RE: I'm a foster parent . . . of a dog

[firefighterjake]

Always have been . . . and will be . . . a "cat person" . . . with six cats. That's my limit though.

A few weeks back my wife hooked up with an organization -- Buddy Up -- that takes dogs and cats in shelters that either no one wants or are in danger of being euthanized and they send them to foster care where they can get more one to one treatment and handling.

And so . . . we now have George (kinda fits in with the whole cat presidential thing we have going) . . . a big, ol' mutt who is quite lame (he gets glucosamine chews every day) and has an issue with his eyes (my wife has to clean them and put in tear drops.) I have to admit, Buddy Up has done a nice job of pairing the right dog to us as George has fit in quite well with our life style as he is super easy going . . . now that he has got beyond his fear of cats.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

aint no better dog, than a rescue dog (I have 2 currently)

I drink to your health my friend

 

[Ashful]

You're doing good work, Jake. Maybe he'll even cure you of being a "cat person".

 

[1kzwoman]

Good work! Got two rescue dogs myself.
I aspire to be the person they think me to be..their affection is unconditional.

 

[firefighterjake]

We'll have George until either someone comes along and sees his info and wants to adopt him . . . or until he dies. If I had to guess, he'll be with us for a long time.

 

[BrotherBart]

with six cats. That's my limit though

You are quite the guy Jake. I can only deal with one cat. And she is named after a President's wife.

 

[pen]

I took in an old man too. The S3 chews that can be bought on amazon for 1/2 of vet costs, have helped him hold the line with his hips and we were able to get him off the pain meds he was on for almost a year now. I learned with him that not all glucosamine chews/tabs work the same, and if you are starting to think that what's he's on isn't enough, it's worth a switch. Sure was in our case.

In my area, disliking cats is kind of a macho/normal thing for a guy. But I've always liked them as I grew up with a couple pretty good ones that had some great personalities. That said, there is just something about a dog.

Regardless, good on you for giving the old guy a home. My old guy certainly can't do what a young pup can, but as I tell the kids, he still protects us from bears.... Proof being we haven't been attacked! ;-)

pen

 

[Dix]

Good on ya Jake !!

Pics when you have the time

 

[scjotulman]

Good for you for fostering. We foster as well for a lab rescue and it is very rewarding. Our current permanent dog a 13 year old chocolate lab was a foster. We fostered her for 2 days and she was so good we said we are keeping her. We have had some easy dogs and some challenging dogs but the people that adopt them are always so appreciative and it's always good to hear how much they enjoy having the dog. Keep up the good work.

 

[Bobbin]

We have a houseful of "rejects". 3 cats and one fool dog. And we have a pretty new kitty (#4); an absolute horror upon arrival, but who's found "her legs" and is settling in pretty well. As the Pride ages (11 yrs. old now) she's assumed the mantle of "huntress". The bounty: 2 star nosed moles (one live that was able to flee), 9 voles, have lost count on the mice. She's pretty, affectionate, and she's all about "going out" and hunting!

Not sure about the "fostering thing"... is it kind of like the dealer handing out "freebies" to the curious?

 

[firefighterjake]

We have a houseful of "rejects". 3 cats and one fool dog. And we have a pretty new kitty (#4); an absolute horror upon arrival, but who's found "her legs" and is settling in pretty well. As the Pride ages (11 yrs. old now) she's assumed the mantle of "huntress". The bounty: 2 star nosed moles (one live that was able to flee), 9 voles, have lost count on the mice. She's pretty, affectionate, and she's all about "going out" and hunting!

Not sure about the "fostering thing"... is it kind of like the dealer handing out "freebies" to the curious?.

It's an attempt to get animals in long term kennels or critters that have health issues a chance to get "out of jail" and experience a bit of normalcy . . . realizing that they could or could not get adopted out to a permanent home. There is quite a process to go through to become foster parents

 

[Bobbin]

If you "foster" do you get dibs on the animal in question? I've never considered "fostering" because I'm freaked out that I'll get "too attached". The thing about fostering is that you have to, "say good bye" and frankly, I'm not sure I have what it takes to do that...

But, Jake, you are doing something so important. Animals in shelters shut down emotionally (esp. cats) and that only makes them less desireable when "shoppers come 'a callin'".

 

[scjotulman]

I don't want to high jack the thread but we foster for Lucky Lab Rescue in Charlotte, NC. We get to meet the people that want to adopt and can give our feedback on whether we feel they are a good match. That makes it easier to give the dog up. Plus if we give the dog up then we can foster again and find a good home for another dog. If we kept the dog we could only have 2 or 3 dogs max. Sure you miss the dogs and my wife always has to sheds a tear or two but we exchange email addresses and get updates on how the dog is doing.

 

[firefighterjake]

If you "foster" do you get dibs on the animal in question? I've never considered "fostering" because I'm freaked out that I'll get "too attached". The thing about fostering is that you have to, "say good bye" and frankly, I'm not sure I have what it takes to do that...

But, Jake, you are doing something so important. Animals in shelters shut down emotionally (esp. cats) and that only makes them less desireable when "shoppers come 'a callin'".

I asked my wife about this first thing . . . and yeah, if there are folks interested the group will give us a chance to adopt. Truthfully though . . . with a dog like George with his age and health issues I really don't suspect there are too many folks who will want him . . . which is sad since so far he is a great dog . . . for a dog I mean. He is very, very low key . . . lies around most of the day, jogs a bit when we go outside to walk or do the business, but he is most definitely not a high energy dog . . . although he did bark a whole lot when my next door neighbor surprised him by showing up on the bark stoop the other evening. He may be half blind and lame, but apparently he still has that protective instinct.