__crazy_canine__ Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Ive been thinking and thinking and thinking some more and I really want to foster a dog from Straydog. Im not busy because schools out so Ill be home everyday, all the time. Only thing is any damages in the apartment from the dog and we will have to pay for them to be replaced (like say pee stains in the carpet which is what I worry most about.) Then we have the cat. Lucky could adjust to a dog, I just know it, because we have dogs coming over a lot and sometimes he gets the guts to go right up to the dog and check them out. BUT if the dog wants to get after him then we'd have a problem! I will have to convince my mom to let me foster which is the biggest task! I just know she wont let me. :cry: She does know just how much dogs mean to me though but I need everyones help to point out what good can come from this, for both me and the dog. Ok I have a few dogs that I think would best suit me and my living arrangement.... -I LOVE [url=http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2583931&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=40ec14493e0702dd-app3&display=&preview=1&row=50&tmpl=&stat=]Louise[/url] and I have a good bond with her plus shes younger and I think exposing her to a cat now would be really good for her and potential adoptions. -I think the runner-up to Louise would probably be [url=http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2880472&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=40ec14493e0702dd-app3&display=&preview=1&row=50&tmpl=&stat=]Tiger[/url]. She likes cats so thats good, and I assume because she lived in a house before she came to Straydog shes housetrained already. Plus shes a bully and you all know I have a soft spot for them! :wink: Oh and that brindle coat!!! *faints* Anyway... :lol: -Then next up would probably be [url=http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2366365&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=40ec14493e0702dd-app3&display=&preview=1&row=25&tmpl=&stat=]Jeannie[/url]. Shes calm and really sweet and I think housetrained already but not too sure. Or [url=http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=2403731&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=40ec14493e0702dd-app3&display=&preview=1&row=25&tmpl=&stat=]Foxy Yahtzee[/url] who is similar but has more personality IMO. So tell me what you think about me fostering and if its a good idea or not and what I could do to convince my mom. Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pLaurent Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I have fostered dogs and seeing dumped, rejected and/or abused dogs go to wonderful and loving homes is very very rewarding!! It does take work, but saving a life is really not that difficult. The only drawback is that no one can tell you how long you will have the dog, and you must be committed to keeping him/her until a home, or even another foster home, comes up. There is usually no other place for the dog to go, so you can't change your mind once you take the dog. If you've never fostered before, I know it seems like a big deal. (I was a nervous wreck before getting my first foster) But I guarantee you'll be glad if you do.:) Tiger looks very sweet, and you would be saving her from possible horrible abuse if you can foster her. It's wonderful that you want to do this, and I really hope you can!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheekymunkee Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Everything she said!! PLUS, tell your mom that being a volunteer looks GREAT on your college resume!! Just be prepared that this may be a long term commitment, plus the fact that you may get so attached to the dog that you can't give him up. I can't foster becasue (among other things) I wouldn't be able to let them leave to their new homes! Good luck! Debby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smooshie Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Fostering is a wonderful thing to do! I, however, like Cheeky, could never foster because I would have such a hard time letting them go!! :roll: It is a huge commitment though!...as mentioned above, some fosters end up being long term....what would happen when school started up again? Would your mom be willing to care for the dog during the day while you're gone? Fosters are also usually responsible for transporting the dogs to and from any vet appts. that they might need during their stay. Would you be able to make arrangements for this ? Just a few things to think about... Also, you mentioned you live in an apartment , so I'm assuming you rent. I would definately make sure that the landlord is aware and ok with the idea of you fostering in your residence as well....before you make the commitment to foster a dog. Other than that, I have nothing to add...I think it is great that you would consider helping in the re homing process of these rescue dogs! BOTH my furkids are rescues and were in wonderful foster homes before coming to live with me.I consider these people to be angels :angel: . Keep us posted and let us know what you decide :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abker17 Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I'm glad to here someone else is a newbie at this, I've been considering fostering also. Like you, I've got nothing to do all day when I'm home, so it would be a good project. But the thing is my BC X doesn't get along