Agree 100% on the win/win of fostering. Having fostered innumerable animals over the years, I also cry when they leave. But sometimes...they don't leave; or they are returned after they do. But once I have bonded with them, if the home turns out not to be a forever one, back to me they come, and sometimes I just turn out to be a "forever foster" (I have two such cats in my home now- a half-blind senior cat and an immune-compromised, active younger kitty who just requires more time, medication, care, and $$$ than most people are prepared to give). And that's mostly OK with me; much as I would prefer to have them move on into a loving home, if it doesn't work out I would rather provide them with what they need for the rest of their lives than see them on the street or to die in a shelter due to illness or "lack of space". Admittedly, I also have a couple of "foster failures" as well; two amputees I just couldn't bear to part with early on in my fostering career. But mostly fosters learn to rejoice when their temporary pets move out, because that opens up a space in your home for the next needy animal. And even once they do move out of your home, they always retain a place in your heart.

I so agree with Shellie. I moved to a very small town from Los Angeles in 1998. The neighboring large city, Idaho Falls, has a terrible euthanization record and I started fostering from there once I was educated by a woman at Petco asking me to take two dogs that were going to be euthanized the next day. Well, I was hooked -- what a high when you find your foster a forever home! And even when it doesn't work out (every adoption comes with a guarantee that I will take them back if placement doesn't work out), I keep trying until the fit is right. Of course, as Shellie says, some never leave you and that is OK too. Just too special to let go of. Since moving here, I have rescued over 60 dogs. I now concentrate on black dogs as they are the number one dog euthanized today. I cannot think of a more gratifying use of my yard, my home, my bed, my heart. Try it, and if you have children, it is a great lesson for them too -- the consequences of overpopulation, spay/neuter and compassion and love. A win-win for everyone.

I am surprised that someone with your education and experience still believes in the "NO KILL Shelter" fairy tale. There is no such thing.
I see it first hand. The ones that advertise (and collect beaucoup bucks) as such are themselves at the local pounds, wearing their company t-shirts euthanizing animals. Just because you don't euth on-site, does not make you "NO KILL". Also, some dogs, for health or behavior issues, are NOT adoptable (and never will be).
Sanctuary them for as long as they have quality of life.
Start promoting "Sanctuaries" and stop lying to people and feeding the "NO KILL" fairy tale, please!

The glib ignorance of people like oliverslb is scary / annoying / creepy.

Thanks Dr. Kuhly for keeping it real.

Thank you Dr. Khuly for another great blog. I have "fostered" a dog and it was a "Foster Failure". Otherwise known as, he is my very best boy and has found his forever home. I will continue to foster but boy is it hard not to lose your heart...I can only foster one at a time but it is such important work and I agree with everything you have said.
Patricia Moore
http://www.soft-hearted.com

True No Kill shelters save 95 percent of impounded animals.

There are excellent examples of shelters that adhere to that standard all over the country and they do it without a narrow definition of "adoptable" or by dumping difficult to place dogs in kill shelters.

They do it by adhering to a plan which has been proven to work across the country when shelter leadership stops blaming pet owners and works with the public.

Look at Reno, Nevada where nine out of 10 dogs are saved today and 88 percent of cats.

In the area where I live I can name at least 2 truly awesome no-kill shelters that work tirelessly with the community, volunteers and rescue groups to save lives and it works.

Right now we have an undersized house with two cats and a dog. We simply have no room to foster.

But when a member of our zoo passes on, I do think we'll be foster parents.

I would love to foster, but my city has pet limits, and I'm at mine.

Speaking as someone who works rescue, I would surely hope that if one decided to foster, that they have more room than just "a crate in the garage, if need be, with lots of walks!" In fact, we would never approve a foster home who only had that to offer one of our dogs, Dr. Khuly. Among other things, the foster dog needs to know what it feels like to be part of a family unit, in order to be successfully adopted...the poor dog will have no chance of a forever home, if you've got it living in a cage, in the garage!! Makes me sick to even think about that....

