foster care

What Is Foster Care?
Lifeline for Pound Buddies Rescue(LFPBR), Muskegon Michigan

If you are reading this you may be considering volunteering to do foster care for LFPBR. We are always looking for good homes to foster dogs in need. But often the term "Foster Care" has a different meaning to different people. Unfortunately, many people who want to do foster care have the idea that this means baby-sitting a sweet, little dog for a few days. And sometimes, the motive in volunteering is to use it as a method to screen for a dog that the foster home can adopt. Before you completely fill out the foster\volunteer application, we would like to help you understand the "reality" of foster care and what would be expected of you.

THE ANIMAL'S SAVIOR
by Jim Willis

I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter ...the cast-offs of human society.
I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal.
And I was angry. "God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do something?"
God was silent for a moment, and then He spoke softly.
"I have done something," He replied. "I created You."

Foster homes must provide a safe and secure home for the foster dog or cat (fenced yard, shelter, etc.) and must place an I.D. tag on the dog (provided by LFPBR).
Foster home provides socialization for the dog/cat, such as play, exercise, and training (if qualified).
Foster home takes the foster dog/cat to the Adoption Day(s) and any necessary veterinarian appointments.(Sometimes if a foster can not make it to these, transportation may be able to be arranged)
Foster home should be willing and able to administer medicine if required.
Foster home must call the Foster Volunteer Coordinator and the Director immediately if any unusual event occurs (illness, injury, loss, etc.).
Fostering a dog/cat may require potential adopters visiting your home to meet the dog/cat or you going to their home.

There are guidelines that must be followed by our foster volunteers. All of the guidelines are designed for the protection and health of the animals in our care. The guidelines are also for the protection of the volunteers. If you do not own your own home, you must have written permission from your landlord before you will be considered to foster for us .
If you work full-time, please consider the time commitment involved before becoming a Foster animal parent. If you have time and the space to care for a foster animal it can be very rewarding. Every foster parent provides the animals with a second chance at life that no one else could. Every life saved counts and every foster parent is appreciated.

TYPES OF DOGS IN FOSTER CARE

In LFPBR program, we try to foster dogs who's time is up at the local pound or sometimes OS(owner surrender)pets. This means that we will get nice dogs with minimal issues and also those dogs with special needs or concerns which make them harder to place. Even the nice dogs, though, often have some issues to work with. For instance, they may never have been crated in their life and need to learn to be comfortable in a crate(we strive to teach all foster dogs\puppies to be comfortable in a crate when needed). Sometimes they come in to foster care eating a diet that consists of table scraps or cat food and have to be converted to a good quality dog food. Some very good owners never quite get their dog housebroken(this is especially true for the small breed dogs). Sometimes the dogs coming in have larger problems. And sometimes we are surprised by a real issue because the owner didn't admit to it when surrendering the dog. The dogs in foster care usually have at least one issue which requires some work on the part of the foster care giver. And sometimes this problem is large enough to require that the dog stay for a longer time period, perhaps even months, and on the rare occasion a year.

Typical reasons for fostering:

¨ Dog/cat needs a place to stay while we arrange transport to another area.
¨ Dog/cat has a medical condition which makes him hard to place; owner will not keep him until we can place him so we need to foster until we find a placement (For example, we have had cases of starved and or neglected dogs, pregnant dogs, old (senior) dogs that need a place to live out their life in comfort and with love )
¨ Dog/cat has housebreaking problems and needs to be retrained(or litter box training)
¨ Dog marks and needs to be retrained
¨ Dog has shown signs of aggression but we think it may be due to his environment (Note: If the dog proves to be truly aggressive, we will not continue to foster him; He\she may be put to sleep. I know it sounds harsh but it may be the kindest thing for the animal)
¨ Dog/cat has been through a trauma which requires time for bonding and then retraining to resolve
¨ Dog/cat was in kill shelter and had to be moved quickly; could be any age and in any condition
¨ Dog came from a puppymill raid; may require a couple of weeks of isolation in your home before integrating to your family area.
¨ Dog/cat may have come from a nice, normal home and we are just fostering to be sure no one will be surprised by an issue after placement.

ADOPTION OF FOSTER DOGS

We normally do not refuse to allow a foster home to adopt a foster pet. We understand that sometimes you may become too attached to give the pet up. And since we have already screened you for foster care, your home already meets our standards for adoption. BUT we do sometimes attach a string. Foster homes are very hard to come by. We don't want to lose a foster home because you have so many pet that you can't care for a foster dog any longer. So, we may ask that you commit to continue fostering at least 2 more times even after adopting the pet.

