Foster a Lab

Guidelines for First-Time Foster Homes

1.   Thank you! For offering your time and home to foster a dog in need. We appreciate it, &
without you, we could not help these dogs!

2.   You’re not on your own! We know you’ve had previous experience with dogs and are willing
to roll with what comes, but a foster dog can bring challenges and surprises, and we’re here to help
you along the way, let us know if you have questions/problems.

3.   We value your input! We do as much as possible to find out about the dog before accepting
it into the program, from surrendering owners, shelter workers, & principally our own temperament
assessment. But that’s not always a complete picture and you, living with the dog, are an invaluable
resource we rely on too. Your observations about the dog – everything from its general behaviour,
training level, likes/dislikes, energy patterns, interactions with people & other animals, how well he
walks on leash, how well he travels in car, eating habits, etc. – all help us to choose the best
adoption match and give us information to pass on to the adopting family. So keep us informed
even if you’re not having problems (& if you can, make us some notes!).

4. Adjustment Problems: Fostering requires patience and tolerance. Even a well-behaved &
well-trained dog can have problems adjusting to a stranger in a strange house, especially in the first
few days, such as accidents from stress or simply not being sure where & how to exit the house to
do his business. He may not be willing to go in front of you (if dogs have been scolded for going),
or may be afraid to go without you, or to go out on his own for fear of abandonment outside, you
might have to go out with him for awhile until he’s ready to do so on his own. Either way, praise him
for going for first few days to reinforce house training from the start. He may also have changed
food & have diarrhea or vomiting from this, or from stress, or loss of appetite, lethargy, depression,
anxiety. He may have destructive behaviour or separation anxiety. Don’t expect too much too fast,
you have to take some cues from the dog & take it in stride. If problems are severe or last longer
than 2 days, call us to discuss.

5. Be cautious at all times.   And in all circumstances until the dog has been adopted. No matter
how well-behaved or trustworthy the dog appears to be, every dog is an unknown to some extent &
always err on side of assuming there’s a risk in introducing the dog to people, especially children, &
to other animals. Apart from concern for safety & welfare of all concerned, we are non-profit and
don’t have money to spare, we can’t afford avoidable medical, property damage, or other costs.
Specifically, don’t let the dog go off-leash except in your own fenced yard (including a friend’s yard if
there’s a dog off leash) & don’t take him into a leash-free park - if he is injured by, or injures, another
dog, or person, we may be held responsible. Don’t leave the dog unattended with people, especially
children. It is usually best not to take the dog to other houses until you have established a
reasonable continuity with the dog yourself (varies with age & training of dog).

6. We value your help in training the dog if needed! Even if the dog is only with you a short
time, you can make a difference - just teaching a puppy to sit & give paw helps adopters see the
potential in the dog. If you observe behaviour problems, give us a call. If the dog is crated at night,
while you’re out, or for rest periods, don’t use the crate as punishment, instead, give him a time-out
in a room or outside. But don’t crate or isolate the dog for excessive periods (dependent on age of
dog, call us for guidelines), & be sure to let us know if you are needing to do so. Some dogs have
come to us from situations where they were over crated or isolated, with resulting behaviour
problems that may increase in severity.

7. The “5-day & 21-day rules”: Day 5 is generally when you will start to see the “real” dog’s
personality begin to emerge as his confidence in his new environment grows & he’s had a chance
to recharge. This may be longer for dog who is elderly or has known health or behaviour issues.
So don’t assume you “know” the dog or have seen it all & relax your authority or routines too
quickly.   For longer-term fosters, the 21-day “rule” is another milestone, and applies to both
behaviour & health issues, ex. 12-year old foster in poor health from neglect took 4 weeks to be
able to go 8 hours at night without an accident, but by 8 weeks, could go over 10 hours.

8. Leaving Him Home Alone: Protect the dog from accidents (like stairs) & protect your
property from damage by the dog. If the dog is used to being crated, then do so for reasonable
periods. If crating is not an option, leave him in a closed room or area of your house such as an
interior hall where he can move around but not access other areas of house. (Use a different area
than for time-outs so dog doesn’t associate you going out with him being disciplined.) The dog
should be able to see you’ve gone out but don’t make a big deal about leaving or coming home
(which can increase separation anxiety). If you have other animals, separate them while out, no
matter how well they seem to get along while you’re there, you can’t be sure how they’ll be when
you’re out.

9.        Car Travel: Crating the dog is safest for all concerned but if not possible, restraining in
place with leash may be an option. However, bottom line is until you know how they are in the car,
don’t risk an accident from a dog climbing all over you or distracting you. Experiment in the
driveway or with a short trip around the block. And even if well-behaved in car, some turn into
escape artists the minute you open a door, so it is advisable to keep leash on the dog in car so you
have something to grab. If you have a garage, a good precaution is to only allow dog in & out of car
within closed garage.   Do not leave the dog unattended in the car or with children.

10.        Veterinary Care: Our dogs have either seen a vet within reasonable time before surrender &
we have their records, &/or we arrange to take them within a short time of their arrival (we
appreciate it if you can take them to meet us at the vet). However, if you think there is a medical
problem, let us know right away. Do not take the dog to a vet on your own; all veterinary care must
be pre-approved as to the vet and anticipated expense.   If you have a veterinary emergency, make
your best efforts to reach Joan first immediately, secondly Joanna, but if in your judgment the dog is
in imminent distress, don’t wait, get him in & try to reach us before anything beyond first aid
emergency treatment is carried out.

11.        Getting Too Attached &/or Wanting to adopt: It happens! You wouldn’t be fostering if
you didn’t love dogs! It’s understandable, but we do need you and so do the dogs, so try to resist
because it happens too often that fosters want to adopt the first dog they foster & then stop
fostering. And occasionally it happens that a foster doesn’t want to adopt but can’t quite “let go”
when decisions have to be made about placements. So, if you have been thinking about adopting
“if the right dog comes along”, then it’s a good idea to write down your idea of the “right dog” now
and look at it again if you find yourself wavering. It also helps to focus your thinking on what you are
doing for the dog’s life & not what the dog is doing for your life. There is no shortage of dogs, there
is always another one waiting for a foster home, wait for the right one to adopt. If you can make it
past the first dog, you’ve won a big victory in the attachment battle, & it does get easier as you begin
to experience a variety of dogs coming & going. But if Mr. or Ms. Right really does come along, do
speak up, and we hope you’ll continue to foster or volunteer in other ways.

12.        Finding An Adopter: Please remember, that’s our job. You can tell people you are
fostering the dog and it may be available for adoption. You can encourage anyone interested to
apply, but remain non-committal.   There may be reasons related to the dog’s history why a home
that seems right to you might not be.