My First Foster Part 2

So, I decided that I'm going to go ahead and post the conclusion of the story:

Steve, formerly Zeus, was pulled from the shelter by D-2gsds, a newbie foster parent. He was very ill with a respiratory infection and active lyme disease when he was pulled. He had been integrating into the two dog household for about a week when I received and inquiry on him.

The story continues:. Steve was on his way to recovery, he was eating and had put on a few pounds ... its amazing what being out of a shelter environment, and a decent diet can quickly do for a guy... when I received an adoption inquiry. A family with several children, not too young, not too old, and was interested in more information. They had a home near a metropolitan area, but had a weekend/summer place in the country with lots of room for a dog to run.

I promptly emailed them back that Steve was a wonderful dog, but that he had several more weeks to go in foster care before he would be available for adoption. OH NO!! I knew this day would come, but not so quickly. Now I faced a huge dilemma, for years, I wanted to foster, I finally got my chance. I had lucked out with an incredibly easy first foster dog. He got along so very well with my two GSD's Harley, my female, and MacGyver, my male problem child. In the short time he had been with us, I had noticed improvements in MacGyver's behavior; perhaps he was concerned he was being replaced by a new younger model; though more likely it was because he had someone to run off his excessive energy with, and someone who also enjoyed barking at bugs and peeing on all things green.

I knew going in that the point of fostering was to be a temporary home for orphan dogs. But, how could I part with Steve? He was the best dog ever; or at least one of the best 3 dogs ever, Harley and MacGyver not withstanding. Well, I told myself, it doesn't matter as GSR-SP requires that dogs remain in a foster home for at least 30 days before placement into a permanent home. Surely they will forget about Steve, and I won't have to make a decision to let him go, right? Wrong!!

Over the 2nd and 3rd weeks, Steve was here, I had at least 2 more inquires about him. The days sped by so quickly, It was all such a blur, other than the information that GSR-SP posted from the original kennel listing, I honestly don't remember doing a web post for him, and I couldn't understand how all these people knew about Steve and what a great dog he was.

I imagine it was due to our "handholding network". These volunteers identify available dogs in shelters as well as in foster homes and notify potential adopters who have contacted GSR-SP looking for GSD's with specific requests such as dogs in a certain age range or color. Now as his foster days were winding down, and Steve was definitely going to get a home, what should I do? Give him up, or keep him?

What an agonizing decision! I laid awake at night going over what to do. On the plus side, Steve got along so well with everyone, on the minus side, I'm a single parent of 2 dog children. If I bring another dog child into the mix will I be able to continue to foster, something I had wanted to do for years? There are so many dogs that need homes, was I being irresponsible to adopt my foster, especially the first one, when there were other available adoptive homes out there ready for him.

Since I have experience with problem dogs, maybe I should let Steve go because he was taking up a foster space that could be used to rehab a dog with issues that might not otherwise get adopted.

There was also my uncle to be considered; he had broken his foot early in the year and hadn't been to see me for several months. Although it's my house, he stops in to let the kids out for a pee on the rare occasions that I need to do something after work and can't come right home. I'm pretty sure he would pitch a raving hissy fit if he came by and found I had another dog. I sort of conveniently forgot to mention that I was going to start foster.....So many things to consider. What to do, what to do? I'm going to keep you in suspense a little bit longer....

When I first started volunteering with GSR-SP, I bet it's been 7 years ago now, I talked with one of the volunteers, Ranganath and asked him how he was able to give up his fosters. What he said stuck with me to this day, and I think it's a good guiding principle: Each one you adopt out, makes room to save another.

