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Getting involved with rescue

BarbMazz

Well-known member
I have been searching for something worthwhile to do with my life lately....been feeling "disgruntled" and somewhat downish for awhile.

I've decided to make some commitments to Lucky Star Rescue here in the States. I've added myself to their transportation list as starters.
Literally, I just did this today! icon_whistling

I think this involvement may be headed to fostering rescues. Since I have no clue what sort of things are involved with fostering I thought I'd post here to find out a bit of what I may be headed for.

Please, for those of you who do fostering, can you fill me in on what is entailed with the process? I think I may have an inkling of the *emotions involved... I'm more thinking of the physical process.

Thanks a bunch for whatever insights can be offered. :flwr:
 
I've fostered for lucky star and found it to be such a wonderful organization full of very caring, loving people.
IF anyone is interested in fostering for the national cavalier rescue== now is the time. We have been very busy and could use more foster homes, especially ones that are involved with cavaliers. I fear I am overworking the few great fosters that I have. Please pm me if you are interested.

Sandy Liston
CKCSCR, CMW rescue chair
 
Yay You!!! :rah: :rah: :rah: :rah:

I was involved in a rescue about 10 years ago, but it was with cats (easier to foster!). I would suppose all rescues are set up somewhat differently and that there are also some similarities.

I was involved in a lot of ways - making crafts to sell for donations, cleaning up litter boxes, taking the animals to adoptions and working at the adoptions as well, fostering when needed. We didn't have websites with the animals' pictures back then ... the Internet was kinda new!

We'd have people dropping off fosters at the adoptions and it is sooo hard to say "no" to a foster who is right there in front of you looking into your eyes and just wanting someone to love them. :lotsaluv: And while it is sad to say goodbye to a foster, it is such a great experience when they finally do go to their new forever home and you realize that you played a big part in making it happen.

I think you are going to find your involvment so rewarding. Thank you for helping out the rescue pups.

:)
 
I'm signed up with Lucky Star to help with transportation, too. I haven't been called...yet.

I'd love to foster, but I don't think I'd be good at it. I fostered a ruby for 24 hours once. I couldn't imagine letting her go, so I kept her. I'd probably do the same for every pup. :sl*p:

How long do most Lucky Star cavs remain in a foster home? It seems like they're adopted very quickly. Just wondering....

~Mic
 
One bit of advice I was given when I first started taking in animals (not just Cavaliers!) was to give your all and expect nothing in return :flwr: .

They are usually petrified for a day or a week (depending on where they came from) and don't like sudden movements. Let them come to you and don't get disheartened if you end up cleaning up 20 wees a day!

I can assure you though, I think I've gotten much, much more than my charges have ever got out of the fostering. To see them change from scared little shells into confident, cheeky furbabies is more reward than you could ever wish for.

How some of them can ever trust humans ever again after the way that some treat them is completely beyond my comprehension, yet they do :flwr:
 
Good for you!!

If you go to the top of the Breed Rescue section on the board here, you'll see I have stickied a whole list of links about fostering. The first is to my own rescue site where I have a guide to fostering or adopting a rescue; and then there are several really great sites that have all sorts of advice.

All dogs are different so it is hard to generalise but the best piece of advice I got was from the UK trainer Jan Fennell when I interviewed her and we chatted about rescue dogs: when the foster/rescue comes, act almost with indifference to the fact it is there -- or a better way of saying this is, be matter of fact about its presence, as if you have had this dog for years. So, be friendly and welcoming but not overly focused on the dog. Don't fuss over the dog or give constant attention; and if it is particularly anxious or shy, actually just ignore the dog and don't look at it. This gives the dog lots of space and means it wont be overwhelmed (even looking directly at an anxious dog is a challenge in dog language and can increase its anxiety) -- especially important with puppy mill dogs that may be terribly undersocialised and generally terrified or very anxious and cautious. By more or less ignoring the dog, it gets to gain confidence in its own time. Let the dog decide when it is ready to come to you and get some affection. Little treats help the process! Also, start as you mean to finish -- in other words, don't allow the dog all sorts of special privileges and inappropriate behaviour if that is not the dog you want in a month's time (or the dog you'd want if you were adopting and not fostering). Like kids, a dog feels comfortable knowing the boundaries though it may test them to find out what they are. Anbd it will make it very confused if the first week it is allowed to do things you will not allow as it settles in.
 
Thanks for the feedback! Karlin, I'm very familiar with "calming signals" and how to interpret what a dog is feeling so I think I may be able to utilize those skills if I decide to foster. I perfectly understand what you're saying about allowing a dog to build its own confidence.

I think I have a good setup here at home. I have all wood floors and a dog/laundry room that is porcelain tile. I can close off the dog room from the rest of the house if need be. The dog room opens directly out to a fenced 35' x 40' area.

I am going to study the links provided here and probably ask more questions as this idea develops!

I think I may be getting excited about this! :jump:
 
Yay Barb!!! Fostering is not always easy but it is always rewarding. The nice thing about Cavaliers is that, in general, they have such easy going personalities. I do feed mine in their crates because that is the one time they can get out of control. I also have to be careful with treats and chew treats. I treat my fosters the way I would treat any new dog in my house. Jake comes first, then Shelby, then the new guest. My first foster was so incredibly difficult...we didn't want to give her up! Broke my heart having to place her. But now I'm so very happy I did. I like fostering in that I know keeping them is not an option (hubby and I agreed it's not an option). There are so many people who are on waiting lists for Cavaliers that it just doesn't seem to fair to keep one. I think the only way, now, that I'd keep one is if I wasn't able to home it due to health reasons. It is so gratifying to make someone happy! I will be seeing several of my rescues this weekend at an event and can't wait. Yep, I refer to them as "my rescues" although never to the adoptor ;) That is their dog all the way.
 
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