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Foster Home Responsibility
Welcome to the world of the unwanted. As a foster home for Pets Haven
Animal Rescue, Inc. you will be subject to heartbreaking scenarios and will
also cry tears of joy. If after reading the preceding sentence you still want
to go forward with this, read on.
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Birthing and Puppy Care |
What is foster care? You will be given as many unwanted
cats to care for as you told your rescue volunteer you could handle at one
time. Your job is to help the rescue volunteer evaluate temperaments (most
important), give the dog attention and training, and make the dog a part of
your family for as long as the dog is in your care. You may have these dogs
for quite a while during some times of the year when people are dumping dogs
and no one is looking for a dog. Or, you may only have a dog for a few days or
a week. You must be able to cope with the possibility that your rescue
volunteer will take a dog and have her put to sleep—always for health reasons
or extreme agression, never because we couldn't place the dog. Still with us?
Read on.
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Orphan Care |
Kids and dogs: If you have children, NEVER
Leash Training
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introduce a new rescue dog to them without your rescue volunteer
being RIGHT THERE! Sometimes, owners dumping dogs do not tell us the truth,
and the dog may be a fear biter or dislike children. Your rescue volunteer
will not place these kinds of dogs with you if you have children, but again,
people are NOT always truthful. Your rescue volunteer is a skilled,
experienced animal care person. He or she will be there to oversee the
introduction of a new rescue dog to your kids. Common sense says never let a
strange dog be alone with kids under any circumstances, and your children need
to be taught how to act with strange dogs. If you need help in teaching your
children the right way to behave around strange dogs, discuss it with your
rescue volunteer. He/she will be more than happy to help teach your children
this very important facet of a foster home, because they will play a part in
evaluating temperaments for rescue.
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Potty or House Training
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What To Do If You Have A Problem: Call your rescue
volunteer! He/she is the ultimate authority in your area. If a rescue dog
bites someone, fights with other dogs/cats, barks excessively, escapes or in
general just destroys everything in sight, call your rescue volunteer! This is
your job. This is part of your evaluation of a rescue dog. These are things we
in the rescue program need to know about these dogs so we can place them
accordingly or in the case of uncontrollable aggression towards people,
isolate them.
What You Need To Foster A Rescue Dog: If a fenced in area
is to contain a dog it needs to be an appropriate height and a complete
enclosure. If it has a gate, it must be lockable and be locked at all times
when the rescue dog is in the yard. This is to prevent someone from opening
the gate and either stealing the dog, getting scratched or bitten by the dog
(some dogs don't like strangers) or the dog getting loose and getting run over
or worse. Inside areas must be secure, able to be locked and shaded with water
available at all times. AND the dogs have to have plenty of family and one on
one time. Crates are an important piece of equipment to rescue people, and are
invaluable for transporting and isolating dogs. However they are not
living quarters. These are the essentials needed and your rescue
volunteer can discuss these items with you in detail.
Other Things You Need To Know: When your foster care dog
arrives, your rescue volunteer will tell you everything he or she knows about
the dog and the dog's background. Our dogs only wear ID tags when they are by
themselves. I they play with other dogs they do not wear collars for
safety reasons.
Feeding will be at your discretion. Whatever food is convenient for you (as
long as it is a quality food) is what you should feed unless the dog's owner
has supplied food or the dog needs a special diet. Pets Haven, Inc. cannot
always reimburse you for food.
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Emergency Care
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Our veterinarian is available for our animal's care. Approved vet bills
will be taken care of by your rescue volunteer. He/she will insure the dog
comes to you as healthy as possible. All rescue dogs will be altered, and when
we do that, be prepared to care for the surgical site just like you would your
own. If at any time the dog needs health care and your rescue volunteer is
unavailable, contact anyone on the Pets Haven Board for instruction. Keep all
receipts. The only way Pets Haven and your rescue volunteer can reimburse you
is if you have receipts for everything. Major medical work MUST be cleared by
your rescue volunteer first. In case of emergency if you can not reach Pets
Haven, DO NOT WAIT call our veterinarian, identify yourself as a Pets Haven
volunteer, follow our veterinarian's advice AND have the cost applied to Pets
Haven's account. CONTACT US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Screening of potential homes is done by your rescue volunteer ONLY. Should
someone you know see your foster dog and think they may want to adopt it, feel
free to give your rescue volunteer a call and give him or her that person's
phone number or e-mail. NEVER place or promise a dog to anyone! Your rescue
volunteer has all the paperwork that needs to be done before placing a dog,
and must interview the home first.
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Home Visit |
If you still think you wish to do this, we deeply appreciate your concern
for the dogs and the degree of dedication involved with being a foster care
home. Please fill out our
Adoption Application
and use Foster Home for the dog's name and we will get back with you as
soon as possible. If your application is approved, one of our volunteers will
visit you at your home to discuss further details and for you to sign the
appropriate paper work.
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