So what does fostering actually involve?

Well, if you already own a dog, it doesn't involve much more than you are used to. We will deliver your foster dog to you and you get to love him and care for him and help him learn how to be a good dog. For first time foster parents we will often select a dog that is already in our rescue program and has completed all its medical work. The dog is just waiting for an approved application to adopt him. You will foster that dog until it is adopted. Once you have fostered your first dog from start to finish and you've enjoyed your fostering experience, we'll bring you another dog.

For repeat foster parents we have a good idea of how much dachshund you can handle. So many times we will bring them dogs straight from the pound. All of our dogs come from pounds with no medical records. In this fostering scenario, the first thing we do when we pull the dog is take it to the vet and get it a Rabies shot, parvo/distemper combo shot and bordetella vaccine. We also test the dog for heartworms; about 60% of our dogs come in heartworm positive. We will also note what medical work he will need done in the future (i.e. spay or neuter, dental, heartworm treatment, etc...) Then we'll bring the dog to your house or have you meet us some place to pick up the dog. They'll usually need a bath when they first arrive at your house as the pound will not bathe the dogs before releasing to rescue. We will give you with your first dose of flea preventative/killer for after the bath to get rid of the fleas or ticks. This first day is usually the hardest for ALL parties involved. The dog will likely NOT be housetrained, so expect accidents and have a plan on how to housetraining.

Incomplete Medical Work:

If your dog does not have its medical work completed, we will be scheduling an apppointment to have all items addressed before it can be adopted. You should not take the dog to your vet to have any medical work done on the dog, unless it is an emergency (of course). We have specific vets we work with to allow us to AFFORD to keep doing rescue. Completing the medical work on a dog can take anywhere from 1 week to many months. For example: recovering from a heartworm treatment takes ~6 weeks. So, if we tell you your new foster dog is heartworm positive, then it will be living with you for a few days or weeks until we get the treatment scheduled and then for an additional 6 weeks after that.

Adoption Day - Can you do it?:

Now the end is near. An application has been approved and you must turn the dog back over to DRoH and let them give the dog to a new owner. So you ask me: How on earth can you give up a dog that you loved for so long? Well, its not easy the first time. I "failed" Fostering 101; translation ~ I kept my first foster dog, I couldn't give her up. This is a common occurence with many first time foster parents which is why we are constantly on the search for more foster parents. But now, as I foster other dogs, I think about how much more attention my foster dog will get at their new home. I think about how the new family is so excited to have a new "kid" in the home again. I think about what the foster dog wants and then I see that I can save another doxie from being euthanized in the pound by allowing my foster dog to go to his new home. The adoption process is very rigorous and we deny many applications along the way. But in the end all our dogs go to the best home for their situation. When these dogs were in the pound, no one was their advocate. Now you and DRoH are its advocate. All of the foster dogs in our program take a piece of our heart and we won't just give that away to anyone.

Who are your foster parents?:

Some of our foster parents are folks who have adopted from us already. Other foster parents are individuals who have a space in their heart to care for a needy dog. Most all of our foster parents work full time, but a few of them are stay at home workers. Most foster parents realize that LONG term they could not keep a third or fourth pet, but in their current house they have space and time to help out. If you already have two dogs, you probably know that two is much more fun that one! So imagine how much fun 3 or 4 dogs would be?! Coming home from work at the end of the day is a noisy and loving experience. A bad day a work can be transformed into a good one when 16 padded feet are stumbling all over themselves to be the first to give me a kiss. Fostering is a very rewarding experience this way.

How much does it cost to foster a dog?:

A foster parent will provide: food, water, shelter and love to all foster dogs. So you will need to buy a little bit extra dog food when you go to the store. You'll also need to consider how you will arrange care for your foster dogs while you are on vacation. DRoH will attempt to make accommodations for the foster dog, however we cannot guarantee accommodations will be available. You could also try to talk with your local kennel about free boarding for foster dogs. Some kennels have a soft spot for rescue dogs if they will stay in the same run as your personal dogs. It doesn't hurt to ask. Love doesn't really cost anything until adoption day ;) We may occassionally ask you to drive to meet us someplace to pick up or drop off the foster dog for medical work. So, a tank of gas here and a bag of dog food there, don't add up to much for the average foster family.

I want to try Fostering, what do I do now?:

Fill out our foster application (the link is at the bottom of the page). We will interview you just as though you were adopting a dog from us. I know, you only want to foster and you are SURE you will not keep the dog; however, I was sure I wasn't going to keep my foster either. So, just in case you decide to adopt from us, we will go through the adoption process and check your vet records of your current pets and interview you before we ever bring you a dog.