well with all other dogs, and I'm not sure how she would react to bringing in a new animal. Plus we're going on vacation sometime in August, and I'm not sure how that works, do you board the dog or what? And like someone else said, once I go back to school I dunno if my mom will be willing to take care of it. :( But good luck Crazy. :D And keep the advice coming guys, it's helping me out too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__crazy_canine__ Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 Hmmm, yeah thats another thing I have to worry about. You have to make a $500 deposit for a dog and I believe its non-refundable. I dont remember if it costs monthly to keep the dog here but its something I would have to check into. Plus the apartment managers and staff arent the friendliest people, believe me! When school starts up again, I would think the dog would be ok alone when I go to school. Of course, I would still keep my cat and the dog seperate. My mom is a single parent and works long days so while Im at school no one would really be able to be with the dog I would foster. Do you think that would be a big problem? I think school hours this year are like 9:00 til 4:00 plus add another hour getting to and from school... Maybe that would be too long alone especially considering its not MY dog. If it was mine that would be a little different. Vet appts Im not too sure about. Im guessing I would have to find a vet around here but my mom would have no trouble driving us. As far as an emergency ever happening I know plenty of people in the complex who could take me to the vet. Again I havent asked my mom yet (Im afraid to... :( ) so Im not even sure she would be willing to pay for vet bills or not, or if I would have to find a job (which Ive been trying to but you cant work too many places at 14 because of child labor most companies dont bother with kids til theyre 16.) As for the heartbreak at the end ( :cry: ) Ive been volunteering with Straydog for almost a year now and Ive gotten attached to plenty of dogs. Seeing them go isnt too hard for me really and I think its toughened up my heart. I remember one dog died the day he had been at adoption day. I held him in my arms that very same day. I was astounded by it but I didnt cry. I hear of things like this and even worse cases of abuse all the time. Once youve seen so much its almost hard to care... of course I still do but its not the same. Thanks for the encouragment everyone but I still doubt that it will work out for me. Ill never be able to convince my mom plus I dont think shell want to pay for the deposit, vet bills, nor will she want the heartache of letting go of the dog when its come to be adopted (but then again maybe thats a good thing.... we could keep the dog then! :lol: ) Well at least talking it out with you guys made me realize what a slim chance that this will work. Not a good thing but Im glad you all helped me to see what a HUGE responsibilty it is. Who knows its still possible for me to foster but not likely. :cry: I NEED A DOG!!!!!!! NEED, not want, NEED!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendalyn Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I agree CC, it's totally awesome and wonderful that you want to help out, but you're just not set up for it right now. Someday you will be ready I'm sure and you'll be a wonderful assett to whatever rescue group is lucky enough to have you volunteer for them. :-) Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't you have a dog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__crazy_canine__ Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='kendalyn'] Maybe I'm missing something, but why can't you have a dog?[/quote] Uh... you know, Im not quite sure, lol. My mom just keeps telling me no dogs. The actual reason is unknown to me really. I think its just that were in an apartment (the whole damages thing and deposit might bug her) but I dont really know. She uses my cat as an excuse sometimes but again hes coming around to dogs and I think he could adjust easily. She says its unfair to him. I like cats but Im a dog person, not cat. I spent all last night crying because I feel like Im missing something without a dog around. :cry: Im sure you all being dog lovers can understand how I feel. Dogs are a part of me and always will be. My mom always says I mustve been a dog in a past life, lol. When I was little I pretended to be animals, mostly dogs, all the time :lol: . Im still going to talk to her about it tonight just to see if shes changed her mind about having a dog but Im only going to get let down... :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutt_Lady Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='__crazy_canine__']When I was little I pretended to be animals, mostly dogs, all the time :lol: .[/quote] That's so crazy, I did too! My cousin and I used to even go as far as going under the table and beg for scraps..like a real dog. We would make one of our family members our owners and they would train us. I always think back to it and think of how foolish I must have looked. I'm glad some one else did it too! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Have you gone up to Petsmart to see if the rescue group there could use help at Adoption days? I know a lot of people just volunteer on the weekends helping with adoptions or walking the dogs at adoption days. