping a dog before they find their forever home.
That’s wonderful! If you decide to foster, please let us know how it goes for you and your two pups!
I haven’t fostered since it would be too hard to give them up after our short time together.
It can be hard but it really does make a difference for so many animals and, as I said in my post, there’s nothing wrong with foster failing. Okay, not every time but once in a while 😉
I have thought about fostering many times. Not just for the Holidays, but all the time. I am just afraid I would get to attached and wanna keep them all.
I totally understand that worry. The good news is that generally there are city or town ordinances stating how many animals you can actually have so that’s always kept me in line 😉 Seriously, though, I do understand the concern and it can definitely be hard to let a foster go on to an adoptive home but knowing you are saving lives makes it totally worth it! 🙂
no i have never fostered, i have thought about it, but i had 3 dogs, now 2. i would get too attached and would not want to give the dog back. i have kept friend’s dogs for a month or so when they were out of town. however, they did not get along with my girls, they were not very well behaved.
I think everyone fears getting too attached. Of course, you always want to make sure that the resident dogs are okay with having other animal guests 🙂
We started fostering dogs 3 years ago. Our first foster dog was a 10 year old black lab. She was with us for almost 5 months! We’ve fostered many dogs since and it’s always a wonderful experience. I always say, each dog has taught us something new and has made us better dog owners.
Thank you for all that you do for dog! I completely agree that every dog that comes into our lives has lessons to teach us.
I love the idea of fostering but cannot unfortunately as my building does not allow more than one dog plus 🙁 it is a 500 dollar deposit but praying one day when I move somewhere I will be able to do it
Yikes! That is a hefty pet deposit! I know how much you do for dogs! 🙂 We all do what we can.
How do you do the quarantine? What if you take in a sick pet? Do you have space to separate them?
That’s a great question. I know at our shelter we do have several specialized fosters who are set up to take in sick animals. For example, we have one amazing foster who is trained to take in puppies who have broken out with parvovirus. She cares for them until they are parvo-free and can return to the shelter. We have several hospice fosters who are able to take in seriously ill or injured animals as well. Many fosters do have separate rooms where they can take in temporary quarantine cases but at our shelter we do also have a parvo room and several isolation rooms for treating things like ringworm
i have never fostered a pet before but i would definitely love to! The only reason that i have not done it yet is because i adopted a rescue dog about 4 years ago and he doesn’t do well with other animals. I think when he ends up passing in the future i definitely would love to do it!
When the time is right, there will be a fabulous foster waiting for you 🙂
I haven’t fostered a dog yet, but I’d like to one day. Do shelters cover the cost of prescriptions/medical procedures a foster might need?
Typically the rescue or shelter will cover all expenses such as food, vet care and medications in addition to providing toys, crates, bedding, walking tools etc.
I haven’t fostered but two years ago we adopted a dog and now are thinking about fostering one!
Yay! Foster away! Thanks for adopting! 🙂
I have never fostered but would definitely consider it. I know I would be a foster failure for sure too!
You would be in great company! 😉 #fosterfailuresunite!
We have never fostered. I know I would get attached to any foster animal.
I have not fostered, but I am interested in fostering cats/kittens in the future. Right now, I’m waiting to move apartments early next year to see how much space I will have and whether I will be able to accommodate some new temporary companions as they grow and get ready for their furrever homes.
Please let us know if you do foster and how it goes for you! Good luck with your upcoming move!
we have forstered in the past
I’m a renter and currently at the limit with three dogs to add any more, but I love the idea of fostering and would be willing to try it if I could.
When circumstances allow, fostering is a wonderful experience. Have fun with your crew!
are you able to get on a list to only foster hypoallergenic dogs?
I’ve never heard of that but I don’t see why not. I’m not sure how many hypo-allergenic dogs end up in shelters in need of foster but most shelters are willing to work with whatever limitations a foster might have.
Haven’t fostered before, I did adopt a cat, he is happy everyday in my house now lol
Thank you for adopting! It really does save lives 🙂
Never fostered but have adopted several from shelters.
Congrats on adopting Lila!! She’s gorgeous! 🙂
I fostered for several years (cats, not dogs) and once had 33 bottle babies at one time, along with kittens that were getting ready to go up for adoption. It’s something that I might do again, but not anytime soon. My own dog has a multitude of serious health problems and my life literally revolves around her right now.
Thank you! She is a total sweetheart! She came in as a stray and has no manners but she is super gentle and a total snuggler. We’ll take a basic obedience class once she’s a little more settled in here at the house and with Simon and Piper.
33 bottle babies at one time!?!? That is AWESOME!! We need more fosters like you! For now, take care of your pup. I hope her health issues resolve soon!
