What does fostering entail?

[Okki]

We have one small dog - a rescue. I'd like another but DH doesn't. I've suggested fostering as a compromise but what does it entail? Realistically? We have older children so I know we'd be eligible to have some dogs. I'm home most of the day - I work a couple of hours out the house.

What's it like giving a dog to their forever home?

I'm asking on here as I'd like real people's opinions and experiences as well as published stuff.

Thanks.

Bump

I foster for a charity that takes in people’s dogs in a specific situation then they go back to their owner - I’m being a wee bit vague on purpose, sorry, lol, like the cinnamon trust does for illnesses, but it’s a different thing going on with the owner.

They don’t take major behavioural issues and they match you - so I only get ones that have lived with cats, yours if you did it would be dog/s and children.

That doesn’t mean it’s completely problem free, but you do at least know a bit about them before they arrive... it’s not always true, sometimes owners minimise issues a bit and quite often the dog is fairly unsettled by the circumstances that have led to them being fostered in the first place.

So it can take quite a wee while before they settle in - they need a week or two to de stress usually and then a bit longer to get used to you and you to get used to them.

When they leave, it can be hard going - it’s nice because you know they’re going back to their person/family, but no matter how much you remind yourself they’re not yours, you still get attached.

You also don’t ever know how long you’re going to have them for, some it’s only been about 10 weeks, one left yesterday that’s been here since the beginning of August. So the longer they’re there, the harder it is when they go.

I foster but mainly dogs with "issues" that need help. Fostering is fab, time consuming, and at times for me emotionally draining. The fosters tend to stay a while until they can be assessed to be safely rehomed or sometimes it takes longer to find them the appropriate home.

However I love it and as soon as one dog goes another one seems to turn up.

There are a lot of failed fosterers though so be prepared .

I foster puppies for a small rescue. If your dh isn't on board, then I wouldn't recommend it tbh. Very few easy dogs come in - mine are usually not toilet trained, never worn a collar and lead, don't sleep through the night, and can be difficult to leave. You don't know how long they will stay either - we've had some 3 months (when they came in very tiny and needed a lot of work, others 2 days. Our neighbours who foster for Dogs Trust have had their current foster since October due to various factors and now lockdown.
I love them going to their forever homes, and people keep in touch which is fab

We fostered a staffie 18 months ago, we had to trail her back and forth to the vets to get her well enough to adopt, she was well trained and a really easy dog...we couldn't let her go, she's still here, on the sofa.

We hope to foster another staffie soon 🙈

Thanks for the responses. I know a lot of thought is needed. If you have a dog for a long while, what do you do about things like holidays? We normally take our dog with us but when we can't he goes to a professional home boarding place.

“If you have a dog for a long while, what do you do about things like holidays?“

Well it’s not been an issue recently lol

But last time we did have a holiday and a foster dog, another fosterer took him for the week, but they’ll put them in kennels if need be - there’s something in the agreement about how many weeks during a placement, but I’ve forgotten how many because it was more than I’d go on anyway.

For U.K. holidays you can take them, they just need to know where and when.

We've taken foster dogs on holiday before
The most important thing for me is to work with a rescue I get on with regarding their assessment and placement of the dog. I've had several dozen fosters now and am in touch with most of the adopters or get updates through the rescue which is lovely.

This is quite interesting as we could possibly do this. I don’t have experience of say toilet training an older dog, only a puppy, nor experience of problem behaviour as DDog has been easy and amazing . Does this matter? Also are any expenses covered?

I think with rescues - they match you with what you are happy to take on, but obviously it’s easier to find fosterers for easier dogs, also they might not have a good assessment of them at that point, but I’m sure someone who does that could answer better.

With mine, they don’t take dogs under I think it’s a a year, or dog’s the owner has owned for less than a year as it’s unfair on the dog to spend what could be a fairly long time elsewhere and then go back

And they don’t take any with major behavioural issues - because they usually come straight from the owners house to yours. There’s background information as well, how much exercise they usually get, where they sleep, what they’re like with other dogs, the vet that sort of stuff and a list of commands they know.

I find it’s not accurate - usually not on purpose, I don’t think anyway, just things like owners put in a huge list of commands and the dog actually only responds to its name and sit, lol, but we’ve had no huge problems. They’ve all been really sweet, pretty well behaved dogs, no toileting issues or destructiveness or anything like that, just things they’re supposed to know they look a bit blankly at you or they’re not hugely social with other dogs when their owner says they like to play with them.

And yep, everything is paid for... food gets delivered, vets charge them direct and if I need anything for them, toys, treats, and extra kong or whatever I’m supposed to tell them and they’ll get it to me, but I do buy wee bits and pieces sometimes.

Don’t lots of people go into it as a lower risk way of adopting? As in they discover whether a dog can fit in before committing fully or offering to keep them. I’m not saying that’s wrong or right, but do fosterers often end up top of the list If prefer to adopt instead ?

My post came out wrong though as i know there must be amazing people out there doing this because they really care, and simply for that reason. And it can’t be easy when a dog has had a hard start too. I do suspect id want to keep all of them regardless anyway !