Nearly every day over on our Facebook page, we post photos and stories of shelter dogs looking for their forever homes. At the very least, these dogs are in need of temporary foster homes so they can get out of the shelter and off of the euthanasia list.
And nearly every day, someone sees those posts and leaves a comment like this:
“I’d love to foster a dog, but I just think it would be too hard. I’d get attached to the dog, and then I wouldn’t want to give it up.”
I used to think this way, so on one hand I totally get where people are coming from when they make this statement.
But on the other hand, let’s think about it. We’re talking about a dog who’s stuck in a shelter… maybe a kill shelter… a dog who may very well have never known love and affection… who may have come from a dangerous, abusive situation… so why are you making this about YOU?
Yes, taking a dog into your home and providing it with love and tenderness for weeks, maybe months, will most likely result in you becoming very attached to the animal, and him becoming very attached to you. This is a good thing. It’s good for the dog, and it’s also good for you. Nothing feels as good as giving something to someone who can never repay you.
And yes, when it comes time for the dog to leave you and go to his forever home, it’s going to be hard, probably for both of you. But he’s going to live with his brand new forever family, where he’ll be loved and cared for and cherished for the rest of his life. This is a good thing.
By fostering this dog, you provided a safe, loving environment for him. You helped him learn to trust humans again, and you showed him what it was like to be part of a family. You exposed him to people, places, other animals, and experiences that will make him a better dog. You helped prepare him for the rest of his life. This is a good thing.
By fostering this dog, you may very well have saved him from euthanasia in a cold, lonely, over-crowded shelter. This is a good thing.
And because this dog has now gone to live with his very own family, the cycle begins again. You can take in another foster dog, save another life, and make a difference in the lives of untold numbers of shelter dogs. Obviously, this is a good thing.
No one said that being a foster parent is easy. No one said it isn’t without its share of heartache. Anyone who says those things is lying to you.But along with the difficulties and the heartache, foster families find joy. They find love. They find a sense of fulfillment in knowing they’re changing lives.
If you’re interested in becoming a foster family, you should know that most shelters and rescues assume all costs for the dog while it is in your care. They pay for food, vet bills, and other incidentals. Fostering won’t cost you a penny. Contact your local shelter or rescue for all the details about how you can get started.
Have you ever fostered a shelter animal? I’d love to hear about your experience!
I so agree, great post!
I haven’t fostered yet, but I very actively volunteer with a local rescue and will be fostering as soon as I move to a pet friendly place. I’m ready to be out of my no-pets apartment!
So well put! I think I will start telling people, so, foster, get attached, and adopt him/her… you still saved a life! The key for me is knowing what “fits” with your lifestyle, and those are NOT the dogs I foster. I still get attached, but then it is easier to see them “fit” into another person’s life. That and knowing my limits. I have one foster spot, if that spot is filled with a permanent family member, then no more fostering…and once you do it once…you love it!
I absolutely LOVE fostering. It was always hard seeing my fosters go to new homes but the minute they found their forever home, another dog could be out of the shelter. I have had several families stay in touch with me and have even gotten to dog sit a previous foster dog on occasion. Foster families can be very helpful in making a dog more adoptable by working on house training, socializing, general health, etc. Foster families can also provide great feedback to the shelter concerning the dogs behaviors, both good and bad, and work towards correcting the undesirable behaviors. A dog becomes much more adoptable when the shelter can tell a prospective family that the dog is house trained, walks well on a leash, has been around children, gets along with cats, gets along with other dogs, etc. Shelters do the best they can to evaluate dogs behaviors and personalities while they are at the shelter but nothing compares to being able to observe and work the the dog while they are in a home.
I have fostered and the satisfaction of saving a life and finding a forever home for the little furbabies far outweighs the attachment you feel for the animal. I still keep in touch with the foster family who adopted my first foster.
How am I just now seeing this post??? After going rounds with my husband about “we’ll get attached” or “the kids will get attached”, we finally jumped in and signed up with a rescue group to foster. We’ve still got our first foster dog “Turner”. When he leaves us, we’ll have had him a little over 2 months (we live in Georgia and he’s destined for a family in Maine!). Since bringing him into our home, he’s been fully vetted, neutered, crate-trained/housebroken, and can walk on a leash like a gentleman. He’s is quite marketable! But what we’ve gained from the experience is immeasurable. My entire family has been involved with socializing him and training him. My 8 year old is proud to tell anyone that he taught Turner to “sit” and “kennel up”. My 5 year old daughter prides herself on feeding Turner and our other dogs. My husband did his part, too, by teaching Turner how to sleep in our bed… Everyone has a role and everyone understands that Turner will go on to his forever family. It will be bittersweet as we will miss him, but wish him well. And then we will head back to animal control and pick up another foster.
Fostering turned out to be more expensive than we anticipated. When I looked around at different rescues, “some” rather than most “rescues” will pay most costs. Especially shelters and smaller rescues that have fewer resources will ask the fosters to provide things. A lot of places will ask the foster to pay for food/treats/toys and sometimes heartworm/flea medications and grooming costs. Onyxx’s rescue pays for his vet bills, we provide the rest.
Additional potential costs: vet bills for any illnesses your pet catches from the foster dog, damage to your house/belongings (Onyxx chewed through our drywall), and cleaning costs (Onyxx was housebroken but he was really sick and he keeps licking our carpet).
Luckily, Onyxx and Mr. N are similar sizes so Onyxx wears a lot of Mr. N’s things (collar, harness, rain coat etc) that we would otherwise have to buy.