Our rescue recently took in 9 dogs that came from a hoarding situation. The way our rescue works as far as who would like to take in a foster is that we are asked, as a group on our foster Facebook page, “who is willing to take a new dog as a foster?”.  

Every time a request comes out asking if someone is willing to take in a new foster, there are several questions that race through my head all at once.  What behavioral problems will they have since mostly likely they are horribly under socialized. How are they goingtointegrate into my home?  What special living conditions do I need to provide to help the dogs feel safe and time for me to assess theirbehaviors.  Are they dog friendly?  Do they like cats?  What medical issues do they have?  But I have to admit that I also get excited about meeting a new dog.  I love learning their personalities and watching them grow and get comfortable and start to play.

I took in two girls to foster.  The two girls were very nervous, timid and terrified.  I gave them as quiet an environment as possible to help them feel secure.  After a couple of days I started working on their house training and saw how they were outside.  I left their harnesses and leashes on them as they wandered around. At first the most timid one wouldn’t move around in the yard, she just stood frozen.  She was so scared.  It took a couple of days of carrying them in and out of the yard until they got brave enough to walk out the door by themselves.  It took some time and patience and my personal dogs showed them the ropes of going outside, finding the water bowl in the kitchen and just learning that life doesn’t need to be so scary anymore.  It took about 4 days and I saw their first tail wags!!

One of my new girls is heart worm positive.  Another that went to a different foster home had multiple severe puncture wounds and had a serious infection.  Many have skin issues from fleas/ticks and several of the dogs were underweight and had intestinal parasites.

All of the dogs have been spayed and neutered, vaccinations, medicated baths, good food and lots of loving.  Can you imagine how they must feel now that they can run freely, receive attention and enjoy the simple pleasures of life – like belly rubs, warm beds and tasty treats? 🙂