As a newbie foster parent, let me tell you what I've learned. I've learned that 3 dogs isn't generally much more work than 2. That even with a king size bed, 3 dogs will work together to ensure you only get the very edge, oh they'll move to accommodate each other, but I think it must be that herding instinct that kicks in to herd you off the bed. With organization, you can give morning pills to 2 dogs and treats to a third and still make it out the door, mostly dressed, in time to meet your carpool. 3 barking dogs isn't much noiser than 2, but it's good to live in a neighborhood with several multiple dog families so the racket can't necessarily be pinned on you. As long as someone gets to ride shotgun, Your car does have enough windows to allow everyone to stick their heads out. It is hard to say no to one dog that wants to be on the furniture when everyone else is allowed up. Unless there is blood, most dog arguments will work themselves out, and the pack will align on its own, so don't interfere, but be there just in case. It's very important to make sure that you maintain your position as the alpha. MOST IMPORTANTLY, Foster dogs are really really hard to give up.

I, as happens with many new foster parents, was unable to give up my first foster. I adopted Steve. After discussion and input from other GSR volunteers, the most frequent advice I heard was you have to do what is best for you and your own dogs. Ultimately, although there were several great families that probably would have been wonderful homes for Steve, he was such a good fit here that I couldn 't let him go. I can't imagine being without him. He is such a great dog, he just vibrates with joy.

But what about more fostering? After a couple of months, and my uncle warming to the idea, I decided to try again. GSR-SP was notified of an older dog in danger of euthanasia. I decided to try the foster thing again. #4. Bob is a piece of work! Check out his profile on our website.

Given that Bob is an older dog, he'll probably be here for a while. One of the unwritten rules of fostering, besides foster families frequently adopt their fosters, seems to be that ultimately you end up with a dog that stays. I'm ok with that. I sometimes think that maybe I should have let Steve go. But as he's laying here in bed keeping my feet warm as I type this, I know it was the right decision for us. 4 is my limit; so I might not be able to have a new foster for a while. And I know that they won't all be as easy as Steve. However, I pledge to hold at least one spot for a foster - long term or short term. And I'll remember what Ranganth said: EACH ONE YOU ADOPT OUT MAKES ROOM TO SAVE ANOTHER. It's important. We'll definitely do it again.

d-2gsds, Harley, MacGyver, Steve and Bob the Foster

so that's the start of the story.... I have some pictures that i'll be posting soon. ( oh, and yes that's why the name is 2 German Shepherds but the photos are of 3 German Shepherds!)

Bob is something to behold. We call him Bob the Faker! His full name is Robert Watson XXX - till he gets adopted and a new last name. I 'd like to add some more things to that list of stuff of I've learned... we'll get to that... Anyway, it's late, I have to get up early, and the group is outside barking at invisible pink elephants in tutus.

Check back soon for more!

My First Foster / GSR-SP

So, I decided that I would tell you a little bit about the rescue that I work with -- and then I decided that the best thing to do would be let you see for yourself: gsr-sp.com

I wrote a two part article for gsr-sp's newsletter. The first part is posted next: The second part will be coming out in the next newsletter. After it's published there, I'll post it here:

A newbie's foray into fostering....

I had been considering fostering for a long time. Finally this summer I purchased my own home and I felt the time was right. Shortly after that, GSR-SP received notice from a York County shelter that they were full and had several shepherds that seemed to be good candidates for foster care. Could GSR-SP help? I made the 2 hour drive with another volunteer Tonda and Macgyver, my seven year old male. We met Zeus who was among the mellowest dogs I have ever met. He had previously been with an elderly couple. The wife had been taking care of the husband, but then she became ill and was no longer able to care for herself, her husband and the dog.

Zeus was about 15 lbs underweight, had a bunch of bald spots from flea allergies on his back and rear, was being treated for worms and had a bad cold. Despite all his problems, he was very friendly, played a bit of ball, walked great on a leash. He and Macgyver got along great - no apparent problems there. He seemed like he would be an easy foster for a newbie. While we were waiting to process his paperwork, (the York Shelter is a very busy place) Zeus let kids pet him and paid no mind to the multiple crates of meowing kitties that were sitting around the desk. All the time we stood there I kept hearing Steve Steve Steve in my head.

When we finally got checked out several volunteers said goodbye to him on the way out. He had made quite the impression during his short stay. Steve went right out to my Explorer and got right into the crate.

Steve was so sick when we got home. It was almost like he was projecting health until he could get out of the shelter. He was so stuffed up there were bubbles coming out of his nose with every breath.

