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| A Pitbull puppy waits for someone to love him again |
When a dog has been in a shelter for more than just a few days, it begins to take a toll on them.
# They don't get enough fresh air or exercise.
# They don't get the attention and love they remember when they were in a home.
# Shelter life is so stressful; it's loud, frightening, confining, and it's not a home!
# Some dogs develop behavior issues if they're cooped up in a shelter for too long without a break.
These factors effect them both physically and emotionally, these dogs need a break! Even if it's not a forever break from the shelter, the benefits of getting out of the shelter even just for a day can be significant.
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| Sweet Cascade loved getting out of the kennel for long walks! She enjoyed several Day Foster days with volunteers before she was finally adopted! |
Here are some things you can do with your Day Foster dog:
# Take him to a park and go for a long, leisurely walk.
# Take her to a dog friendly outdoor café. While you enjoy your favorite beverage, give her a chew stick, a toy, or a couple of treats.
# Play some games! A great thing to do is work on basic obedience. Make it fun to learn or practice Sit, Down, Shake Paws. A dog who knows a few basic obedience commands can make a big difference to an adopter!
#Take some great photos of her and give them to the shelter for their web site or Facebook page. Post them on your social media sites too and spread the word that an awesome dog is looking for a loving home!
# Write a few notes for the shelter to include in the dog's bio. When you can say she's friendly, loves to play fetch or go for a walk, or knows how to sit and lay down it goes a long way with potential adopters. It eliminates some of the fear of adopting a new dog when you've told them how loving and sweet she is!
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| One of my fosters, Howdy, content in my husband's arms. He had displayed some aggression at the shelter, but after 1 day with us he was calm, sweet, and social. He just needed a break! |
If you have just a few hours a month, contact local shelters to see if they have a Day Foster program. If not, urge them to start one!
What do you think about fostering a dog for one day, giving them a break from the shelter? Is this something you would be willing to do? Please leave us a comment, we love when you share your thoughts with us!
21 comments:
Oh i had no idea you could foster just for one day!
thanks for the info!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Kudos to all those that foster. It does save lives
Lily & Edward
This is a great idea! I never thought about fostering for just a day, but it would be a lot of fun and would give the dogs a break from the shelter. Super idea!!
Not all shelters have a Day Foster program, but it's a great way to get more dogs out of their kennels & into fostering, at least for a short period of time. It's especially good for larger dogs which aren't as easy to place in foster as the little ones. Thanks for stopping by Jenna!
Thank you Lily & Edward, you are so right fostering definitely saves lives in so many ways. Thanks for visiting us guys!
It's a wonderful introduction to fostering for those who are new to it. You're right, it really is a lot of fun for both the dogs & the fosterers! Thanks for stopping by our blog!
Day fostering is such a great idea - not only does it give daily exercise, but it must improve their socialization and overall mood and happiness. I will definitely be asking my local shelters about this
I'm not able to foster at home because of my stubborn dog Laika that doesn't like to share... But I do love going to the shelter and helping out when I can. I used to go every weekend to take a few dogs for a jog and it was amazing. It's such a simple way to let those dogs have something to look forward to and enjoy once a day; and they repay you with their appreciation and lots of loving kisses.
The shelter where I used to volunteer didn't let us take the dogs off the property. I'm sure there legal ramifications behind that decision, but it would have been really fun to take one home for the day or on a special outing.
I am very thankful for all of the people who are able to foster pets. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment and I'm only allowed to have 2 pets (which I have). Fostering would be tempting if that wasn't the case.
Dogs are so stressed in shelters. I had no idea you can foster for one day
I should check to see if any of my local shelters have a day foster program.
I had no idea you could day foster. I should look into this!
What a great idea!! I'll has to check in to this!!
Wow, that's a great idea & one that I hadn't heard of before! It makes sense that shelter pups need a break allowing them to work on their socialization and training skills. I will find out if our local shelters have those Day Fostering Programs!
I think Day Fostering is a wonderful idea! I've never heard of such a program before, so I hope it becomes more popular over time.
Oh definitely, it's great for socialization, which many shelter dogs lack, and their overall well being. I hope you decide to do some day fostering, let me know how you make out! Thanks for visiting us on the blog, Kendall!
I'm so glad you're able to help out at the shelter, it's so valuable for the dogs! They really need that behavior enrichment, it helps them remain adoptable. Thanks for stopping by Jen!
Yes, there probably were legal concerns. They always have to be careful. You never know if they'll add a day foster program, shelters across the country are adding day foster programs. Thanks for stopping by!
With a day foster you don't have to keep the dog overnight, you can just take them to a park for a couple of hours to get them out of the shelter for awhile. It's really fun & rewarding. Thanks for stopping by!
I think fostering for a day is fabulous all the way around. The shelter from whence my dog Valentino came does this and it's wonderful!
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