FOSTER HOME IDEALS AND GOALS

Following are a series of requirements, suggestions and ideals for the care of a foster pet. These are what we should all be "shooting for" in the care of a foster pet. None of us will be able to do all of these things all of the time but we should be trying to incorporate these things to the best of our ability and as our life styles allow.

LOVING CARE

What could be more important than loving care? This doesn't mean you need to truly feel love for every pet. In fact, to some extent you must take care not to bond too closely or you will find it difficult to stay in foster care. BUT there is a myth that you should not allow a foster pet to bond to you. The thought is that the pet has already had to break one bond and when he leaves you, he will have to break another bond. This is "human think". Pets don't seem to respond this way at all. What happens instead is that when a foster learns that he can trust you and bonds with you, it makes it easier for him to transfer that bond to his new human when the time comes. The transitions you went through initially may not evidence themselves in the new home because this time he has learned to trust and doesn't need to do as much testing.
This doesn't mean that you spoil the pet to death. It is a good medium point to treat the pet well, cuddle him and allow him to sleep beside you while you are reading or working. But leave some room for the next home to be "even better" in his mind. A good example is to not let the foster pet sleep in your bed.

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS-NO SLEEPING IN THE HUMAN'S BED!!!

You never know how the new home will handle sleeping arrangements. If it turns out that they plan to crate the pet at night, you have created a problem if you allow the foster pet to sleep in your bed. It is better to train them to sleep in a crate at night. Then the permanent home can make their own decision about where the pet will sleep and he will be able to adjust to whatever they decide.
Another reason for not allowing the dog in your bed is that it can encourage the pet to feel as though it can challenge you for Alpha. If the dog is a dominant dog, you DO NOT want him or her in your bed. It will make your life harder 24 hours a day because the dog will not see you as boss.
And finally, you don't really know this pet yet. Before we learned this lesson we had a couple of instances where the foster pet was startled in his sleep and snapped at a moving object. In both cases these pet connected with skin but it really wasn't their fault. We didn't know them well enough to let them sleep with us. Keep that dog in a crate at night.
If the dog objects to the crate, put it in another room and close the door so you can ignore the barking. Don't put him to bed to early. Stay up as late as you can so that he will be very sleepy. When you crate the dog, put him in the crate by dropping a treat in the back of the crate. Most dogs do well if you cover the crate with a blanket. This cuts off visual stimulation. For a dog, even the sight of you sleeping can be enough to stimulate them. If they cannot see, they will often just fall asleep. Once he is in the crate, don't give in to his barking. If you do, you are re-enforcing his behavior. See Crate Training to learn how to crate train from the beginning. (Always remove the collar in a crate, especially if it has dangling tags!!)

EXERCISE

All dogs need some exercise. If you can do so, please try to take the dog for a walk each day. If that isn't practical, then make sure they can get out into the yard and run around each day. But be sure they are protected by fencing or a dog run.

GROOMING

¨ Dogs/cats need to be able to handle some daily grooming. Try to do the following daily:
¨ Brush or comb the pet
¨ Brush the dog's teeth (if you need info on how to do this just click Tooth Brushing )
¨ Handle the pet's feet; if you can't clip their nails, check them and have it done by vet\groomer\or another volunteer that is comfortable clipping nails)
¨ Bathing the dog can be a bit intimidating. But they often need it when you get them. Keep a muzzle handy just in case it is needed. Consider getting a "third arm"…..a suction cup devise which has a coated metal wire that loops over his neck and keeps him in the tub. (I've seen them at www.revivalanimal.com for about $5). Keep treats handy and, if possible, ask another person for help. Most will do just fine. In fact, they are often on their best behavior during the first day or two and that can be the easiest time to bathe them.
¨ A well-groomed pet is more easily placed. It also provides a new experience which may teach us more about the pet. It helps to be able to tell the new adopters how the pet behaved while being groomed so be sure to ask the groomer. Also always tell the groomer that the pet is a foster and it is acceptable if they need to muzzle the pet. Tell them our first concern is their safety.
¨

DOG TAGS

When you get a foster dog, immediately put a tag on it which gives your phone number so that if the dog is lost while in your care, you will have a chance to get it back(these can be gotten from our Director or senior volunteer). (It works quite well to put white adhesive tape on the collar and write the information on that; this also has the advantage of not dangling.)

REHABILITATION

Obviously we can't address every case here since they are all somewhat unique. Please do not hesitate to ask another volunteer for help. We all learn from sharing our experiences. If your situation is one which we can't address ourselves from our previous experiences, we will try to find someone who can help.
If you don't know the pet well, you may not find out about some of his problems unless you put him in new situations. For example, it is hard for me to find out if a dog does well with kids because I don't have kids at my home. But I can find places where he can see kids and I can see his reaction without taking risks. The same may be true of male visitors for some. It is impossible to be sure a dog has issues or is cured of his problems if you don't set him up for some of those situations while he is in foster care. This means making time and taking a special effort with him. But this is the difference between truly fostering and simply babysitting.

