Myth buster: The 3 biggest foster fallacies
On the fence about fostering? Here are three assumptions debunked.
Maximus was a typical Siberian Husky: independent, sometimes aloof, and often reluctant to be touched. After 8 months stuck in the shelter – where he and his brother were dumped by the only family they’d ever known – Maximus was labeled “urgent.”
But why? He didn’t bark in his kennel, he didn’t jump up on people, he was fine with other calm dogs, and he never displayed any aggression.
Do you want to know the reason why Max was difficult? He didn’t make eye contact with people. When potential adopters met Max in the play yard, he preferred poking around to playing fetch or being petted, and would not come to them when called.
When we rescued Max, we sent him to a trainer who pronounced him a “typical husky.” Then we found him a foster. And that’s when we really got to know Max.
It turned out he had been emotionally shut down at the shelter, reluctant to bond with someone, only to be betrayed once again. But Max thrived in his foster home, and absolutely fell in love with his foster mom. He was good in the house, loved hanging out in the back yard, was house-trained, came when called, and reliably slept in his crate. A typical husky, Max could be vocal when he was unhappy (“Rah, rah, rah!”). And though he wasn’t a cuddler, he bonded very tightly with his foster mom, even showing some distress when she left for work.
After two months, the foster parents had to return Max because they were leaving on a multi-month trip. Sure, we would have liked to have found a forever adopter for Max. But his time in foster gave us information that would be key in promoting Max and finding his forever home:
Healthy? Check.
House-trained? Check.
Crate trained? Check.
Good with men and women? Check.
Good with kids? Middle-school aged and above.
Good with other dogs? Large dogs only.
Good with cats? Seriously?! He’s a husky. 😂
Separation anxiety? Moderate.
Likes to be handled? By people he knows and trusts.
Max’s time in foster was invaluable. The couple who fostered him took time to get to know him and even changed some of their routine so they could support him. Sure, we could have left Max in a board and train facility, but we would never have learned as much about him. We could share the information we collected with interested adopters to find Max the perfect home.
Foster families are like gold in the rescue world. Experienced fosters understand the service they provide and know that they’ve helped save a life. And they know the following assumptions simply aren’t true:
I’ll get too attached to the dog and I’ll be devastated when he leaves. Attachment happens. In some cases, fosters “fail” and end up keeping the dog. This is great news for the dog (even though we need those fosters to foster again!). But experienced fosters understand that without them, the dog would be languishing in a kennel someplace, or more likely, would not have been rescued from the shelter in the first place. These wonderful humans report that the fulfillment they get from helping save the dog’s life and the privilege of getting to know the dog more than outweigh the bittersweet feelings of letting the dog go to his forever family.
Dogs that come from shelters have problems. Even the puppy your friend bought from a breeder has problems. But you’d be surprised at how many shelter dogs came from good homes and are accustomed to sleeping indoors, living with other dogs (and even cats!), and just chilling with their humans. Sure, animal shelters are stressful for the most resilient dogs, and many get depressed or even sick. Our data shows that the sooner these dogs get “outta the cage” and back into a home environment, the faster they can thrive!
I’m not dog-savvy enough to foster. This won’t be a problem if you’re working with a responsible rescue. Reputable rescues will assess your home and living situation to match you with the right dog or cat. They will provide you with foster guidelines (check out our guidelines), integration tips, and some will even provide a monthly stipend to cover expenses. Many rescues will provide access to a trainer for concerns or questions. All the while, we keep track of the dog’s behaviors, likes and dislikes, and progress—information we share with potential adopters to ensure the right fit.
Because of Max’s foster, we knew so much more about him, including information that seemed counterintuitive for a large breed dog—like the fact that Max didn’t need a ton of room and would do well living in a small space as long as he could be around people and get several walks a day. So when a nice man who lived in a condo with a roommate applied to adopt Max, we were elated! And—judging from the photos of Max in his new home—so was Max.
Because Max is adopted, we now have the resources to go save another shelter dog!
