If you’re a dog lover, it’s safe to say you’ve probably daydreamed about spending your retirement on a large rural property surrounded by an absurd number of rescue dogs.
While this is a beautiful dream, in reality, this would also probably equal exorbitant vet bills, huge food costs, and an insane amount of upkeep to the property. Not so much the restful retirement of your dreams, right?
Why not just take one rescue dog in? Or, alternatively, foster dogs who require a soft place to land before they find their forever homes. It’s a great compromise that will feed into that desire to look after a lot of dogs who need to be loved while not costing you the earth. And, you’ll have the satisfaction of helping an animal that needs love and care.
Why Choose to Foster Dogs?
Fostering a dog provides a stress-free environment for the dog to thrive in a home while they recover from illness, surgery, or whatever might have brought them to the rescue. In this way, you’ll be providing a dog with the best possible foundation for them to find their new forever home. You’ll be able to provide love and care to animals that often come to us scared, stressed, and unsure. You open your home and your heart to these dogs, and they eventually leave. You watch a dog go from unsure and scared to confident and happy. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s such a rewarding thing to be able to do, but there is also a certain amount of heartbreak.
What’s Involved
To become a foster carer, you need a certain amount of self-awareness. You also need dedication and compassion, and a fair bit of patience. But what are the physical and monetary requirements?
Firstly, you’ll have to ensure that you can care for all of the dog’s needs. This includes feeding, walking, grooming, continuing any necessary training for the dog, and socialising the dog. Often, dogs that come into care have special needs due to previous trauma they may have suffered, and it’s important that you approach their training with patience.
You should also make sure you have enough room on your property to safely house a dog. Do you have a proper fence? Is there enough room for exercise and playing? Do you have any pets that you’ll need to introduce to the dog? Will they get along?
You’ll also have to provide the rescue with regular updates about the dog to assist in finding their new home. This could be in the form of photos, videos, or both. You’ll also have to attend regular veterinary health checks at the rescue. Vet costs are covered, but you’ll need to be able to travel to and from vet appointments and will have to provide food and bedding.
How Long Would I Foster the Dogs For?
How long you foster each dog for really depends on the unique circumstances of each dog. Are they sick or injured and require a recovery period? Do they need training before they’re ready to be adopted? How old are they? It could be a week, a month, or longer before they find their forever homes. Once a dog becomes available to foster, you will be informed of the estimated duration of the foster period.