I have never even thought of fostering before! I think it would be lovely to do at some point. I rescued a stray and have a new puppy now, too. So it would have to wait a bit before fostering!
Whenever you are ready, there will be a fabulous foster waiting for some love 🙂
I am happy to “fail” at fostering too, LOL! Phoebe is kind of a foster failure, but truth be told I intended to adopt her right from the start – shhhh! don’t tell the hubby! If I had my way I’d foster all the time but my husband doesn’t have the desire to have more than 2 dogs in the house too often. Lila is so utterly adorable!! Congratulations to you both, what a beautiful love match. This is such a great giveaway, thanks!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Your secret is safe with me 😉 Lila is a sweetheart! Simon likes her a lot but Piper is still on the fence a bit. She likes playing with her in the yard but gives Lila this “You’re still here?” kind of look when we come back in the house 😉 We’re taking it nice and slow.
I have fostered a couple of dogs and several cats. It wasn’t a decision that I made, they all at different times over the years just began to hang around my home and of course I am going to care for them while looking for their owners and then for new owners if needed. I guess I seem to be some kind of magnet for wayward animals. Each time it was hard to give them up, but it makes it much easier if you are very careful with whom you allow pets to be adopted. When you know they are in a caring and loving home it is all worth it.
I love hearing stories like this! I totally believe that animals often choose us for their temporary or permanent homes.
i have never fostered and wouldnt right now since i have young kids who would get attached but would love to when they grow up
I totally understand. Depending on how old your kids are, it can be pretty tough to avoid having them fall in love with the pet you foster.
This is awesome and I am loving the photos, of course. Yes! Of course I have fostered, the last girl I fostered was an older solid gray girl named Luna, I didn’t have her long due to her being sick. :'(
So glad that you like the photos! She is kind of cute, isn’t she? 😉 Thank you so much for fostering a senior dog! We need more fosters willing to take on seniors and other hard cases.
We fostered 1 little pup before. His name was Teddy, I had him for 2 weeks and I got too attached to Teddy when he had to go to his new home 🙁 But I am sure he is well taken care of in his new home. One thing I would like to know is how can I not become too attached to the dog that I’m fostering? Fostering Teddy was my first and last time. I was very sadden when he left, but was very happy for him to join his new family.
I wish I had a good way to avoid becoming attached. When I dropped my first foster off at her adoptive home, I cried for hours even though I knew it was the most amazing match for her. I would say that one way to reduce the attachment would be to not let the foster sleep on the bed but since I’m terrible at that, I may not be the best one to ask ;-). Mostly, I just try to remember that I am making room to save another dog when I send a foster on to a forever home.
I fostered dogs/puppies for over a year! Once I had my first foster fail, which made our house a 3 big dog home, hubby was done for awhile! I’d love to continue as soon as I can soften him up a bit! Lol
I totally understand! I became a three dog home by foster failing too! 🙂
How long does one usually foster for?
Most shelters and rescues will accommodate your schedule. I’ve seen foster gigs anywhere from a weekend emergency foster to up to a year or more for a hospice case.
IF the dog needs medical attention, is the cost fully on your shoulders?
It shouldn’t be. Typically the shelter or rescue covers all expenses – food, medical, toys, emergencies etc.
No I havent and I wouldnt be able too this year but maybe some day.
Yes I have fostered a puppy chihuahua and I would again in a heartbeat. As long as they get along with others in the family I am for it.
Thanks for fostering! It does make things easier when everyone gets along 😉
I haven’t fostered a dog before. However, I have a friend who fosters all the time. She usually has 2 to 3 dogs all the time. They love her dearly. She is a huge doggie fan is a great caregiver.
That’s fabulous! 2-3 fosters at a time is a huge commitment!
Fostering definitely seems to be so much better for animals whenever possible! What would you recommend in terms of evaluating one’s own animals for temperament suitability & ability to adjust well to fosters?
For me, I enlisted the help of the behavior team at the shelter to do the meet and greet with my dogs. We also crate and rotate while the foster is visiting and keep in mind that if you are fostering, you can keep the foster separated during its stay.
Congratulations on your new family member 🙂 Lila is a sweetheart! I’ve fostered several times and each time made them a part of our family. I usually foster the really old and sick so it’s hard to let them go. I love fostering and caring for animals in need and I will continue to do it for as long as I am able 🙂 Great post!
Thank you!! Lila is a character and you will be definitely be hearing more about her on the blog this coming year. So glad you liked the post! Thank you for fostering the senior hospice dogs. We need more fosters like you! 🙂
Never fostered a pet before but I guess, I would be attached to the pet even if I foster for few weeks and end up adopting them. I think this idea of fostering is very nice as it definitely enhances the chances of pets being adopted or become adopt worthy.