ADOPTING A DOG IN FOSTER CARE

Adopting a dog that is in foster care can be especially good, because you generally receive a lot more detail about the dog. The dog has been living as part of the carer's family, so they can give you good information on things like how the dog is with children, whether the dog is toilet trained, how they manage alone during the day, how they relate to other dogs, etc.

Dogs that are in foster care are recognisable as such in the dog profiles, which include a name and contact number as well as the suburb where the dog is being fostered.

Contacting the Foster Carer
Before you contact the foster carer, you should complete the form, "Choosing Your New Friend". When you contact the foster carer, they will ask you a number of questions about the sort of dog you are looking for, as well as details about your own home situation. Typical questions they will ask include:
" Have you owned a dog before?
" What sort of fencing do you have?
" How often are you able to exercise the dog?
" Where will the dog spend most of the day?
" Will you be home at any part of the day?
" Where will the dog be sleeping at night?
" Where will the dog be when you are not at home?
" Do you have any other dogs or pets?

Their goal is to find the best possible match for the dog, - and to broker a union in which both the owner and the dog will be blissfully happy.

If it seems that the you and the dog are right for each other, the foster carer will suggest a meeting. In most cases, at least where practical, we encourage the foster carer to bring the dog to your home. This allows you to meet the dog in his future surroundings, and it also allows the foster carer to feel happy that the environment is suitable for the dog.

Check your environment BEFORE you meet the dog
Most transactions between foster carers and adopting families result in a blissfully happy union for both dog and owner. Many foster carers stay in regular touch with the adopting families, even receiving Christmas cards from their grateful and happy former 'foster children'!

Unfortunately there are rare occasions where, on inspection, the foster carer believes that the environment of the prospective adopting family is not ideal for the dog. Poor fencing, insufficient space, and lack of suitable shelter during the day are typical reasons. When this happens, the foster carer will generally decide that it is not in the interests of dog to leave him with the owner, and will take him home again, This may only be for a few days, while the owner makes the necessary repairs or additions, but in other cases, the foster carer may decide that the environment is just not suitable for the dog, and decline the offer of adoption.

This creates a terrible situation for everyone. The family is devastated because the dog they were hoping to adopt is not staying, and the carer feels very uncomfortable because they are forced to say no to the family.

For this reason we urge you to ensure that the environment is suitable for the dog, BEFORE you meet the foster dog. Check out the website for tips on making sure your property is secure. Of course, the foster carer can check the property with you and help you identify any potential escape points that you may have overlooked. For first time dog owners in particular, this can be very helpful.

So we urge you to do as much homework as possible beforehand, to ensure that this doesn't happen to you. Getting a new dog is a special day in every family's life, and we really want to ensure that this day and beyond is truly wonderful for your family.