Emergency Pet Fosters Needed

[EvilMonkey]

The shelter I volunteer for is in dire need of emergency pet fosters for our dogs. That damned canine flu has hit us and we need to have the animals out and the whole shelter sanitized. If you are considering a dog, a temporary foster may be a great thing to find out how you like it with no obligation, and you will be doing a great service for the animals. I am just pasting the official email here below.

 

________________________________

 

We need your help!

They say it takes a village to raise a child.

Well, we are in need of a village now to help raise some of our furry children!

 

Some of our babies are sick and need some extra TLC while they recuperate.

 

 

Most of our dogs up for adoption in Plainfield are coughing and sneezing. To help contain the germs and to help our babies get better faster, we would like to get all of our adoptable dogs out of the kennels and into foster homes.

 

The dogs range in size from puppies to 50 pounds or more and range in age from 10 weeks to 5 years. We are looking for them to stay in a foster for approximately 1-2 weeks.

 

If you have no other dogs at home, your home would be a perfect place for some of our babies to stay!

 

If you do have other dogs, you may still be able to help us. Our dogs may be contagious, so if you are able to help, we would just ask that you keep our dog away from your existing dog. Similar to a quarantine, if you have a basement or a separate part of your house that your current dog does not go into, it would be best to keep our dog there so germs do not transmit. Additionally, if you are considering helping us and you do have a dog, your dog would need to be up to date on all of its vaccinations - Rabies, Distemper, Bordetella, Canine Influenza and Fecal Test.

 

Contact Sue at Help Save Pets

[email protected]

 

You can tell her you got the information from me, Frank Judd, and if you are a fit, thank you.

[Brian]

I don't think I'd ever be able to foster. I'd get too attached.

[EvilMonkey]

I don't think I'd ever be able to foster. I'd get too attached.

I can tell you that it does happen. When I started working there we would do 'events', where we would be out somewhere and have some of our dogs with us to show. I would fall in love with whatever dog I had for that event. It sucked the first time or two to take them back. But I know that they all got homes eventually, maybe because I was with them outside at that event, so that makes it easier. We had this 3 legged dog several months back that I was handling and I tel you I never saw a happier dog. He was just happy to be outside, happy with every person that stopped to pet him and he WAS coming home with me. Until wife reminded me that our pug is a b**** when it comes to dogs bigger than her and we are only allowed 2 per our HOA. I talked her into trying it anyway at months end if he was still there, but he was adopted from someone who saw us that day. It is a great feeling.

 

 

[Brian]

I feel bad for these older dogs who just sit in kennels and shelters.

If I ever lose my current dog, I'd probably adopt and older one. No more puppy training for me.

[cabiness42]

My mother-in-law does this all the time. She pretty much constantly has a shelter dog that she is fostering. She isn't in your area to help you out, but I thought I'd throw that out there to encourage anybody else considering it.

[EvilMonkey]

I feel bad for these older dogs who just sit in kennels and shelters.

If I ever lose my current dog, I'd probably adopt and older one. No more puppy training for me.

That is our plan for when our 12 year old Beagle dies, the pug will just have to deal with it. We are just going to take the oldest dog or one that has been there the longest. I can deal with the separation if I know it is helping them out for even a short while.

[EvilMonkey]

My mother-in-law does this all the time. She pretty much constantly has a shelter dog that she is fostering. She isn't in your area to help you out, but I thought I'd throw that out there to encourage anybody else considering it.

I thank her for doing that. We have several volunteers that seem to always have 2 or 3 dogs rorcats all the time from us. Usually the puppies or kittens until they are old enough to adopt, but other dogs as well.

[Brian]

That is our plan for when our 12 year old Beagle dies, the pug will just have to deal with it. We are just going to take the oldest dog or one that has been there the longest. I can deal with the separation if I know it is helping them out for even a short while.

 

Exactly. Just read a story about a dog that was in a shelter for 10 years and a guy decided to adopt it.

As long as the dog is calm, that's what I'll do when I lose mine, which probably isn't for another 10 years.

[greg775]

Exactly. Just read a story about a dog that was in a shelter for 10 years and a guy decided to adopt it.

