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Fostering.....
Our foster homes are the most important aspect of our rescue because they are the ones that spend countless hours rehabilitating and loving their foster dog, making him or her more adoptable. To become a foster home we utilizes foster homes throughout Alberta, mainly in the Edmonton, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Leduc, and other surrounding areas as it makes for easier transport of the dogs when placing them in foster care as well as the potential adopters travelling to visit their hopeful new family member! If you are interested in being a foster home, we require that you fill out a foster questionnaire as well as allow us to do a home check. The home check is to ensure that we are placing our foster dogs in a safe and secure environment. What is supplied? All items are supplied to our foster homes including:
Is there a commitment? Yes, there is. We would like you to treat your foster dog as if they were a part of the family as they will fit right into your lifestyle. Not only will this help with socialization and enable your foster dog to be more adoptable and well rounded....more of a family member! We require that the foster families bring the foster dog to 2 Adoption events a month. We would like to see them at all of them, more exposure means a quicker adoption but we understand that you will have other commitments. There are many different homes needed. There will be pregnant mamas coming in which will mean a lot of hard work, long hours, and a little heartbreak. If you are interested in taking care of these dogs, you must have experience with whelping and puppy care. We will have some dogs that will require some extra special care and attention. These dogs will range between very shy or feral dogs, to sick dogs, to the elderly dogs. It takes a very special breed of human to be able to have the patience, love, and care to handle these dogs. Foster to Adopt Program In some cases you apply to adopt a dog through our regular program but none of the dogs we have in the program would be a suitable match. If this happens we offer the foster to adopt program where we match you up with a dog that is in need of placement directly from a shelter. This program allows you to be the foster home for this dog prior to adoption. As a foster home everything will be supplied for you as any other foster homes would be and as a foster home you would be responsible for ensuring that you get your foster dog to the spay / neuter and vaccination appointment. Take a couple of weeks to decide if this is the dog for you and then we will either place your foster dog up for adoption or finalize the adoption with you and pick up the foster supplies. The dog will stay with you until we find a suitable home for his/her adoption or another foster home is available for transfer. If you are interested in being a foster home, we require that you fill out a foster questionnaire as well as allow us to do a home check. The home check is to ensure that we are placing our foster dogs in a safe and secure environment. We also require all of your pets be licensed according to the animal bylaws in your area and to become familiar with them. Think you're ready to foster? Fill out the foster application! |
The Fears and Benefits of Pet Fostering
A personal story of fostering.... Fears That Discourage Fostering My fear when I started to foster was....would I be able to give that dog up?Would those dogs, that needed so much attention and love, be alright with my current dog? What if they don't get along? How much will it cost me to foster a dog? The foster home coordinator calmed my fears very easily. Sundance CRS provides all that is needed for the foster dog. Okay, so that was one fear gone. If the dogs did not get along, well, we simply try another dog until it works. After sharing some great tips on introducing the dogs to each other, well another fear was dispelled. After the meeting I sat down with my son and our dog and we talked and decided to at least try it. My first foster came to me full of worms, had a touch of mange, and needed love. She came in the door very shy and cautiously. My dog went over and sniffed her over. Then did something very unexpected....bowed down and tried to play with her! Okay....so one more fear was taken care of. I did my best to not let her get into my heart...but, that lasted 5 minutes. She stayed with me for about 3 weeks while she healed from the mange and got that belly full of worms out of her system. Then she was ready to be adopted. And adopted she was! She had an incredible family wanting her! When the time came to hand her over...I cried, but seeing the happiness of the family and my foster...filled my heart with so much joy and pride. Knowing I helped to join that family together...just by taking care of the foster like my own....well, I answered my biggest fear. I was able to give up the dog to their new families. There is a saying that the Rescues use..."Fostering saves 2 lives." That means, to me anyhow...the one you foster gets adopted, there is another one out there to save. So, I have covered the fears of fostering. Now I am going to move on to the amazing benefits that fostering produces! Fostering gives you and your family a chance to bond while taking care of the dog. Children will realize the time, effort, and commitment it takes to owning a pet. Saying that I am reminded of the difference it made with my son. He was so happy to be able to help the foster dogs. He wanted to take them for walks, pet them, feed them, and love them. For a boy of 4 he was pretty wise too. When our first foster was going to her new family, he looked at me and said.."Now we can help another puppy mommy!" He was proud of the fact that he helped to make the puppy better and felt like he made a difference. Self esteem went through the roof for him, and in honesty...mine too. I was introduced to new people that enjoyed fostering dogs as well. I was making new friends almost everyday while walking with the dogs. Boosting not only my self esteem, but my confidence as well. I began reading and learning about tricks to teach the dogs, how to walk on a leash, how to care for their wounds (inside and out), and most importantly, to open my heart to them. I was able to talk to potential adopting families about the dog they were interested in with as much knowledge as the others. It was and still is the best feeling knowing that I have a hand in letting those rescued dogs re-start their life story. Read more.... |
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