Fostering a Dog

CAN I CRASH ON YOUR COUCH?

JUST FOR A WHILE

Try Fostering!  The Destiny for Dogs Rescue needs volunteers to provide short-term in-home care for dogs in need until they are adopted.  All veterinary care is paid by the fostering organization.  Food shall be provided by the Foster Family.  Fostering can last from a few weeks to several months.  To learn more about pet fostering, e-mail melody@destinyfordogs.com and let us know you are interested.  Below is more information about fostering.

Become a Foster Home for a

Very Special Dog

Do you think it would be hard to take an animal into your home only to let it go?  It is very hard and that is why we do it.  Just think how hard it is for a loving lost or abandoned dog to be in a cage day after day and night after night at the animal shelter.  What are they thinking?  Would you be comfortable?  What if you lost your dog and never found it?  Would you hope that someone found your dog and housed it and loved it or would you rather know that your pet was in a shelter waiting for you to return.

Help these lost dogs by taking them into your home while they wait for their new adoptive home.  It will be very easy to let them go to their new home knowing that it will be forever.  Every dog needs the chance to have some stability in their short little lives and by fostering them you are taking part in their future happiness.

Many dogs are scared and have a few issues.  These dogs need to be placed in a very loving environment for a few weeks to be taught what love and affection is.  I brought a dog into my home with my other two dogs.  It was difficult at first because our foster dog was scared and growled at us and the other dogs.  After one week he is going for car rides, going to work, getting lots of hugs, sleeps with us, shares his toys, plays tug of war with the big dog and chases the little dog.  He eats his treats and has learned several tricks.  What a wonderful pet this is going to be for someone special.

Destiny for Dogs receives a large number of phone calls and emails begging us to take a shelter dog whose owners cannot be found. Often, we must reluctantly turn animals away simply because we don’t have a foster home available. Our foster homes are vital in helping stray animals find their forever homes. Without their hard work and dedication, Destiny for Dogs could not save, rehabilitate and adopt the hundreds of homeless strays we do every year.

Fostering an animal can be one of the most rewarding things you do. The dogs and cats that Destiny for Dogs rescues come from all parts of South Florida. After life on the streets (and for various other reasons) dogs and cats are typically scared and sometimes shy. Many of these animals have never been given any love, training, or medical treatment until they meet their new foster families.

It is amazing what just a few weeks of love can do for a foster dog.  Here is what one Foster Home had to say about why they volunteer to do this work:

“I take them into my home… knowing they will one day leave me. But that’s exactly why I save them… to catch, restore, and release.   And each time I let go… I’m fulfilling my purpose in life, and I’m able to save another.”

How to take care of a Foster Dog

All foster dogs will be brought current on their shots, heartworm preventative and be spayed or neutered.  Destiny for Dogs accepts donations in order to help offset these costs.

  • Foster homes may not exceed the pet limit for the residential area you are residing in.
  • Foster homes may not give any animals away.  They must be kept until they are adopted or a new foster home has been assigned. 
  • You will need to supply some sort of crate for housebreaking the foster pet and provide some training in housebreaking a pet.
  • Make sure you are in constant communication with Destiny for Dogs with any health issues that may arise and any behavioral issues.
  • Help screen potential adopters for your foster pet.
  • Provide a loving and stable environment for the foster pet.
  • Socialize your foster pet by providing daily walks, trips to the pet store, going to a dog park, etc.
  • Provide basic day-to-day care, feeding, grooming, exercise, etc.
  • Provide basic obedience training by using positive reinforcement methods.
  • Provide transportation to and from veterinarian appointments.
  • Assist in choosing adoptive home since you will know the animal best.

The length of time an animal is in foster care can vary greatly. Sometimes (usually with puppies) they will be adopted out in a few weeks. Other times it may take a year! We really have no way of knowing. What we do ask is that our foster homes make the commitment to keep their foster dog until their forever home can be found. The reason we ask for this commitment, is that we do not want them to be “bounced” around from foster home to foster home. Dogs that have this happen become very unsure of themselves and usually display this with behavior that is less than desirable. If you aren’t sure you can have a dog for a longer period of time, we are also always in need of “vacation fosters,” or temporary fosters who can take care of a foster animal if/when the animal’s current foster needs to go out of town.

While an Destiny for Dogs animal is being fostered in your home, our Adoption Coordinator will contact you about scheduling a mutually convenient time for potential adopters to visit, whether at your home or another convenient location. This allows adopters the chance to play and interact with the dog to see if they are “the one.”

If you would like to become a foster family for our rescued animals, please print and complete our Foster Application and then e-mail it to melody@destinyfordogs.com or fax to us at 561-582-2888.