10 FOSTERING MYTHS

What keeps you

from fostering a homeless dog?

 

MYTH #1: PALs doesn’t need fostering help.
FACT: Yes, we do. The need for safe and loving foster homes is enormous - but this can't be just a commitment for a couple of days. We need people who will watch and love the dog until they can be placed in a loving home or can be adopted at one of our offsite events, usually at least a two-week commitment.

MYTH #2: If I don’t foster, the dog will find a home anyway.
FACT: We wish that were true. Unfortunately, when shelters gets too crowded and animals keep coming in from animal control or from owners who surrender their pets, animals rely on people saving their lives. PALs can rescue dogs from shelters only if foster homes are available.

MYTH #3: It will be too sad when I have to put my fosters up for adoption.
FACT: You will get attached to your foster dog - but that’s not bad. Foster parents are passionate people who care, and their foster pets love them for that. Think of the joy knowing that you’re saving an animal’s life and sending your foster pet to a wonderful new family. And the good news is that you can relive that joy over and over.

MYTH #4: If I foster, I can’t adopt that animal.
FACT: Yes, you can.

MYTH #5: If I adopt, can’t foster anymore.
FACT: That may or may not be true. We have to be certain that any home environment is right for our foster animals. If you adopt a puppy, you will need to wait 6 months before you foster again until your new pet is not susceptible to disease. With adult dogs, the wait may be much shorter or even zero. We’ll work with you all we can to make sure your new adopted pet and our animals needing foster care are safe and happy.

MYTH #6: Fostering is just glorified baby-sitting.
FACT: Emotional and physical closeness is as important to a puppy or dog as food and warmth. Fostering means petting and snuggling. And it means training and socialization. Fostered dogs who are loved and socialized have a much deeper bond to their new owners and are highly loyal, intelligent, and affectionate. Playing with the dog with a variety of toys is also important; this will help them develop socialization skills and also help them bond to you.

MYTH #7: Dogs and puppies will do fine without fostering.
FACT: Some animals may not live without fostering. For others, fostering helps rescued animals heal both emotionally and physically from whatever trauma they have been through.

MYTH #8: Foster parents give more than they get.
FACT: Foster parents not only nurture and care for their charges, they really "share" the experience, receiving lots of nurture and care right back! There’s no medicine in the world like a snuggling, loveable dog licking your face.

MYTH #9: Fostering means I have to change my lifestyle.
FACT: Well, that’s sorta true, actually. But not so true that it should keep you from fostering. Yes, you might give up your spare bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, etc. and you will take on responsibility for a pet that we will eventually place in someone else’s home. It’s a little inconvenient but you’re saving a life – and you get lots back.

MYTH #10: My family won’t get much out of my fostering an animal.
FACT: Many families foster as a way to teach their children about compassion and responsibility in a creative and collaborative way. Parent-child partnerships can take on helping mom dogs with puppies, or an injured dog recover, as a tag-team effort with joyous results. Parents who home school have found that fostering is a great teaching endeavor for their family.

People who choose to foster do so because they know that if they don't step up, the fate of these animals is either sub-par living conditions or death. You will feel good knowing you are making the difference, every minute and every day, in the life of an innocent soul; that a little inconvenience turns quickly into a rewarding, challenging, caring, and fun experience you will never forget.

 

 

PALs Foster Application