There are some dog owners that offer no more than a "crate in a garage." Furthermore, most rescues don't even offer that. While I agree with you that we would hope they have more to offer, a crate in the garage with lots of walks is better than nothin.

I get your point though. Heck, our dog is nice enough to let us use her bed at night as she uses it more than we do.

I have Daisy 15 yrs, can not hear, Max 9 yrs, can see, Beyonca 3 yrs 116 pds, Her family said too big, (Great Pyramids), Jordan is mind 16 yrs, I never call our Home Foster Care, they are wonderful and loved. NO way will they go to a shelter. Some of my gang owers die or went to Nursing Home.Beyonca family moved. I wish I could do more. By the way We have 2 male Doves,Love and Bungie 20yrs of age.Yes, my Husband puts up with us, Dad told him about me, I am Blessed............Thanks Kay

Are you a rescue worker? What kind of rescues are you talking about? Surely not the rescue I'm with...and the many others we network with. Our fosters live in the house, right along with our families, and our own personal dogs and cats. How on earth would anyone think they can rehabilitate a rescued dog, because yes, they often come with heavy baggage, by having them live in a cage in the garage??

I've thought about fostering but it wouldn't be fair to two members of the household: 1) my husband, who works from home and would end up being the primary caretaker of the foster (and it's not his idea); and 2) our elderly dog who would deeply resent any other animal in the household. She's still grudging of the cat after 4 years. So fostering will have to wait until I retire (if I ever am financially able to!)

There's more to it than just providing a place.

A lot of fosters were neglected or even abused in their previous homes. they don't know anything; they need training, sometimes even emotional rehab. They can end up taking all your time and leaving none for your own pets. They can end up doing "puppy damage" to your house (chewing, rug stains, etc) and it'll cost your money to fix it. Even if you're careful and you crate train, when you're potty training dog after dog after dog you'll have some accidents. Especially if they're sick when they first come to you.

Some rescues pay for medical care, food, flea prevention. Some don't. You can end up spending a lot more money than you expected.

If your rescue just has a website advertising their dogs, you may have each foster dog for a LONG time. If they do onsite adoption days, it eats your weekends. It's also exhausting to stand out in all weathers, trying to protect your foster dog from grabby hands, denigrating comments, inappropriate wanna-be adopters, fatigue, temperature, etc, and still keep trying to place your foster in a GOOD home.

Fostering was indeed satisfying and fulfilling, and obviously we were doing something good for the dogs. We're glad we had those experiences and we still think fondly about all our "success stories." But hey, there is a LOT more to fostering than you made it out to be.

Thanks so much for this post. I wish more people would just give fostering a try. I started less than a year ago and it is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I wish I had started sooner...

Most of us think of all the reasons why we can't do it, instead of figuring out how to make it work. For a lot of people, they may try it and not ever do it again. But even if just 25% stick with it, we could save a lot of dogs.

I definitely agree with the tenants of no-kill (creative off-site adoption, pediatric spay/neuter, big foster-home network), however the fact is when some of these shelters get full, they put a lot of pressure on people to not bring stray pets in, and some even turn them away outright. As a private rescuer, ten years ago I never used to get calls that "I found a cat, and my shelter won't take her." Now I get those calls all the time. I help landowners get feral cats fixed. I should not be taking friendly stray cats and kittens. How would someone find their lost cat if she's sitting in my living room, even if I do advertise her as "found"? I also hear stories (months later) from people who say "oh, last spring I found a cat but the shelter said they were full, so I left her outside and she finally disappeared." I suppose the intake/adoption stats look good, but no one is keeping track of the cats that are turned away. Just yesterday I spent $70 at the vet for an exam on a kitten that was turned away by a shelter two counties away from me. I just checked the shelter's web page, and sure enough, it says "no kill." I hate to sound bitter, because I absolutely do believe the "no-kill movement" has motivated many shelters to initiate programs they may not have without a kick in the butt (even myself!). It also helps provide hope to staff members who previously had jobs that had too little hope, and these staff members stay in the job longer. I used to work at a shelter where owner-surrendered cats were immediately euthanized if they arrived pregnant. That shelter no longer does this (pregnant cats go to foster homes, or are spayed). "No-kill" has saved many, many lives. Nonetheless, the name is catchy...but misleading. If these great concepts flew under a different name, I think you'd find fewer people reacting against it.