Everyone said to keep him on a leash and walk him around the yard with the other dogs -- gradually working up to letting him off the leash over the course of a couple of days or weeks and not leave the pack unsupervised. Within a couple of hours everyone was getting along really well so I took a chance and left him off leash that first night. Everyone got along swell but I suspect Steve was so sick that he just didn't have it in him to cause any problems.

I was so concerned about him, I hardly slept the first night. He had such a full sounding chest everytime he took a breath. I was afraid he was not going to make make it through the night or that I would need to give him mouth to mouth. As a first time foster, I was sure I was going to do something wrong -- I even googled bloat on the internet because I was sure that even though he hardly ate anything, I knew he was going to get that. I wondered how I was going to explain how this dog had died during the night to the rest of the rescue...

Next up for Steve was a trip to the vet, where Steve tested positive for lyme disease. On the way home, we stopped for some cough syrup to go with the antibiotics he was supposed to take for his lyme disease. Would he prefer cherry or grape? Despite being so sick, Steve was not to be fooled into taking any medicine He was totally uninterested in the cough sryup, though I can't say as I blame him as that cherry stuff is pretty yucky! He also got wise pretty quickly to pills in lunchmeat, peanut butter bread, yogurt, pumpkin and a ton of other variations -- he wouldn't even eat them in meatballs -- he was one smart cookie!

We also some quality time getting a bath; and sitting in a steam bathroom to break up the congestion. Steve was totally on board with all this -- I think he was just too sick to care..

Steve started to feel better and his lover personality came out --he thinks he is a lap dog. He likes to sleep on the bed with his head on a pillow. He and Macgyver got along great. Harley my 12 y/o female GSD, ignored them both, she is too regal to lower herself to boy roughhousing, but the guys ran each other ragged. They romped around the yard sounding like a herd of buffalo! The chewed on each other, stole each others toys, and barked at the wind.

Steve was here for about a week of the required 30 days and fitting in swimmingly when it happened...someone emailed interested in adopting Steve. YIKES!

Why I blog

So here's my soapbox: There are so many unwanted animals and there are just as many reasons. In these uncertain times, people are losing their livelihoods and homes, and these losses ripple through families. What happens to the pets? There are so many men and women who are being deployed to locations all over the world. What happens to the pets? And of course, there are the irresponsible people who don't spay and neuter, who decide they are going to make some cash and breed. What happens to these animals? Often it's a shelter or "pound". Sometimes these are great places, sometimes not so much.

For some of these animals, that's the end. Put to sleep as we like to sugarcoat it. The lucky ones find new loving homes. For others, when time has run out in overcrowded shelters or they've been passed over so many times for whatever reason, that it seems unlikely they will find a home, rescues step up and take on these animals. There are all sorts of rescues; check out Petfinder.com. There are dog and cat rescues, even ones for pot bellied pigs!

Rescues do all sorts of great things. Sometimes they rehab animals with issues, ( and just so you don't think I'm some wacko - some animals are too far gone, or just not right in the first place and do need to be euthanized - one of the hard facts of rescue - for a wide variety of reasons you can't save them all) Sometimes rescues provide medical treatment that overtaxed shelters aren't financially able to provide, always, giving animal in need extra time to find their "forever home". Rescues are able to do this through foster homes. Alot of great animals are euthanized because of a lack of rescue, ie foster, space. I'm new to the world of fostering and blogging for that matter. I've been a member of a rescue group for over 7 years, but for a variety of reasons, I was never able to foster. Recently, I purchased my own home and I decided that maybe it was finally time to take the plunge. I thought maybe it would help others who were on the fence, or even maybe never thought about it before to consider opening their homes to a foster animal. Maybe it will bring others into the world of rescue. Even if it's not fostering there are tons of things people can do to help.

My personal preference is GSD's, but though I am new to this fostering stuff, I suspect that the experience will be similar no matter whatever you are considering fostering. In the posts to come, you'll meet my dogs, and my fosters and learn a bit about rescues. Feel free to comment and check back often!