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__crazy_canine__ Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='Mutt_Lady'][quote name='__crazy_canine__']When I was little I pretended to be animals, mostly dogs, all the time :lol: .[/quote] That's so crazy, I did too! My cousin and I used to even go as far as going under the table and beg for scraps..like a real dog. We would make one of our family members our owners and they would train us. I always think back to it and think of how foolish I must have looked. I'm glad some one else did it too! :wink:[/quote] OMD! That really is weird. I wonder if anyone else here did that when they were little. Im definatley embarassed by some of the things I did then but I had fun doing it! One of my friends and I would would pretend we had mean owners and we were made to fight each other, I think we were tigers or something, lol. Gosh we were so strange! Once we had a "vets office" too... we would actually "operate" on the stuffed animals we had and then sew em up! :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smooshie Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 CC...as far as the vet bills are concerned, the rescue group pays the bills for their foster dogs...you just have to get them there. From my experience most rescues keep a running tab with certain vets and send all of their dogs there...you would have to verify this with the rescue organization you choose to work with, just to be on the safe side. There need to be more people like you out there....you're going about this the right way....weighing all the options and thinking it thru....just remember, if it doesn't work out for you right at this moment, you can always look into it down the road, once you're finished school and financially independant...and you'll have all this knowledge to back you up :D ...There will always be dogs in need of help! Good luck hun...I wish you the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__crazy_canine__ Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='Tammy']Have you gone up to Petsmart to see if the rescue group there could use help at Adoption days? I know a lot of people just volunteer on the weekends helping with adoptions or walking the dogs at adoption days. Good luck[/quote] Uh, hmmm maybe I shouldve wrote this in my first post but Ive said it so many times I feel like people are tired of hearing it or something but anyway, I already do that. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__crazy_canine__ Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 [b]Smooshie:[/b] If I did have a job right now I wouldnt want them paying the vet bills, I would do it myself, of course since I have no money I couldnt impose on my mom to pay it. Thank you for your advice and compliments I really do appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutt_Lady Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='__crazy_canine__']OMD! That really is weird. I wonder if anyone else here did that when they were little. Im definatley embarassed by some of the things I did then but I had fun doing it! One of my friends and I would would pretend we had mean owners and we were made to fight each other, I think we were tigers or something, lol. Gosh we were so strange! Once we had a "vets office" too... we would actually "operate" on the stuffed animals we had and then sew em up! :lol: :lol: :lol:[/quote] LMBO, that is too funny!! I actually used to act like other animals as well: lions, tigers, ...and bears? OH MY! :lol: But my favorite was a dog. Our "owners" would even feed us cheese and crackers and such. I can't believe we suckered our relatives into doing those crazy things. Poor them. :roll: I'm sure many other people did this too. When you're a big dog fan, it's usually for life. :D Hopefully some one else will speak up so we don't look crazy! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='__crazy_canine__'][quote name='Tammy']Have you gone up to Petsmart to see if the rescue group there could use help at Adoption days? I know a lot of people just volunteer on the weekends helping with adoptions or walking the dogs at adoption days. Good luck[/quote] Uh, hmmm maybe I shouldve wrote this in my first post but Ive said it so many times I feel like people are tired of hearing it or something but anyway, I already do that. :D[/quote] I am sorry! I didn't know it was something you already did. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__crazy_canine__ Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 Its ok Tammy! :wink: I shouldve said so in my post. Lol Muttlady... yeah I think we already look crazy, its in my name for me! :lol: Hmm, maybe one of us should make another thread about this. Its kind of an interesting subject... kinda. Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutt_Lady Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='__crazy_canine__']Lol Muttlady... yeah I think we already look crazy, its in my name for me! :lol: Hmm, maybe one of us should make another thread about this. Its kind of an interesting subject... kinda. Lol![/quote] LOL! Great idea. I think you should have the honour of making a new thread because you're the one who first mentioned it. I'll be sure to reply to it asap though. Hurry up & get it up!! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pLaurent Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote]Plus we're going on vacation sometime in August, and I'm not sure how that works, do you board the dog or what?