# My first Foster



## gotgoldens (Mar 2, 2007)

HI,
I am in need of a little advice about my very first Foster Girl. How do you let them go? I have had her about a week and she is so sweet. She is supposed to be 4 I think she is a little older. She was a breeder dog from Missouri. She was rescued along with her twelve puppies who have all gone to good homes. She was wih another foster mom who had to work all day and couldnt really work on her potty training. We go to our first adoption day this Sunday and I am dreading it. I know they screen everyone really well,but i hope she gets some one who will give her all the love she deserves and hasnt gotten her whole life. She is learning to walk up stairs and is having fun playing with my other Golden. She may be with me awhile until she is more houstrained. I would love any advice about being a foster. Thanks


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I also foster for a rescue...I find some are easier to give up than others..... Me and my family have bonded with all of them but, we have fail 2 times because the dogs bonded with my dogs more.....We as the fosters get to say yes or no to the people looking at them...... I have found some great families for my fosters and it makes it easier


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Do you have the option to adopt her? Failed fostering is a good thing!!!


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

Bless you for fostering!! I can't--I bond so hard & fast I just adopt and go from there. Who knows--might be a failed foster and a new playmate. Either way, know that you are making a HUGE difference in a precious life.


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

Kimm....Kimm...Kimm LOL Nice try though.

I agree some are easier than others to give up. When Cindy and I were hot and heavy into rescue I would just have the people come by when she wasn;t there. She wants to keep them all and still cries when our puppies go to their new homes. It is hard when you invest so much tme in them.

Hooch


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## gotgoldens (Mar 2, 2007)

At this point I was told I couldnt adopt . I need to foster at least four diffrent ones. That is just what I was told I havent read that anywhere in any rules . I would love to have her. The foster coordinator(sp?) told me they were in need of good fosters for all the other dogs that need homes. I agree. I know there is another one just as sweet waiting for a home. But you never know. Maybe she'll be passed up at every adoption day. Then they will just decide to let me have her. I can only hope.:crossfing


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

Forge the adoption papers and keep her!!!!!! (I bet you can get a whole new identity on the net for $20)


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

gotgoldens said:


> At this point I was told I couldnt adopt . I need to foster at least four diffrent ones. That is just what I was told I havent read that anywhere in any rules . I would love to have her. The foster coordinator(sp?) told me they were in need of good fosters for all the other dogs that need homes. I agree. I know there is another one just as sweet waiting for a home. But you never know. Maybe she'll be passed up at every adoption day. Then they will just decide to let me have her. I can only hope.:crossfing


Maybe you can do what Lil did. She adopted Chris and is still fostering! She has 3 of her own and still fosters. And Mary, well...she has a crew, too. I'm not sure I could handle more than three myself, but maybe...


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## gotgoldens (Mar 2, 2007)

If I adopted and fostered that would be four of my own and a foster. Well whats one more in the scheme of things. I guess I could probably move my husband to the basement to free up some room:bowl:


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

I am so glad you are fostering and helping a Golden get a second chance. I am trying to decide to give it a shot at fostering myself sometime after Summer.

Keep us posted on how it all works out for you.


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## time4goldens (Mar 13, 2006)

*Fostering 101*

I finally failed (or should I say) gave up on Fostering 101, after fostering my 39th dog for Homeward Bound. There were questions I asked myself with each one of them...

What does the dog need in his new home?
Kids? Swimming Pool? Another dog? To be an only dog?
Someone home all the time? Happy with one walk a day? Security?
Acreage to roam on? 

The next questions was can I give the dog ALL he/she needs?
The answer was usually NO. And that is how I was able to 
"let them go". They went and lived elsewhere, but I never 
really let them go. I see them at the reunion picnic, I 
sometimes meet them at the dog park so my own dogs can
play with them again. Christmas time is wonderful when the
Christmas cards come in and tell the stories of where they have
been with the dog and what new tricks the dog has learned.