"I definitely agree with the tenants of no-kill (creative off-site adoption, pediatric spay/neuter, big foster-home network), however the fact is when some of these shelters get full, they put a lot of pressure on people to not bring stray pets in, and some even turn them away outright."

Yeah, not every shelter that calls itself "no kill" is really part of the No Kill movement.

"As a private rescuer, ten years ago I never used to get calls that "I found a cat, and my shelter won't take her." Now I get those calls all the time. I help landowners get feral cats fixed. I should not be taking friendly stray cats and kittens. How would someone find their lost cat if she's sitting in my living room, even if I do advertise her as "found"?"

Would your local shelter list the cat, with you as the "foster home" ? How about a larger local cat rescue?

"I also hear stories (months later) from people who say "oh, last spring I found a cat but the shelter said they were full, so I left her outside and she finally disappeared." "I suppose the intake/adoption stats look good, but no one is keeping track of the cats that are turned away."

Y'know, the No Kill movement can't control the actions of shelter that want to call themselves "no kill" and don't actually walk the walk.

"Just yesterday I spent $70 at the vet for an exam on a kitten that was turned away by a shelter two counties away from me. I just checked the shelter's web page, and sure enough, it says "no kill." I hate to sound bitter, because I absolutely do believe the "no-kill movement" has motivated many shelters to initiate programs they may not have without a kick in the butt (even myself!). It also helps provide hope to staff members who previously had jobs that had too little hope, and these staff members stay in the job longer. I used to work at a shelter where owner-surrendered cats were immediately euthanized if they arrived pregnant. That shelter no longer does this (pregnant cats go to foster homes, or are spayed)."

Ah, that wasn't "euthanasia." That was just killing. Honestly, it's only shelter and rescue people who confuse the two words.

"No-kill" has saved many, many lives. Nonetheless, the name is catchy...but misleading. If these great concepts flew under a different name, I think you'd find fewer people reacting against it."

Nah. The people that want to blame the Bad Public and insists that seventeen million homes annually wanting to add a pet without a prior decision as to where to get it vs. three million savable pets killed in shelters each year, equals NOT ENOUGH HOMES FOR ALL THE PETS IN SHELTERS, will continue to carp and complain and condemn No Kill as a fraud, no matter what the name.

And while a "catchy name" isn't enough by itself, it sure helps in getting attention and mindshare--an essential part of the process of "selling" an idea.

I'm currently a foster parent for dogs--mostly puppies that are too little to be adopted or have health issues that need resolved before adoption. I just recently graduated from college and began fostering in my last year. Probably not the best time to start fostering, but, you know, things never go according to plan. I have my own full-time dog and as a single woman I knew I couldn't afford to take on another full-time dog. My solution? Fostering. I'm like you, Dr. Khuly, I cry every time I let them go. I tell myself beforehand, "Maybe I can handle having two dogs...or three..." Yea, I have to stop those thoughts as soon as I start to get them. I cried recently when I saw a former foster puppy for the first since December, when she was adopted. But, good cry. I was happy. I like to think of myself as a specialized foster. I typically take puppies that are hard to adopt: Pit Bulls. I've had a 100% success rate, 4 out of 4 of my Pit puppies have been adopted to great, fur-ever homes. I may not be able to give any of these furries a permanent home but I can surely get them socialized, healthy, and happy so he or she is ready to move on when the time is right.
Being a foster parent for dogs (or cats or whatever), is a valuable resource that shelters and rescues rely on. If it wasn't for foster homes, the number of animals that would killed through euthanasia would be exponentially higher than it is currently. It's a difficult hobby but it's well worth it if you know the end result will be one less dog on doggie death row.