[/quote] Yes, you could if you want to pay for it. Most rescues are operating on a shoestring, and can't afford boarding, unless it's an emergency. With our rescue, we pay for all vet bills, food etc for the fostered animal. The person fostering must be responsible for getting the animal TO the vet and to adoption events. Of course, if the person fostering can help out, it's deeply appreciated. It IS hard to let go when the animal gets adopted, especially after you have invested so much time and energy into making it as adoptable as possible with training, care and bonding with the pet, but you shouldn't let that stop you from helping to save lives. After all, the dog isn't going somewhere bad, it's going to a loving home with people who really want it.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 First of all, I think it's wonderful that you care enough to want to help out. I love that you want to make a difference. However (and you had to see that coming :wink: ), just from the outside looking in, it seems to me like maybe it isn't the best time. For one thing, as mentioned by others, sometimes fostering lasts longer than anticipated. It's entirely possible that the dog may not be adopted by the time you go back to school. [quote name='__crazy_canine__']When school starts up again, I would think the dog would be ok alone when I go to school.[/quote] The thing with fosters is that they often come with behavioral problems. That's why many of them are in rescue to begin with. Often it's something that can be overcome with a little work and the original owners just weren't willing or didn't know how. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that you could end up with a dog barking all day (one of the reasons dogs end up in rescue) and if you're in an apartment, that's likely to be a problem. When fostering, you're not just caring for the dog while waiting for a home, but you also work on obedience and manners and some of the issues the dog may have. With fosters, you never really know what you're going to get. I've fostered dogs that were supposed to be good natured, housebroken, didn't mind a crate and got along well with cats that, once I got to know them a little better, turned out to be good natured as long as you don't touch his food/wake him up/take his toy/put a leash on him/look him in the eye (other than that, he's a good natured dog :-? ), raised their leg on everything in sight and would poop on your pillow the first chance he got (other than that, he's housebroken :-? ), were ok in a crate until you tried to close the door, or get them back out, and got along well with cats as long as the cats were faster than him and could jump higher( :-? ), you see where this is going. Some fosters are truly dream dogs that you can't imagine why anyone would give them up and some are nice on the surface with underlying issues that eventually come boiling up. People often lie about why they're getting rid of their dogs and initially all you have is their word. I've found that people will tell you the dog is ferocious and aggressive when the dogs are absolute sweethearts (one dog I had was given up because she "snarled" at the baby... turned out she's a "smiler" and we've NEVER known her to actually snarl at anyone) and then other people will tell you their dog has never shown any aggression while it's trying to sever your hand as you reach for the leash. Beware the people who say the dog is good but "spoiled." Spoiled usually means aggressive when listed as a reason to give up a dog. I certainly do not mean to sound discouraging. I'm just offering food for thought. With all the frustrations and responsibilities, it can be truly rewarding. I think you're going to make a great foster person and dog owner someday. It just may be that the time is not right now, but it will come and when it does, I hope we're all still here to be able to share in your adventures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MajiesMom Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 If you can't foster you should definitly volunteer at the shelter. You can't always save a life but you can make a few short lives more enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mutts4Me Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I know you already volunteer at the shelter so you know the dogs and the people, but if you decide to do this, I'd reconsider your first choice. An akita/chow mix is going to require someone with a lot of experience. She's going to need a lot of training. The pit bull is an adult and you already know she deals well with cats, so you know what you're getting into. You never know what a puppy's going to turn out like, no matter how you train it. I'm not sure if this is the best time to start fostering, either, but I think that you're capable of making an intelligent decision about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn6 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Does your apartment have a size restrictions? Some places only want dogs under 25lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllAmericanPUP Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 If you volunteer at stray dog, talk with the people there and see if they think it would be a good idea. I know they are probably in desperate need of any and all help. I wish I lived there, i would so love to help out straydog. I cried so much when pat arnold died :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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