Become a foster parent!
As a foster parent you have the opportunity to help multiple dogs over a period of time. As we bring Goldens into our rescue program, they need a place to stay and be loved until they are healthy and ready to be adopted. Fostering is not always easy, but it can be very rewarding. We have tried to address some questions about fostering below.
Q: What does a foster home do?
A:
Foster homes provide a safe, clean, nurturing family environment to a Golden who has been abused, abandoned, neglected or surrendered by its owner. As a foster home, you are asked to provide a Golden with indoor living conditions, regular feeding, fresh water and reinforce basic obedience skills. Most of all, a foster family provides the love and attention these dogs so desperately want. Foster families also provide insight to the dog's behavior, attitude and temperament so that we can place him or her in the proper forever home.
Q. How long will the dog stay with me?
A.
Depending on the age and condition of the dog, anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months. Generally rescues fall into two categories, short term and long term. Healthy, young desirable Goldens are with us just a couple of weeks while other rescues may be with us for months because of health issues which have to be taken care of before being adopted. Many rescues come into CFGRR emaciated and heartworm positive and it isn't possible to do anything other than give the rescue its shots and health check and spay or neuter. Our first concern with a rescue like this is to build him/her up so that he/she can be put through heartworm treatment. It usually takes a few months to get such a rescue to the point that it can be adopted. We also have special needs rescues which may be with us for a very long time, usually due to vision or hearing impairments or advanced age. They may require surgery with a long rehab period and then there is the long wait to find the right family for this special Golden.
Q. How much will it cost?
A. All routine veterinary care, such as vaccinations, worming, spay/neuter, heartworm and flea preventive, etc. will be paid for by CFGRR. Any care beyond the “basics” must be approved by the directors. Emergency care, should the need arise, will also be covered by CFGRR. While we appreciate your donation of quality dog food for your foster, we will reimburse you for this expense if you wish.
Q: Do I need a fenced yard to foster?
A:
CFGRR prefers a fenced yard. However, if you are willing to walk the dog on a leash several times a day, you will be considered.
Q: I'm concerned about exposing my other pets to a dog that has come straight from animal control or a shelter.
A:
Upon intake of a new rescue from a shelter, one of our volunteers takes it straight to an isolation facility. The rescue stays in isolation for at least 7 days to observe for any signs of kennel cough or any other contagious disease. While in isolation, the rescue is taken to a veterinarian for a health check, which includes vaccines (rabies, parvo, corona, distemper and bordetella), fecal check and heartworm test. CFGRR does not knowingly send dogs with contagious diseases (kennel cough, mange, etc) to a foster home unless the foster agrees to accept the dog. Since heartworms are not passed from dog to dog, if a rescue tests heartworm positive it will be sent to a foster home until he or she can undergo treatment.
CFGRR recommends that your pets be vaccinated against rabies and distemper/parvo/corona and bordetella (to prevent kennel cough, a bronchitis-type illness treated with antibiotics, which runs rampant in animal control shelters). Your dog(s) are also to be on heartworm preventive.
If you foster a dog that has recently been treated for intestinal worms, you will be advised to scoop up after each of the foster dog's potty times until he or she tests negative for worms. If this is not followed through, the worms can burrow into the ground and re-infect the foster and possibly your own dogs as well.
Q: How can I help my pets adjust to the foster dog?
A:
Most Golden Retrievers enjoy the company of other dogs. We will never, knowingly, place an animal aggressive dog in a home with existing pets. It is sometimes best to introduce existing pets to your new foster in a neutral environment. Should problems arise the dog will be removed and placed with another foster family. Human aggressive dogs are not taken into our program. Please know that at no time are you stuck with any rescue. If it isn't working out we want to know so that we can correct the problem.
Q: Are the dogs housebroken?
A:
A housebroken rescue is a treasure to be cherished. CFGRR tells adoptive families and foster families that we do not guarantee housebreaking; but usually by the time a rescue is placed, it is crate trained and that means it is well on its way to being housebroken. They generally crate train quickly and housebreaking follows although it can often be a trying (and sometimes long) period.
Q: Why do you advise crating dogs?