SOCIALIZATION

If the pet has socialization problems and you don't have a lot of visitors to your home, you might take the dog to a local strip mall and walk the dog there. When people approach, they may want to pet. If you don't feel confident that the dog can handle that, ask them to give the dog a treat instead (keep them in your pocket in hopes this will happen.) Have them lay the treat on the sidewalk in front of the dog but make sure he sees that this good stuff is coming from all of these strange and various people. Keep the dog on leash and under control and don't take risks. But gradually allow the dog to learn that people are good. The dog can also be taken to the local pet store(Petsmart or Petco) but kept on leash at all times.(there are guidelines you will be given if you become a foster)

CAR

Take the dog to the park whenever possible. Try taking him through the car wash. Any time a foster dog is in the car, it must be in the back seat away from the air bags and it must be restrained either in a seat belt harness or a crate. Just imagine if you were in accident and the pet was riding loose...he would be thrown all over and possibly killed.

TRAINING

You probably won't have the dog long enough to do formal training with him. But everyone can do some minor training. Examples are:(if you click each word it will open a new page with an example of how to do the training)
¨ SIT
¨ DOWN
¨ STAY
¨ LEAVE IT
¨ SIT AND STAY AT THE DOOR
These are all things that will help the new owners with the dog and will help to keep the dog safe. Most dogs will learn these things at an incredible pace. Occasionally you may have one who has had an unusual life and may not be immediately ready for anything much more than sit. We have had some dogs who lived their lives in a barn. When they came into foster care, they were not capable of learning these things immediately. They had so much other "stuff" to absorb that training just had to be set aside. Each dog is different and has a different background.

FOOD AGGRESSION

If a dog comes to you and you find he is food aggressive, there are things to do to fix this. First, is he aggressive to humans or just other dogs. Second, is his aggression at the food dish only or over all treats too? Once you know, please contact our director on ideas to retrain the dog.

WEIGHT

If you realize the dog is overweight or if your vet tells you the dog is overweight, please immediately take steps to get that excess weight off the dog. This can mean cutting back on his food, taking more walks and (usually the main culprit)FEWER TREATS. If you are using treats for training, take away some amount of his normal food to balance it out. In fact, for many dogs, you can do the training when he is hungry and use his actual kibble as the treats. OVERWEIGHT DOGS DIE YOUNGER!!!!

PHOTOS

PLEASE take out your camera and take photos for a memory book. Get some early on and some later. Try to get some of the foster brothers/sisters and other doggie or kitty friends your foster might meet. It makes a great gift for the new owners to see their dog while he was in foster care. It gives them a feeling that the dog "had a past" and isn't so much of a mystery. (this is NOT a requirement, but it is a nice gesture)Also we need photos of your new foster for the web site and Adopt A Days, so if you do not have a digital camera, you must contact Tina or Barb so pictures can be taken. If you foster puppies, we need photos every few weeks, as puppies change very fast.

VET CHECKS-UPS

We at LFPBR pay for all medicals for foster pets. Once approved to foster, you will receive info on the vets we use.
FOR THE PROTECTION OF YOU AND YOUR PETS, always take the dog to the vet as soon as possible after receiving the dog.

Before a pet is adopted the following must be done:
MAKE SURE ALL SHOTS ARE UP TO DATE:
¨ RABIES (One year for puppies; usually 3 year for adults; papers should show expiration date)
¨ DHLPP (Annual for adults, more for puppies) (normally our rescue does these shots and you will be given the contact persons info so these can be done)
¨ BORDETELLA (Annual if shot; 6 mos. if nasal) (At your option)
¨ HEART WORM TEST: (also must be on heartworm prevention once test shows negative.
¨ FECAL CHECK
¨

CURRENT HEART WORM MEDICATION and HEART WORM TEST

Check to see if the dog is actually taking a heartworm medication currently, no matter what time of the year and you have been given a supply of the pills. If the dog is not currently on heartworm medication, we want to be sure the dog is heartworm free, therefore we want to do a HEARTWORM TEST. (A puppy who has not been through a heartworm season can have a heartworm pill immediately; an adult must be tested first.)

MICROCHIP

Always have the vet do a check for a microchip even if you know it was scanned at the pound. We are now chipping our foster and pound dogs when they are adopted.

NEUTER/SPAY

We always neuter/spay foster pets before placement, even puppies as long as they are at least 10 weeks old and weigh 2 or more pounds. Ask the vet to check the teeth to see if a dental needs to be done while the dog is under.