Shelter
Survivors is ALWAYS in need of foster homes.
All of our dogs have been rescued from high kill
shelters in the NY/NJ area.
Foster homes provide us with the opportunity to
get to know our dogs before we place them in permanent
homes. This
helps us make the best possible match for the dogs AND
the adoptive families.
It also provides us with the opportunity to
rehabilitate, train and socialize our dogs prior to
placement.
Fostering can be a great way to volunteer and help the
dogs. Fostering can also be a lot of work, but totally
worth it when you see the joy on the faces of their
adopter when they are ready to go home!
Below is a list of frequently asked questions to help
you understand what is involved in fostering a dog for
us.
Foster FAQ
What will be expected of me as a foster home?
Everything you need to care for you foster dog (crate,
food, bowl, etc.) will be provided by Shelter Survivors.
The most important part of your job will be to help
reintroduce your foster dog to a home environment by
giving him/her some basic training, socialization and of
course TLC. We will also need you to bring your
foster to our adoption events which are held every other
Saturday at the Petco in Raritan. At these events
you will have the opportunity to speak to potential
adopters and show your foster dog. You will be
asked to check references and do a home visit prior to
placing your dog. An experienced volunteer will
help you with all of this until you are comfortable
doing it on your own. We want our volunteers to be
actively involved in this process as there is a sense of
ownership when you foster a dog. We like to give
our volunteers a say in who they place their dog with.
Where do the dogs come from?
Our dogs
are all rescued from high kill shelters in the NY/NJ
area. We have volunteers that regularly visit these
facilities and look for dogs that need our help. We have developed close
working relationships with shelter workers and they will
contact us when they have dogs in danger of being
euthanized.
How do I integrate the foster into my household?
An
experienced volunteer will help you with your first few
fosters.
They will walk you through the introduction process and
will even come to your home to help with initial
introductions. This volunteer will act as your mentor
and answer any questions you have while you are
fostering your dog.
We will also provide you with the necessary tools
(leash, collar, crate, etc.) for fostering.
Who pays the medical expenses of the foster dogs?
All approved medical expenses for the foster dogs are
paid by Shelter Survivors.
Am I putting my personal pets in danger by agreeing
to foster?
Because
our dogs come from shelter situations, they have unknown
histories and it's quite possible they haven't had their
medical needs properly met. They often have kennel cough
(the equivalent of a human cold) and worms, among other
possibilities. Before beginning to foster make sure your
dog is up to date with vaccinations and has been given a
Bordatella (kennel cough) vaccine.
We recommend using a monthly heartworm
preventative, such as Heartguard Plus or Interceptor,
which helps to protect your dog from contracting other
types of worms.
How
long will I have a foster dog before it is adopted?
It is
very difficult to predict how long a dog will be in our
care. We keep all dogs for a minimum of one week while
we bring them up to date medically and make sure we have
assessed their temperament correctly. Sometimes it can
take several weeks for them to find a home. It varies
greatly based on age, medical, or training issues. If
you have a foster dog and need to go out of town, etc.,
please give us as much notice as possible so we can make
other arrangements. All fosters stay with us until
they are adopted.
What kinds of behavior problems might I expect?
All of
our dogs are temperament tested before we take them.
We do our best to eliminate the possibility of
taking aggressive dogs. Still, some issues may arise.
Possibilities include separation anxiety (i.e. crying or
barking when left alone), marking (with urine), chewing,
house training, barking, and dog aggression. We have many ways of managing these problems
until they are resolved and our experienced volunteers
are happy to offer advice.
What
if the foster dog just doesn't work out?
We will help you overcome the situation, whether it
requires additional training, or another placement. We
will take care not to place a dog with you that you are
not ready to handle. From time to time, the dog just
isn't a good match. Arrangements will be made to move
the dog to another foster home as quickly as possible.
Do I get to choose the dog I foster?
You can let us know the type of dog you would like to
foster (age, gender, breed and size preferences) and we will
attempt to find those types of dogs for you. What is
most important is finding the right dog for your home
environment. To do this we will need to know what
your home environment is like. Do you have other
dogs? Cats? Children? Is your home a
quiet or active one? All of these things will be
taken into consideration when we are looking for your
foster dog. We will always check with you before
we take a dog from the shelter to make sure you are
comfortable with our choice.
How do
you say goodbye to your foster dogs?
The hardest one to let go is the first one, but we
promise it does get easier.
Seeing the dogs go into a loving household is very
gratifying and rewarding, and knowing they will have a
good home will make it much easier to let go. Also, you
will quickly see that there is an endless number of dogs
in need, and those dogs all deserve their chance, too.
Our foster volunteers have all been through "letting
go", and we can help prepare you before, during and
after.
If fostering sounds like something you might be
interested in, please download our Foster Application from
the link below, and give us a call or drop us an email.
Foster Application
Phone: (347) 585-2585
Email:
sheltersurvivors@live.com