A:
Mostly because these rescues are not housebroken and may not have good house manners. Most fosters crate their rescue when they are not at home and/or at night. This depends on your preferences and the rescue. Many dogs are crated from puppy hood and find great comfort in being in a den-like atmosphere. The advantage of crating is that the dog cannot cause mischief around your home. Naturally, the dogs should not be crated 24 hours a day - they need exercise and need to interact with their humans. Tip: Remove the dog's collar when crated to avoid the potential of the tags and/or collars tangling in the wire grates, potentially strangling the dog. We also advise crating for transport purposes. Most Goldens will fit in a large size crate for transport. CFGRR or our volunteers usually have extra kennels/crates for fosters to use.
Q: What about grooming the dog?
A:
The dogs come to CFGRR in varying condition. Many arrive matted and filthy. The dogs are sometimes temporarily kept by a volunteer with grooming skills who cleans up the dog. If a dog arrives at a foster home in need of grooming, the foster parent can work out an arrangement with someone else in the organization who can groom the dog. CFGRR does not normally pay for professional grooming except for new intakes whose coats need to be clipped down due to severe matting. Most foster homes usually have to bathe their foster dog while in care; a bath every 4-6 weeks is usually adequate for a Golden - unless they've been rolling in mud! Most Goldens love the attention they receive when being brushed, so feel free to brush them as often as possible.
Q: What about collars, leashes and tags?
A:
CFGRR provides each rescue with a collar and leash. The rabies tag should come from the vet with the dog. CFGRR also issues each rescue dog a temporary tag that we ask you to fill out to include the CFGRR info line number and your home phone number. Both tags are to be placed on the dog's collar.
Q: What if the dog develops a problem and I think he needs to see a veterinarian?
A:
The names and phone numbers of several long-time CFGRR volunteers will be provided. These people will help determine how to handle the situation. CFGRR has vets who work with our rescue at reduced rates. You will be asked to make any necessary vet appointments with one of our approved vets. As a foster, you are not asked to pay any vet bills as long as the vetting is cleared through CFGRR and our approved vets are used.
Q. Will I have to spend a lot of time transporting the foster different places?
A.
It will vary. Healthier dogs will not require many trips to the vet but one that is not healthy will need to be transported more often, depending on what kind of medical work he/she needs. We do ask for you to transport the rescue to these vet appointments. If circumstances prevent you from transporting the foster, we will work out arrangements for help in transporting the foster. We will also ask you to transport the foster to public events and meetings with prospective parents, if necessary.
Q: What do I do with the foster dog if I go out of town?
A:
There are several ways to handle this. If a family member or friend is caring for your pets, would they be willing to care for the foster too? Alternately, contact the adoption coordinator to make arrangements to temporarily place the dog elsewhere. If the foster has to be boarded because of lack of foster space, please be mindful of the pick-up date that they are scheduled for. Any extra days at the kennel equals extra expense for the group.
Q. What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages To Fostering?
A.
The advantages are you are providing a valuable service, perhaps saving a Golden's life. You will meet some wonderful dogs along the way and learn more about the breed. Fostering is a way to enjoy companionship without making a lifelong commitment. You would be helping to rehabilitate a Golden that may have been abandoned, neglected or even abused.
The disadvantage: it is very easy to get attached to the Golden you foster and it can be hard to see them go. But when you meet the new family who's ready to provide a loving forever home for the Golden you've helped rescue, you, like the rest of the CFGRR foster parents, will feel more than satisfied to see the dog move on to a new and better life. Of course, if you decide your foster Golden is "the one" for you, adoption is always an option. We will ask you to make a decision about adopting your foster before sending any prospective adopters to meet your foster Golden.
Q. How do I become an approved foster home?
A.
Print, complete and mail in our foster home form
. For insurance purposes, foster home applications must be signed and submitted by mail. A brief home visit may be conducted, and any other questions you may have can be answered during this visit. We also ask that you sign a foster waiver upon approval as a foster home. This form releases CFGRR from any liability that may occur when fostering one of our rescue Goldens. We take great care in placing our dogs in foster homes best suited to their temperament and/or special needs.
Our rescue program is in constant need of foster homes. By increasing the number of foster homes we have, we can be sure that we always have a safe, loving home available for the Goldens in need. Until we can find their forever homes, we'd like to have rescued Goldens stay with a foster family. This is an important step towards the success of the dog's future placement.