Our first week with Tasha

Tasha has been with us for one week. In that time Tasha has joined me on a few walks, eaten some yummy bones, and has gone to the vet to get her skin and a cyst on her belly checked out.

Big dog in a little car. 

We had a lovely walk on the trail Monday. I must say that FOR (Friends of Rescue) blue is definitely her color!

Nom..Nom..Nom.. Tasha really enjoyed her bone!

Waiting patiently for the doctor to talk to us about Tasha's skin and belly cyst.

Tahsa thanked Dr. Waite at Cornerstone Animal Hospital for taking good care of her by giving him a sloppy dog kiss on the cheek! She is on antibiotics and ivermecton to help clear up her skin. The cyst on her belly shouldn't be anything to worry about. 

Like sands through the our glass, these are the dogs of our lives.

I am interested in fostering, but how do I choose which rescue to foster for?

I have been fostering dogs in Alabama since the fall of 2004. In that time I have worked with over six different animal rescues. There is no question that each and every rescue is working towards the same goal of saving the lives of animals, but the way they each choose to operate can differ dramatically. Below are some questions and answers that will hopefully help you choose the best rescue for you.

First, ask yourself what is most important to you when fostering a pet. Is it important that the rescue takes care of all of the vet bills, assists you in advertising the dogs to potential adopters, helps to find someone to watch the pet if you go on vacation, involves you in the approval process when choosing the adoptive home of your foster? Below are some questions you should ask the rescue prior to fostering.

1) In what ways will you help me advertise my dog to potential adopters?

One typical way that rescues advertise their animals for adoption is by listing them on www.petfinder.com. This is a great way to get adoptable dogs in front of people who are actively looking to adopt. Established rescues will also have a website where they do additional listings of the animals for adoption.

It is important to note, that advertising your foster animal isn't only the responsibility of the rescue; it is your responsibility as well. Post photos and videos of your dog on Facebook. Send out an email to your friends and family letting them know about your new foster dog and request that they share your email with others. Take your foster to the dog park and talk to people there who may be looking for a playmate for their dog.

Another way rescuers will typically help is by holding adoption events at local businesses around the community. This requires you to bring the dog to the location and stay there for a few hours to help answer questions about your foster dog that potential adopters may have. You may want to volunteer at an adoption event prior to fostering for the rescue so that you can see how the rescue runs the event. Is it organized? Are there plenty of people available who can answer questions? Did the rescue take time to explain their process of adoption to you? How much traffic is the adoption event getting?

2) What happens if my foster dog needs to go to the vet? 

Rescues may only use certain vets, which may not be located anywhere near where you live. If they do not have ways to organize a transport for your foster dog, you may find yourself driving a long distance to see the vet. If you work like I do,  having to drive a long distance to a vet on a week day isn't very doable. Most rescues will pay the vet bill, but some do it differently than others. It can range anywhere from paying the bill yourself and submitting a receipt to the rescue for reimbursement to simply walking in and letting the vet know what rescue you are with. 

3) If I have a question while fostering my dog or cat, who in the rescue will answer my question?

This is an important question to ask since some rescues have different ways they structure themselves. I have volunteered with rescues that seem to only have two people at the top who try to do it all and end up spreading themselves too thin which results in poor communication with their foster homes. The best set-up to find in a rescue is one that has a small group of dedicated rescuers who are committed to answering your questions and letting you know when adoption event opportunities are coming up.

4) Do I have to pay for the dog's food?

I've almost always purchased my own dog food for the pups I've fostered, but there have been a few cases where a dog needed to have a special kind of food due to a health condition. Ask the rescue if they get donations of food that you could have access to.

This is just a small list of questions and answers to help you choose the rescue that is best for you. In all of the years that I have been fostering, I have found that F.O.R. (Friends of Rescue) in Huntsville, AL has done the best all around job of supporting their foster homes. If you are in the Huntsville, AL area and are interested in fostering for F.O.R. visit, http://forrescue.net/foster/ fill out the foster application and someone will contact you shortly.

