Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Joys of Being a Dog Foster

Today I wanted to post about the importance of being a dog (or cat) foster and about how rewarding it can be.

I have been volunteering with RESCUE since February 2001. Over the years I've volunteered as a Dog Walker, a Dog Caretaker/Chaperone, a Cat Foster (once...), a Dog Foster, and the coordinator of the Dog Caretakers. My favorite role has and is still that of a Dog Foster parent. I've fostered more than 15 dogs since 2001. I managed to pass Dog Fostering 101 (meaning I didn't adopt that first foster myself). But,there have been three foster dogs that I wish I could have adopted. The first was an 85 lb brindle coat pit bull named Mikey. He was the biggest baby ever. Then there was Guido, a little red Chihuahua/Min Pin mix. He was the one foster that my Min Pin truly loved. The two would play non-stop and even liked to share a crate. And the third was Tango, a Queensland Heeler mix. We had him for two years and came very close to making him permanent, but then his forever mommy found him and gave him a new home. He was the most rewarding foster. He started out a bit of a problem child, but with lots of patience and work, we helped him become a great dog.

Now, there are many animal rescue organizations in the Phoenix area, and all across the country. Most are for dogs and cats, some also include horses and livestock, small animals, and even reptiles. The one thing all these groups have in common, besides a love for animals, is the need for volunteers. Most shelters and rescue groups work on limited funds. And many are non-profit, and rely soley on donations and the occassional grant (which are hard to come by). Without volunteers, most shelters and rescue organizations would not be able to do the work that they do, which is helping abandoned animals get a second chance at life. Volunteers are the lifeblood of organizations like RESCUE.

Most shelters and rescue organizations will gladly accept your monetary donations as well as your donations of bedding, food, and other supplies. But they also really need volunteers. They need people to give a little bit of their time to help clean cages and dog runs, to transport the animals to vet appointments and events, to help groom and take care of the animals, to give the animals attention, and exercise, and public exposure. But one type of volunteer that these groups really need is that of foster homes. Some organizations do not have a facility of their own and must rely on the generosity of vets and boarding facilities that are willing to give them a few runs or cages. But what they really have to rely on is foster homes. Even the groups that have their own shelter facilities need fosters. There will always be animals that are too sick to be in boarding, too scared to be in boarding, that need extra love and attention and care. There will be animals that don't do well with other animals. There will be animals that will just deteriorate behaviorally the longer they spend in boarding. People who are willing to open their doors (and their hearts) to these special animals, foster parents, are the answer to these animals' prayers.

What does it take to be a foster? Part of that will depend on what a specific group may require. But that is something you can check into depending on what rescue organization you'd like to volunteer with (RESCUE is always looking for more fosters ;D). In general though, what is needed first of all is a real love and passion for the animals. Second, patience and understanding, and a bathtub.

Many of these dogs (and cats or other animals) are coming to your home from a kennel environment, and sometimes directly from the pound. They're scared, nervous, disorientated, unsure of their surroundings, maybe a little distrustful of humans, and in need of a lot of TLC. And to be frank, they're often pretty dirty and smelly too. That's where the bathtub comes in. Patience and understanding will come the first time they have an accident in the house or mark your favorite recliner. It will come when they destroy a shoe you carelessly left out. It will come when they get into the kitchen trash while you step out to get the mail. It will come when they roll in something stinky in the backyard and then jump up on your lap. It will come when you tell them no and they ignore you. But eventually, that all pays off as your foster learns the ropes of living in a house and living with others. It pays off when they learn some basic commands, listen to you, and walk by your side on leash. It pays off when you see them transform from a shy, skittish, unsure dog to a happy, playful and confident dog. It pays off when they meet a potential adopter and wow them with all they've learned and all they can do, and that adopter becomes their new forever home.

Now, most of what I've just mentioned applies more to dogs, but the same general idea can be applied to any type of animal you open your home to.

Becoming a dog, cat, or other animal foster, is one of the most rewarding ways you can help a shelter or rescue organization. You can see first hand the fruits of your labor and time with these animals. You get to be there every step of the way as these animals grow and become the dog or cat they were meant to be. You can reap the rewards when the day comes and you hand them off to their new forever home, wave good-bye, wipe away a tear or two, and prepare to open your home to the next animal in need.

Thanks for reading, and see you at the dog park (hopefully with your new foster dog)!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Jade Was Adopted! And We Have a New Foster!

Yes, Jadey-girl was adopted this weekend by a wonderful family that includes a canine sister for Jade! Congratulations Jade, we'll miss you!


