What is your opinion on fostering dogs?

As long as you have a fenced yard and love in your heart - I say go for it!

We have been fostering for many years. The adoption/rescue group picks up all the food and vet costs of the dogs ... all you do is add structure and do basic training (to teach the dogs basic manners) and to live in a home. (And of course - pay for treats ... LOL!)

It is so much fun and you get to meet so many wonderful dogs along the way. Fostering directly helps dogs get better evaluated and adopted, and frees up space with the rescue so they can help more animals. You need to have a positive attitude and a sense of humor so you do not get frustrated when a new foster has an accident in the house (rare - but happens when you don't supervise them correctly) - or shreds up your newspaper. It is so rewarding as you watch them learn and blossom under your care.

and ....

It's a happy day when your foster gets adopted and you see them get a loving forever home!

That said .... some day a dog will walk into your home as a foster, and steal your heart & you'll become a foster failure ... and instead a new adoptive owner!

The group I volunteer and foster for would not exist if not for their foster families - taking in these greyhounds off of the track, or the breeding farm. They teach them to be pets: to climb stairs, to know that the television doesn't really contain LIVE animals (even though the sound comes out!), and things like - glass doors are solid even though they are clear! Our group does not maintain or have any kennel facilities. But with the foster homes they can place many, many greyhounds in new homes each year.

I agree with Marianne.

The absolute most important thing is to realize what you're getting when you get it. There will be dogs that are overweight, dogs that are older, dogs that have irreversable behavior problems. I've seen all 3.

If you get an older or overweight dog keep in mind it will take some time to work with them where the rescue/shelter is willing to put them up for adoption. A friend of mine fosters too and he's had some interesting ones. An overweight cavalier that he kept for 6 months (He was SEVERELY overweight and 10 years old. Now he's happy and healthy at his new home)

The more you foster the more chance you'll get to foster puppies which if you're experienced with -- great. If you're not.... Well it seems like a lot of work to do the worst part of owning a dog before you hand it off to someone else to reap the benefits. However, that's fostering in a nutshell. Everyone who fosters ends up with a dog that they simply can't give back. That's how I have my lab mix. The shelter couldn't have PAID me to bring him back. I would have kept him even if they said they found him another home already -- LOL. I never felt that way about any of the others though.

Each rescue group is different, since each is run by different people. Usually, the group will pay for the vet bills and you must bring the dog to the adoptions on weekends. They will usually come and visit your home to be sure they approve of you, be sure all your animals have their shots, etc. Some can be very strict, not even using fosters who don't have a fenced in yard, etc.

Best, just to be honest with them in all aspects.

Some groups are wonderful, some are not and that is due to the things they have seen. Because they "rescue" animals, they have seen it all. That might include: animals left behind inside a house, when the owners moved; animals thrown from a moving vehicle; animals with cigarette burns on them from abusive owners; animals with broken bones from abusive owners, or animals who were just "too much work" (which was the normal amount of work for any animal).

Fostering is a great thing because each animal you help, allows just one more to be saved or pulled from a shelter, who may have lost its life with no intervention.

Regarding the animals you would help: Many are just normal animals with normal dispositions. Remember that many people simply did not know what dog ownership would be like, and just "changed their minds". Some animals at shelters need retraining, but someone who is just beginning to help with a league would probably be helping a dog the group thinks they can handle. They also value their fosters, highly, and are usually very appreciative of what they do to help.

I have no first-hand experience with this, but for me, I'd get way too attached to a foster ..... which in some cases, is why this works.... the foster home turns into a permanent home LOL.

I do think it takes a certain kind of person to get into this. in the same way a puppy walker would. And you do realise that taking on a foster isn't just opening your door to a needy dog. Not always, but many dogs end up in a Shelter situation for a reason - I call it 'baggage' so having one, again, needs somebody with patience and a large amount of experience.

If you feel you'd like to be doing this - great! I'd also suggest if you have dogs of your own, their reaction to all this needs to be considered too.

It is a good way to help dogs, to have a dog with only a short-term commitment, and to get experience with/training many dogs.

If you are scared of being bit by a terrified or untrained dog or have a chaotic household or haven't a clue how to train and enforce basic household rules and training - the dog really should know "sit" and how to walk on a loose leash and be housetrained by the time it leaves your home - then you shouldn't foster.

If you have some dog experience, can roll with the punches, and are willing to work on a dog's issues until they are resolved, then fostering may be for you.

A neighbor's daughter does this and loves it. I see her walking different dogs at different times. When I talked other about it, she said that she is fostering. Her dad won't allow her to have a permanent dog. And they are all supportive of this. I asked her if she felt sad when they were leaving her. Her answer is both Yes and No. Yes, because she is attached to them and NO because she knows they are going to a good home.

Good idea to help. I have a dog but am thinking of something like this rather than permanently get a second dog.

I've been a Foster Mom for many years now and find it very satisfying, however most shelters are not too particular because they are desperate for all the help they can get.

I Foster for rescue and because of that I sometimes run in to behavior problems that have to be addressed before the rescue will allow adoption.

Make sure you understand exactly what they expect of you if you plan to foster. Please don't get in over your head.

Are you in a home or a rental?

Do you have a good sized yard?

Are you ALLOWED to have dogs?

Can you AFFORD to pay to feed them and their other basic needs? Most foster homes will have vet bills paid by the shelter but everything else you have to pay for.

Do you have the TIME to walk and care for a dog or two?

Do you have TIME and EXPERIENCE in training a dog? Often ones that need fostering have behavioral issues.

Are you fully aware that you're not "renting" the dogs as soon as someone wants to adopt them they will be taken from you?

It's easy and rewarding. I have taken dogs left behind in their yards after their owners moved out that would otherwise have ended up at the pound and euthanized. I integrate them into my family and other dogs. Spoil them . One dog took over a year to find a home because she was a very lanky long legged-long nosed pit bull. She ended up being a service dog to a disabled woman.