Once I knew there was a home out there that this dog would excel in - I knew the dog had to go up for adoption. I did many adoptions at my own home so that I could interview the people. My fosters lasted from 1 night to 5 months over the 4 years I fostered. I've done adoptions at the local Petco's - the dog always acted different when other dogs and lots of people were around. So it was nice to show him to prospective adopters in a home setting. 

I knew if I owned 3 dogs that would pretty much limit my fostering. And it
did - I adopted Riley in Decemer of 2004 and he is a keeper, like so many of them had been before. I just wasn't the person to give them what they needed in life, until Riley. Riley needed me and I needed him without even knowing it beforehand.

This foster may be your keeper - but if you can get past her to the next one there are many rewarding experiences ahead of you in fostering other dogs that need you to help them on their way.


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## time4goldens (Mar 13, 2006)

gotgoldens said:


> At this point I was told I couldnt adopt . I need to foster at least four diffrent ones. That is just what I was told I havent read that anywhere in any rules . I would love to have her. The foster coordinator(sp?) told me they were in need of good fosters for all the other dogs that need homes. I agree. I know there is another one just as sweet waiting for a home. But you never know. Maybe she'll be passed up at every adoption day. Then they will just decide to let me have her. I can only hope.:crossfing



Ooopps, I missed your post above before writing my other post. I know rescues need fosters desperately, however I have never heard of the fostering 4 dogs first. Wow - that is tough. I would think rescue would want what is best for each and every dog, not necessarily what works best for the fostering program of that particular rescue.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Our rescue would rather lose a foster home and give the dog a great home verses not adopting the dog to the foster so they keep fostering.....But then again, most of our foster homes have fail and still keep fostering,...


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## robinsegg26 (Nov 14, 2006)

The first one is really hard to give up. The 6th even harder  Like Kim said i adopted Chris but I also promised the rescue that i would still foster and since they pay for the majority of the dogs care then i am able to still foster.. 3 is def my limit for personal dogs.. but i can take in a few more fosters and the rescue knows that..

Think long and hard about keeping her. If you go over the pros and cons and talk to the intake coordinator and tell them that you have really thought about it and you really cant give her up.. they may change their mind.. especially if you are willing to continue fostering.. I think some rescues are wary about adopting dogs to foster homes because they are afraid that you would stop fostering...

When i gave up Ryley my first foster it was really hard.. But from the very beginning i knew i couldnt keep him and he deserved a great home. I had my mind set that he wasnt my dog. and I really had to keep thinking that. The thing that really helped me when he got adopted was the fact i got to do the home visit. I spent over an hr with his new family and really liked them. I felt really good leaving Ryley with that family when it was time for them to pick him up. The rescue asks our opionin of the families when they come to visit the dogs.. and if we dont think its a good fit they take our felling into consideration. 

And with every foster since i have kept my mind in that mindset that they werent my dogs... some were harder than others to give up but you know they all found great homes.. 

The thing with Chris was that he was def different.. He had a lot of issues. His owner passed away and he was an outside only dog. He came to my house after just finishing up HW treatment and was really underweight. I fostered him for 3 months and when i came time for me to introduce him to potiential homes I couldnt do it. I told the rescue that I had to keep Chris. Mary argued with me for a few mins and I firmly told her I had to have him. She said i wouldnt continue to foster then and I promised I would.. So CHris has his new home.. and wouldnt trade him for the world. Hes the sweetest dog ever that bit me the day before i told the rescue i wanted to adopt  .. I think it was the fact that he was so bad that I had to keep him..

sorry for the long ramble and I am not sure I even answered your question...lol.. if you have any questiions please feel free to ask.. there are quite a few on here that foster and would gladly help you in any way.. good luck.. just think long and hard about the pros and cons of keeping her...


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## robinsegg26 (Nov 14, 2006)

oh and a plus about fostering and the dogs moving on is that you can usually keep in contact with the adoptive family. I love hearing how the dogs are doing and getting pictures.. and I know Mary (Maggies Mom) gets to see a couple of the pups that she fostered pretty regularly for play dates.. 

good luck and let us know what happens


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