Now, Jade left our home a few weeks back to spend some time at the doggie daycare where we board some of our dogs. She did great there and enjoyed all the puppy playmates she had all day, everyday. It was a great environment for one so playful. So while she was gone, we got a new foster.

Meet Jimmy!




This picture was taken on the day he came from Animal Care and Control (aka. The Pound), Friday August 10, 2007. He was a little shy, nervous, and scared that day, as you can see from his face. He was also quite skinny. He's put on an ounce or two since then ;D. We hope to have some new pictures of him soon.


Let me tell you a little bit more about Jimmy-Jimmy, as we call him. Jimmy is about 9 months old, and still quite the puppy. He's a chihuahua, and he's tiny and barely weighs anything. He loves stuffed squeaky toys. We bought him a little one, its about 2.5-3 inches tall. Its a ducky. He loves it. But he surprised us and started to play with one of the "Big-Dog" stuffed toys, a stuffed bone with rope hanging off each end. He just loves to chew on the stuffed part. He'll even throw the little ducky around a bit. He does like to nibble on fingers, pillows, carpet, and wires, so we do have to keep an eye on him and keep stuffed toys handy to distract and redirect him. But he listens when we tell him no, so that's a good thing.


Jimmy may be small (probably about 5 or 6 lbs) but he has no problem getting up onto the couch or the bed. He just takes a flying leap and up he goes. He loves to snuggle close, whether it be in your lap, or next to you with him muzzle under your arm or behind your back. He often buries his muzzle under things besides us, including pillows and between couch cushions. He's so sweet and adorable though! He loves to be held and he loves his belly to be rubbed. He is a bit submissive overall, he'll flop over onto his back and give you his belly regularly. He'll also give us the nervous grin, but we're seeing that less and less as he gets more comfortable.


Jimmy is still a little bit skittish and will start if you move towards him too quickly. He also is nervous while eating. He'll take a mouthful and carry it to a "safe spot", eat it, then return for more. But he eats well despite this. We just make sure none of our other animals are around him while eating. He seems to prefer kibble to soft food though. Usually, its the other way around.


Jimmy does great with our Min Pin. He doesn't bug her to play with him nor does he seem to mind her being around. They basically exist in the same household, but don't interact much. We do see them playing in the back yard now and again when we've let them out to potty, but otherwise, the two stick to themselves. Jimmy is much more interested in his humans. So he could definitely live with another dog, but he'd also do just fine by himself. I'm sure if our Min Pin was more the playful sort, that the two would play together more. But he respects her and doesn't push her. He also is great with our two cats. He was curious about the bigger cat (our Maine Coon), and did get in a few sniffs, but as our bigger cat weighs almost three times as much, and is almost twice as tall as Jimmy, so he pretty much ignores the cats.


Jimmy needs work on the leash, I'm fairly certain he's never been on one, or at the very least, its been a while.


He also is NOT housebroken. He does fine while in the crate now, no accidents in there, but he's proving to be a little more difficult to housebreak than our average foster. Most of our fosters have been adult dogs, and they're just plain easier to housebreak. Its the reason I really don't ever want a puppy, I'd prefer the next dog we adopt to be an adult.


But overall, Jimmy is a wonderful sweet little puppy. He needs a little bit more work, he needs some time to grow up, but he'll make a wonderful addition to a home.




And last night, our Min Pin proved she is the Great Black-and-Tan hunter. She's proven time and again that she is an excellent fly hunter, a not-so-great bee hunter (we are thankful for that), a fabulous cricket hunter, and a fair lizard hunter (though we try to discourage that one, eww). But now we can add "toad hunter" to her illustrious list. Last night, I went to let the dogs back in after their pre-bed potty time. Jimmy came in but no Min Pin. I called her but she didn't come running. Concerned, I went outside to look around the yard for her. Then I heard her bark. She was on the side of the house near the gate. I went down to the end of the walk and she starting pouncing on something on the ground. To me, it looked like a chunk of rock or concrete. Jade had found a few of these in our yard and had spread them around. I figured it must be one we missed. Then it moved. Turned out to be a toad, or more specifically a Couch's Spadefoot Toad. Cute and fat little thing. Scared out of its mind. I picked Marie up, carried her into the house and then we humans went back outside with a flashlight. We escorted said toad out the gate and into the front yard, hopefully sending her on her way to another yard. Don't really want the Pinscher playing with toads.


Other than that, its been pretty quiet in our zoo. See you at the dog park!