As long as the dog is calm, that's what I'll do when I lose mine, which probably isn't for another 10 years.

It makes me so sad that dog was in the shelter 10 years. Is there any way he/she had a good life? I'm not saying shelters are bad. Just curious as I love dogs and despise people who do ugly s*** to animals.

[EvilMonkey]

It makes me so sad that dog was in the shelter 10 years. Is there any way he/she had a good life? I'm not saying shelters are bad. Just curious as I love dogs and despise people who do ugly s*** to animals.

It really depends on the shelter Greg. Even the best of them, the dog is in a cage for a long time. We have fairly large runs that the animals are housed in, and they have an outdoor area where we let them run around in while cages are cleaned, etc. Human interaction is what is lacking, even in the best ones. The cleaners interact with the animals on a daily basis, but for only short periods while feeding and so on. Then we get the dogs out to various adoption events where they get to see people and of course, the showing to prospective adoptees. I like to think our dogs don't have it too bad, but I know there are some bad shelters out there.

[Jake]

Adopting adult dogs from a shelter is great for a couple of reasons. First of all, you're saving a dog that at best will lead a life of limited human attention and a complete lack of autonomy and at worst is facing imminent euthanasia for no reason other than lack of space.

 

But second is that the vast majority of adult dogs you could adopt from a shelter will not give you the same pains that you get from a puppy. You have to teach a puppy that it has to pee/poop outside, for god's sake, which is far from an overnight endeavor. You will also be able to know the temperament of the dog you adopt from a shelter because it has grown up. Puppies are almost always crazy, but a good portion of them become mellow adults. You won't really know which you're getting when you adopt so young. But an adult dog is pretty much itself...obviously moving into a new home will change some things, but not its basic disposition.

 

I think of this in contrast to cats (who hold a special place in my heart of course) who are more disrupted by changing homes/owners once they are adults. That's not to say adopting adult cats is bad! But kitten socialization is 1. easy and 2. far more permanent, IMO. Dogs have been domesticated a long time and with some exceptions of abuse, are hard to break of their love for human friends. Cats that didn't have the kind of human interactions you would like to have with them when kittens will be pretty unlikely to have them when they are adults.

 

Anyway, thanks for helping out animals in need Alpha! The amount of homeless animals in our communities is so sad that it tends to be easier just to keep a distance rather than get emotionally invested. Props to you for being involved and helping.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Jake

[EvilMonkey]

Adopting adult dogs from a shelter is great for a couple of reasons. First of all, you're saving a dog that at best will lead a life of limited human attention and a complete lack of autonomy and at worst is facing imminent euthanasia for no reason other than lack of space.

 

But second is that the vast majority of adult dogs you could adopt from a shelter will not give you the same pains that you get from a puppy. You have to teach a puppy that it has to pee/poop outside, for god's sake, which is far from an overnight endeavor. You will also be able to know the temperament of the dog you adopt from a shelter because it has grown up. Puppies are almost always crazy, but a good portion of them become mellow adults. You won't really know which you're getting when you adopt so young. But an adult dog is pretty much itself...obviously moving into a new home will change some things, but not its basic disposition.

 

I think of this in contrast to cats (who hold a special place in my heart of course) who are more disrupted by changing homes/owners once they are adults. That's not to say adopting adult cats is bad! But kitten socialization is 1. easy and 2. far more permanent, IMO. Dogs have been domesticated a long time and with some exceptions of abuse, are hard to break of their love for human friends. Cats that didn't have the kind of human interactions you would like to have with them when kittens will be pretty unlikely to have them when they are adults.

 

Anyway, thanks for helping out animals in need Alpha! The amount of homeless animals in our communities is so sad that it tends to be easier just to keep a distance rather than get emotionally invested. Props to you for being involved and helping.

Thanks. it is more my wife then me, I just get to help with fundraisers and spend some time with awesome dogs at events once or twice a month. She does the funraising coordination, and is one of the adoption coordinators, working most weekends and several hours during the week. And I agree with your summation about adopting adult dogs vs cats. Always exceptions of course, but pretty spot on.