Fosters truly are the FRONT LINE for these dogs & a critical step in saving more lives! A foster home is a temporary living situation for dogs while they are awaiting placement in a permanent home. Foster families provide shelter, feed (Cortez Rescue will provide food), exercise, care, love, and guidance. The number of dogs we can save depends entirely on the number of people who will open their homes and hearts to foster them. For some of these dogs, this will be their first experience being treated as a family pet. You are their salvation and you should never underestimate the important role you are playing in their lives!
The only way that we can save dogs is with the help of foster homes. Being a foster family has rewards beyond the essential value of helping a pet in need find a new home. For some, it is a chance to have an dog companion without making a lifetime commitment, or to try new companions for an existing pet. Foster Care is critical to our rescue efforts, the more homes we have, the more dogs we can save. Becoming a foster family is a very rewarding experience, and can be a lot of fun. There are often tears shed when a foster finally finds a home of their own, but knowing you have saved a life and opened up space to save another is truly rewarding.
All of us in Rescue know the importance of decompression. However many fosters aren’t familiar with this concept. Please allow us to explain.
Most of the people wanting to return their foster dog express behavior concerns within the first 72 hours and are ready to give up.
Remember that by the time you take a new dog into your home as a foster, it has gone through a world of change. Some of these dogs have been surrendered to the Rescue. They were living a life in a home. They went for a car ride with their family and suddenly they are trapped in a tiny kennel at a shelter surrounded by strange people, strange sounds, and strange smells.
Some of these dogs are strays that got lost and couldn’t find their way home. Some of the dogs are street dogs that have never had a home and have no idea they want one.
They are absolutely terrified when they arrive at the Rescue. The rescue or adopter is there to save them but the dogs don’t know that. We load them up in vans and cars and we drive them across town. They go to the veterinarian and more strange people stick them with needles and put them through strange tests. More new people, new sounds, and new smells.
If this was a person they would be absolutely shut down and seeking help. The dogs on the other hand are expected to know when and where to potty, what they can and can’t chew on, sleep quietly in a new kennel, and to be appropriately socialized when meeting new friends. For some dogs, they make the transition ok. Others make so many doggy mistakes and then they get dumped right back in a scary shelter environment because they take longer to adjust. Then we start the process all over again with them.
Unfortunately for the dogs people forget that they can’t talk. The dogs bark, they cry, they howl, they growl; they try to express their concerns in doggy language. They don’t know what we want. They have to be taught what we want. They aren’t perfect dogs. Many are broken, some are just bruised, but all need you and your loving patience and support.
Fostering isn’t always pretty, it isn’t always clean, but it is always worth it. It’s our job to love them and train them. Give them the decompression time that they deserve so they can do what they do best, love you.
(Shared from Laura Berg)
Fosters will keep dogs an average of 4-8 weeks. Some pets need more time because of age, illness, injury, or behavior issues. Your time commitment will be discussed up-front before you agree to foster the pet, but most foster families keep the dog until the dog gets adopted.
The staff and volunteers are abolutley avaiable to help you with behavior modification techniques for your Cortez Rescue foster dog. We love to be involved and welcome you letting us know what you need support with. Send Us a Message and we will be in Conact.
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