Labs4rescue will provide:
- Crate
- Collar with tags
- Vet records
You provide:
- Food and water
- Leash
- Any additional bedding
- Love
- Excercise
- A warm, safe place to stay
More Information
- Food. What you feed your dog is fine; we recommend a lamb and rice variety as it's easier on the digestive system during transitions.
- Leashes are mandatory any time a dog is not in a securely fenced area. This includes from the yard to the car. If there is a question of your foster being a fence jumper/climber error on the side of caution by using a leash. Some dogs do not like to potty on a leash, a long training leash often works well for these dogs.
- Crates can be provided to foster families. We encourage crating to keep both dog and home safe. Dogs that have been stray or never in a loving home often are afraid to enter the home, go up or down stairs, basements, and other indoor things. All of these fears can be eased with patience, love, encouragement and lots of treats. If you've never crated a dog before, let us know we have lots of crate training tips to help you!
- Runs/Pens/Kennels/Garage should not be used as a daily means of confining the dog while you are not home. If you have questions about this please ask us.
- Vet Care. All vet care needs to be cleared through a Labs4rescue representative prior to vetting. Emergency situations are the exception, an emergency is a life or death situation or may develop into a life or death situation if not treated immediately. When in doubt, ask a Labs4rescue representative. All fosters should come to you up to date on shots appropriate for their age and spayed or neutered. All dogs should come with a copy of their medical history and their rabies tag and papers. Always ask your vet for a rescue discount. Keep all vet receipts and submit an expense report for any vet fees.
- Socialization. Puppies that have not had their last set of shots should not go to pet stores or dog parks where their exposure to disease is increased, there will be lots of time for socialization, just wait until they're fully vaccinated, some vets will tell you to wait two weeks after their final shots before exposing them to new environments.
- Other Dogs. All our dogs are temperament tested prior to entering our program; that does not mean they'll get along with every dog they encounter. Be prepared when introducing the dog to new situations and ease them in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What One Foster Mom Has To Say
We love fostering because it is something we can do together as a family and help a needy dog at the same time. It all started when my sister adopted a dog from Labs4rescue. He is the best dog and fits in with their family so well. We love him too! They had such a good experience with Labs4rescue.
It is exciting to go pick up the dog from the transport. Everyone is gathered around, it is such a happy group. The dogs names are called out and the they get off the labbie bus and are so excited to see their family! My kids have fun trying to guess what the dog is going to be like. It has been fun to play in the snow with dogs who may not have ever seen snow before, or snuggled by a warm fire after playing in the snow. We shower the dogs with love and affection (lots of treats too) and try to get them used to everyday household things and routines. Some have been scared of stairs or dishwashers! It just takes a little time and positive reinforcement and they all get used everything very quickly. I take them everywhere I go to show them off. All the fosters we have had love riding in the car to take the kids to school and pick them up. Our last foster rode with me in the car to the local feed store and several people wanted her on the spot as soon as they saw her! She was adopted in 2 weeks!
It is fun to see how each dog has a different personality that emerges once they feel comfortable here. Dusty used to find socks and run around the house with them, like he had just found the best toy in the world and wanted to show it off! Cooper liked to snuggle with my son and watch TV. Mary Lou loved to go wake up the kids in the morning when we let her out of her crate.
We have met many really nice families and although we miss the dogs when they go and if it were up to the kids we would have kept them all, we feel we have found excellent forever families for them and enjoy staying in touch with them to get updates on the dogs. My son even made a new friend from the family that adopted out last foster.
Our dog Floyd has been great with all this as well. He has learned how to share his toys and his bed. He has been a good role model too and we could see some fosters looked up to him and just followed his lead. We always make sure he gets lots of attention as well so he does not feel left out. He also likes all the new toys we buy with each new foster.
When I recently mentioned that we might not pick a dog to foster for a while because mud season is a very messy time of year around our yard..it is well....very very muddy!!!..The kids were devastated and said no, we can't stop! We need to save the dogs!
So now we have a new foster arriving on Saturday and we are all looking forward meeting a new dog.