Hi,

I belong to a pet FB page and they are now starting a series of discussions to cover various topics. The topic that they want to kick off with is about fostering - who, how, what, etc. Although some people have been involved in fostering to some degree there are a few questions about the nitty gritty of it all and I couldn't think of a better place to ask than on here. So, if anyone could help answer the following questions and maybe encourage at least one person to get involved in fostering, that would be great -

1. How long do you have a dog for (or animal depending on what you foster)

2. do you have young or old dogs

3. do you have a choice in what breed you take in

4. how much does it cost to be a foster mum

5. what if you want to offer a forever home to an animal that you have fostered.

6. What qualities does a foster parent need

7. If you foster, are you liable for the vet fees

Many thanks for your time.
Louise

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Im more than happy to answer the Qs. All rescues are different though so my answers are based on the rescue i foster for Pro dogs direct, im also pretty new to fostering and have my first 2 dogs with me now.

1. How long do you have a dog for (or animal depending on what you foster)

Its all different, i was told anything from a few days to a few months, ive had my 2 mini pins with me for 2 months

2. do you have young or old dogs
The mini pins i have are 8 months but a dog can be any age

3. do you have a choice in what breed you take in
Yes, you can say no to any dog they ask you to take, also when i was being homechecked the lady had to ask me questions and fill in a form, one of the questions was what type of dogs can you take in. I said small to meduim sized breeds

4. how much does it cost to be a foster mum
The rescue will pay for food and vet treatment, you will need to buy bowls, collars, leads, a bed etc. I chose to pay for their food myself as they are a charity that runs on donations, i also paid for their wormer and spot on treatment.

5. what if you want to offer a forever home to an animal that you have fostered.
You can offer a home to your foster if no one else has applied at the point of you asking, if someone has then you have to wait and see if they are deemed a suitable home or not. The foster co ordinator that i speak too told me that some dogs dont even make it onto their website as the fosterer has fallen in love instantly

6. What qualities does a foster parent need
You must love dogs, be prepared for chewing, toilet accidents and any other problems they come with. Patience and understanding is a must!

7. If you foster, are you liable for the vet fees
The rescue will pay for any vet fees

Hope that helps

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I have the pleasure of -

2 shih tzus, Boston and Roy
1 shih tzu x lhasa, Teddy
Alot of ratties
A few Hammies
And a couple of goos

A house is not a home without a pet

I am a volunteer for a rescue who occasionally uses fosterers for dogs in need of TLC or who are stressed in kennels.....


1. How long do you have a dog for (or animal depending on what you foster)

It can be from a couple of weeks to a couple of months or onwards dependng on the dog, the minimum time would normally be enough to get the dog assessed and also be neutered, vaccinated etc etc. Of course people may have a time limit but with some of the dogs we have in, i.e staffies etc they can take a lot longer to rehome and we would ask that people could be prepared for it to be a couple of months... obviously if things change the dog would need to be moved again, but we would ask what peoples feelings or situation is on it potentially taking longer for a dog to rehome - our main aim is not to have to mess the dog around between different foster homes.


2. do you have young or old dogs
3. do you have a choice in what breed you take in

We would try to match the dog up with the foster family; i.e. with what they can manage in terms of situation, children, breeds, experience with certain things such as if the dog had SA etc, current pets - its finding what will fit in with the family and also what will work for the dog needing fostering.


4. how much does it cost to be a foster mum
7. If you foster, are you liable for the vet fees

We would cover all vets fees, and vaccinations, chipping and neutering. Foster homes normally cover the cost of food although that is normally as their choice, we would certainly offer to cover expenses, especially for example if the dog required a particular expensive food for some reason.

5. what if you want to offer a forever home to an animal that you have fostered.

This would be fine with us - we love a happy ending!

6. What qualities does a foster parent need

I think to be patient and understanding - the dogs often come with different needs, behavioural traits etc; its great if people have an understanding of settling a new dog in; i.e. new dog may be a bit possessive if not used to sharing, may need to and giving them patience whilst they adjust. Some settle in from day one like they have always been there others may take a few days etc.... be able to keep dogs seperate at first if need be, new dog may need some brushing up on house training, may not have much training, may be timid and confused if gone through alot of changes; may not be used to children or cats etc. Its alot of common sense really and not panicing!

We like our fosters to be within a reasonable circumference of us, so that they can use our vets, (especially as we often use foster careres for dogs who are poorly) and also we can be on hand if help is needed and to help with adoptions etc; the foster family also needs to be able to show prospective new homes the dogs too. We also like them to stay in regular touch with updates and piccies as it all helps with finding a new home.

We would always take the dog back if things weren't working out or circumstaces changed etc.

All our fosterers sign and agreemnt which lays out what is covered by us and what is expected from them etc.

Many thanks for your time responding. Its been a bit of an eye opener for me as for some reason I expected most foster placements to be more like months rather than weeks. I know that it is something I will want to do myself when I am able to.

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With the dogs we use foster homes for they are generally those which need a bit of TLC esp if in a poor condition so they may take longer; but would say for those primarily rehoming rescues (ours is a pound dog rescue so we don't do alot of rehoming directly only for hte longer term dogs who do not move off to other rescues) a couple of weeks could be the norm... as mentioned would need enough time to be able to assess the dog properly and get neutering and vaccinations etc done; which would probably be the amount of time before the dog is put up fo rrehoming ...

and if a popular type of dog or puppy etc they may even have homes waiting and homechecked already etc.

The answers vary slightly for each rescue and when I have more time I will try and remember to come back and give you full answers but for now here's our information page about fostering Can You Help Foster A Dog In Need? - www.friendsoftheanimalsrct.org.uk it may help answer some of those questions and more

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