Fostering rescue dogs advice

[stangs]

So I’ve been growing increasingly keen on the idea of fostering rescue dogs and in many ways I should think I’d be a good candidate for the ‘job’. I have no pets nor young children; dog would be home alone for max 1-2 hours weekly as have family nearby who would be willing to stay with it when I’m off to the yard or elsewhere, and I regularly go on nice long country walks which dog could accompany.

The main issue, however, is that I don’t have a garden. There’s many parks in walking distance of my house, but no secure, private garden where dog could go off-lead. And gardens appear to be staple requirement of pretty much all large rescues (at least, for adoption).

I guess my question is then, are there any rescues (particularly in the London area) that would be willing to overlook this? And people who have fostered before - any advice?

 

[CorvusCorax]

To be honest if you are diligent with doors/dog gates/crates and making sure the dog is securely on a line before doors are opened, I don't see why this would be a deal-breaker when so many dogs are languishing in kennels or in precarious situations. I have a front and back garden but my front wall is pretty low, so to keep everyone safe, including cats and the dogs who are allowed to jump into my garden, they are on a lead even for toilet breaks and I do not just throw them out there to bimble around unsupervised, so I might as well not have one, if that makes sense!! The two old boys are fit to potter about off lead but usually it's easier just to pop a lead on and take them for a proper walk up the lane. My middle one came from a house with no lawn, just concrete front and back and was always walked to the local green to do his business, it took me ages to persuade him that it was OK to go in the garden.

 

[stangs]

Yes, I would have thought that as long as the dog's getting plenty of toilet breaks, there should be no problem. Surely a dog is more likely to escape from a garden than a house anyway? But I had a look at Battersea Dogs & Cats home and one of the first questions on the fostering application was "confirm you have a garden".

 

[Clodagh]

You can but ask. I should think some will be more flexible, well you can only hope. Good luck

 

[Smitty]

Yes, I do have advice:

1). Have a notebook and keep a record of any names, addresses, telephone numbers and any other contact details of potential and actual adoptees.

2). Make sure you have all veterinary arrangements sorted out before taking on any dogs as in which vets, where, and do the rescue have an account there.

I fostered some dogs for a small, chaotic, local rescue after my dog went missing.

The first, a Yorkie fresh from Ireland was a doddle, apart from Kennel Cough which I had to get treated. I took him to some vets 10 miles away at their request as I think they still had some credit there!! He was only with me for 4 days and was rehomed by word of mouth to a couple in a nearby village where he apparently ruled their lives.

The second, a fat and quiet JR of 7 years who had been locked in a shed for 2 years was a doll but needed the vet (jabs? I don't remember now) and I asked if I could take him to my vets, a minute walk down my street. They arranged an account there and all dogs went there after that.

 

[stangs]

That’s very helpful, thank you smitty x

 

[Smitty]

Next was a young fit Lakeland stray from Wales. More jabs and a chip (for some reason in my name?) but the JR cheered up and the pair of them proved to be great company for a couple of weeks.

The Lakeland was the first to go. My instructions were to see if the family were suitable and if they liked her they could take her without a home check!! And so there started my dilemma. She had a pair of stilettos on, he was rude enough to walk in my house, sit himself down and get his phone out whilst their wretched boy kicked the dogs football about in my garden and then gravel down my drain?. She was the only one who showed an interest in the dog and explained they had just lost their old Lakeland. They stayed for about half an hour, with man and son briefly showing an interest but preferring to play with the football themselves. I was just not easy about them but said did they want to take her then and there. Man said no, he needed to sort their fence out, which was fair enough.

The lady came to pick her up after a few days, wrote out the cheque (which I posted to the rescue) and I gave her the chip paperwork and she said she would transfer it to her name. She didn't and I got a call from a vet some 6 months later to say they had my missing terrier.

The JR went to a lovely home about 4 days later who clearly adored him and kept in touch for ages.

I was then given a JR x Patterdale by a local family who were sending him off to a rescue. They didn't want any money for him so I split what would have been his adoption fee between the rescue I was fostering for and the one my missing dog had come from. I had a lovely acknowledgement from the latter but no response from the former.

I was contacted by my vets chasing payment several times some months after the dogs had been treated (and rehomed) and contacted a few times by the rescue regarding the payment for the Lakeland which they said they had not received and then another couple of times asking for the people who had her contact details (which as it was easily 2 years later I had destroyed) . Apparently she had ended up back in the rescue as the family had fortunately changed her chip details to there and no longer wanted her.

So: Follow your instincts as well and cover your tracks with any money. I think they mislaid 2 cheques, they think I nabbed £140!!