I'd like to introduce you all to Tasha!

Tasha became our new foster dog yesterday. Amanda, my FOR (Friends of Rescue) foster liaison, made the arrangements for Tasha to be pulled from the Athens, AL shelter. Shannon, a volunteer with FOR picked up Tasha from the Athens, AL shelter and brought her to our home while I was finishing up at work.

When I pulled up to the house Shannon was waiting outside along with her sweet young daughter and Tasha. I was informed that Tasha was being very good and had even let Shannon's little girl hold her leash!

Tears flowed as Shannon's young daughter realized that Tasha wouldn't be coming home with them. I assured her she could come and visit Tasha any time she'd like and thanked her and her mom for bringing Tasha to our house. For such a little girl, she was completely comfortable around a dog who was as big as she was! One day I hope to have a child as caring and compassionate about animals as Shannon's little girl.

Tasha made her way into our home and sniffed around a bit before checking out the back yard. Amanda informed me that Tasha is suffering from Sarcoptic Mange and will need to be quarantined from Goldie and Ollie for at least a couple of weeks. 

Tasha enjoying the kitchen floor.

Tasha discovering her new back yard.

I will document Tasha's healing and transformation in the coming blog posts. in the meantime, if you or someone you know is interested in adopting Tasha, please contact me.

Maddie has left the building.

Our foster pup Maddie was adopted by a sweet young married couple today. Mike came with me to do the home visit as well as make sure that I wasn't abducted by crazy people. I was fairly sure this wouldn't happen after talking to Laura, Maddie's new mom, but you can never be too careful when going to a stranger's home.

Maddie walked in and started sniffing around while we talked with Laura and her husband. Just as I turned around to see where Maddie was, I saw her pee on her new parents carpet. Maybe not the best introduction, but I quickly explained to them that she isn't very used to carpet, so it may take a little time for her to adjust.

Her new family was very excited to welcome her into their home and had even bought a new dog bed, crate, food, toys, etc. She will be one happy spoiled pup!

I tried taking a few pictures, but every single one turned out with a blurry Maddie due to her moving around a bunch. haha

This is the best I could do.

As I checked-in on her this evening I was told she was laying on floor watching her new mom make dinner. I think this will be a perfect match and I am so happy for Maddie and her new family!

Although it's always bittersweet to see a foster leave, it opens up our home to welcome a new foster dog into our family. We aren't waisting any time in welcoming a black female great dane into our home tomorrow. She was picked up as a stray and is being held at the Athens dog pound. She has a tumor on her belly and a skin condition that will need to be looked at. What should we call her?

It's been a long time...

It has been nearly five years since I have posted to this blog. In that time, much has happened. Let me see if I can get you up to speed.

The tiny Boston Terrier you see in my previous posts ended up being a "foster failure." She has been such a joy to have as a part of my family. Her and Goldie, my greyhound get along great! Below is a picture of the two of them cuddling.

My brindle terrier mix, Sweet Sissy, passed away last December. She was my first foster dog, as well as my first "foster failure." Her sweet disposition allowed me to foster over thirty dogs over the course of her life. When I would bring a new foster into our home she would be very gentle. It was almost as if she understood where they had been since she too had led a rough life before coming to live with me. The photos below show her at Monte Sano enjoying the view from the top. When Sissy was hiking she was in her element.

Since it has been almost five years, I'd like to share some photos of dogs that I've fostered over that period of time. There are nineteen dogs pictured below. I will do a feature story once a week about one of the dogs pictured below as well as update you all on our latest foster pup.

Tandy

 Yoko

Apollo

Bailey

Max

Keyser

Flower (Since she looked a bit like a skunk)

Jack

Jack and his family.

Gracie

Cosmo

Mckenzie

Lilly

Callie

Callie and her family

Darby

Spike (Pictured here laying on my dad's shoulder while Ollie is in his arms)

Willow

Meg and Jo (aka Dobies)

Maddie (She is our latest foster dog, but is going to her forever home tomorrow!)