Foster

Are you someone with a big compassionate heart, a ton of patience, a realistic view of animal welfare, and room in your home for a little soul in desperate need? Then you are the kind of person ACDR is looking for to become part of the home-based foster program that lies at the core of our rescue.

Is fostering right for you?

Fostering an animal is rewarding, frustrating, and both heart warming and heart breaking. Above all, it is a commitment not just to the rescue, but to the dog itself. You take in a dog at what is usually the lowest point in its little life, when it’s at its sickest, most scared and confused, often grieving its former family. You see the worst behaviours, and bodies wracked with pain. The first days can be so difficult! Yet because you are the person you are, you become the soft place for it to land, and give it the space to heal in body and mind. And then, just when it has moved through all this, and has become the best dog it can be, whether it takes a week, a month, or sometimes a year, you let it move on to its forever home. Fostering is not for the faint of heart; it takes a very special person to become, essentially, a rehabilitator. But it is absolutely the most rewarding thing you can do as an ACDR volunteer.

 

Perfect dogs rarely come into rescue. They are here for a variety of reasons: the victims of abuse or poor training leading to behavioural issues, hoarding cases or puppy mill rejects, health issues bigger than their owners can cope with, people whose life circumstances are changing and don’t include their dog, or perhaps the death or relocation of their senior owner. These dogs need our help to become well, or properly socialized, house trained and ready for their forever homes. Each one is its own little story with its own little requirements. ACDR does its very best to match a foster dog with a foster family that is equipped to meet the specific needs of the dog. While we try to find out as much as possible about the dogs surrendered to us, sometimes it isn’t possible. So part of a foster’s job is also to assess the dog when it first arrives at ACDR, and as it moves through the rehabilitation process, and then to help with the selection of the perfect forever home. This means taking it to vet appointments and providing the medical care required, or perhaps working with a trainer or animal behaviourist to work through challenges. Just as you’d do with your own dog. And of course, all of this is paid for by ACDR.

If you think you’d like to become an ACDR foster, that you have a space in your home and your heart to help a homeless dachsie get back on its feet, we’d love to have you. To get started, please fill out our foster application form found at the link below. This form outlines your current living situation, family members (including pets) and the types of challenges you are willing to take on with a foster dog. We want you to be honest with what you are and are not willing or able to deal with. We need the fit to be as good as possible for both you and the dog so that you both have the best possible rehab experience. So if a dog with a bite history, or who needs extensive nursing care isn’t a good candidate for you, that’s fine. There will always be others coming into care that are a better fit. We’ll also need vet and personal references, and as a final step, an ACDR volunteer will do a home visit to meet you, your family and current pets.

Then, once approved, you can begin what is probably the most important job in rescue!

Foster Application
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