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RezDawg is gearing up for puppy and kitten season and the only limiting factor on how many Rez Dogs and Rez Cats we can save is the number of spaces available in our foster network – now over 100 strong (and growing.) If we want to rescue more Rez animals in 2017 than we did in 2016 (and we do,) we need more foster homes for both dogs and cats. We hope this basic information will give you a flavor of what’s involved and convince you to give it a try – at least once.
What does it mean to “foster” a RezDawg?
Fostering with RezDawg means inviting a rescued dog to live at your house as one of the family – on a temporary basis. While they’re with you, your foster dog will receive appropriate vet care and vaccinations, learn important socialization/behavioral skills and generally transition from rescued dog to “someone’s best friend ever.” RezDawg will walk beside you during this journey making sure you have all the information, training, support and resources you’ll need to ensure a successful outcome/adoption.
How do foster homes fit into the RezDawg mission to “Save. Heal. Adopt?”
Our foster network is the heart and soul of everything we do. We couldn’t exist without a network of people and families willing to open their homes and hearts to help save lives that desperately need saving. More importantly, we believe placing rescued Rez Dogs and Rez Cats in foster homes provides them with the best possible chance at a long, happy life. Shelters are a necessary and beneficial cog in the rescue wheel, but the one-on-one attention and care a rescued dog receives in a home environment is far superior to what that dog might experience at a shelter (where the dog-to-person ratio might be 10 to 1 or higher.)
What’s in it for the dog?
- A high quality of life until they’re ready to meet their forever people. This quality of life includes safety, nutrition, shelter, vet care and most importantly, one-on-one love and attention from a human who wants nothing but the best for the dog (you.)
- Lots of exposure to potential adopters such as your friends, neighbors, the mailman, co-workers, relatives or anyone in line next to you at Starbucks.
- An accurate picture of who the dog is, what they like, what they don’t like, etc. Just like people, no two rescued dogs are exactly alike. Do they like kids? Can they tolerate cats (or more likely, can the cat tolerate them?) Being able to answer these questions for a potential adopter helps ensure we place the right dog with the right people.
What’s in it for you?
- All dogs need exercise and mental stimulation in order to live a happy, long life. You do too. Accepting responsibility for a rescued dog will get you off the couch and whether that means an evening walk or a trip to a National Park, you’ll both benefit from the experience.
- Sheer, unadulterated joy… from bonding with your foster dog and knowing you played an important role in saving your foster dog’s life
Risks of fostering
- You might end up adopting your foster dog. “Foster failure” is a term describing what happens when you find the dog you’ve welcomed into your home on a temporary basis is actually indispensable to leading a fulfilling and satisfying life. The word “failure” has no place in a wonderful exchange like this so the new phrase is “forever foster.”
- You might be sad the day your foster dog leaves with their forever people. This sadness will be replaced with pride when you realize that you – and you alone – are responsible for turning a scared, starving and bewildered dog into an energetic and enthusiastic lifetime partner for someone who will love them as deeply as you.
What’s so great about fostering a dog?
The sloppy kisses after a long walk or a rousing game of fetch. The tail-wagging every time you walk in the door. The pride you’ll feel being part of saving a deserving life… But wait! There’s more! Here some additional reasons why every person on the planet should think about fostering a dog.
• Fostering gives a dog a second chance at life
• Fostering a dog is a wonderful, life-affirming project for the entire family
• Fostering a dog is fun
• Fostering a dog is rewarding
• Fostering can be done anywhere – in a city or suburb, a house or apartment. We match the dog’s needs to your lifestyle/family
• Fostering a dog can take place whenever you are ready
• Fostering a dog offers the company of canines to those unable to make a long-term commitment
If you think there is even the slightest chance you’d like to foster a RezDawg, please reach out. We have regional foster care coordinators who will walk you through the process, talk about the day-to-day and answer any conceivable question you might have. Fostering is where the proverbial rubber hits the road at RezDawg and we couldn’t do what we do without people who want to ACT, and make the world a better place. We say this a lot because it’s true: Fosters are a higher form of human. I’m pretty sure you are too…
Please comment. We need to know if you like the blog as-is or would like to see something different.
For more information about what you’ve read here or about RezDawg in general, please visit RezDawgRescue.org, The Rez Dog Biographies, or stevensable.com.
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Your donations are critical for helping RezDawg Rescue save lives. Every donation can make a difference…here is what your donations can do:
- $15 pays for a microchip
- $25 pays for a rabies, distemper, or bordetella vaccine
- $30 feeds a dog or cat for a month
- $50 pays for a veterinary exam
- $85 pays for neuter and $105 for spay procedures
- $120 refuels our van for more transports from the Four Corners area of the US
- $250 readies for adoption by providing a wellenss exam, spay or neuter, all vaccinations, deworming, microchip and a month of food
- $500 sponsors an entire interstate transport
- $1,000 sponsors one month of transports
- $5,000 covers veterinary expenses for all animals in foster for one month
- $10,000 covers transport and total adoption costs for six months
- $150,000 provides down payment on RDR’s future rescue and boarding facility
Every dollar makes a difference!
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