I've started a blog about my fostering. It's just getting started. Please visit and let me know what you think. Dr. Khuly, thanks for all your blogging. You're amazing :)

-Kelli
http://vtkelleh.blogspot.com/

I just want to mention how much the fostering community means to shelters and rescues. It makes a huge difference in day-to-day work when many of the faces coming in are smiling and supportive--fosterers coming and going, helping at off-site adoptions, assisting at spay/neuter clinics, bringing back kittens, cheering in Facebook comments when a senior foster gets adopted. Thank you to anyone fosters, and I hope Dr. Khuly's post and the comments in here convince new people to try it!

BTW, my veterinarian fostered for me once, and I was so honored. It was like the ultimate attaboy to have my vet call up and say "Hey, my kids would like to help someone this summer, do you have any kittens we can foster?" I nearly broke my face I was smiling so much. The Power of the Vet is HUGE. Which is why I love reading this blog. ;)

Would LOVE to foster in the future. Right now I have a dog-aggressive pooch, so it's not a good idea, but this whole fostering notion is in my long-term plans. My sister just got a great dog from a lady who was fostering a litter after birth for a rescue shelter; the pups were socialized, house-trained, kid-friendly, etc. A definite win-win for her, who was very hesitant about getting a dog from a shelter in the first place. But after seeing the great environment her pup came from and how "normal" it was, she was convinced it was the right dog for her family. She LOVES that dog now.

I'm kind of a nut in that I want more dogs than I can afford long term or even really need; fostering would allow me to experience a wide range of animals on a (hopefully) short term basis while doing something great for the animals and the community. I'm excited to do this in the future.

Just now considering fostering/adopting a 2 year old 60 dog that is HW positive. Have no experience with a dog that has contracted heartworms and have read about the treatment options. She is scheduled for 2 injection fast kill method and I am trying to assess when to arrange to take her. Immediately after injections, after the 4-6 week inactivity phase or sometime in between?
Lots of experience with dogs. Concerned about prognosis as I understand the treatment is rough.
Appreciate all thoughts. thnx.

Bought a cage, built a room, invested a lot of time and money and energy and yes, I've become a horrid foster failure now owning 8 cats - only one of them wasn't previously a foster.

While fostering can be a simple matter, often it is not. An almost midnight run to the emergency clinic last week for an anemic kitten who wasn't able to get enough oxygen tore my heart from my chest and ripped my soul. Fortunately she is still alive and kicking (http://www.kittyblog.net )

Saving a life.. It really does brighten your day..


as for the whole "no kill" and "kill" shelters, I wish those names would die. For the most part you have your "closed admission" and "open admission" shelters. all of the "NoKill" shelters I've seen pick and choose which animals they want to take it. "Kill" shelters are open admission and have to take every single animal that comes to it's doors. Be it the sick and dying, the agressive and unhandlable, the injured, and the cute and cuddly. I am so beyond thankful for the open admission shelters, because with out them these animals would have no where to go.

Thanks Doc for the reply. Trust fellow UPenn alum, esp. VetMed grad.

Sometimes rescue dogs come with a lot of baggage and you don't know what their triggers might be. Be sure you are working with a rescue organization that is responsible about the safety of people as well as dogs. Sometimes that means euthanizing a dog of questionable temperament. This was brought home in a frightening way just recently on a small training list I have been a member of for several years. Many members foster. Yesterday we received a report on a member who is a very experienced foster with Bulldog rescue. One dog had a history of child aggression and she asked her rescue to take him back or give her permission to put him down. They kept pleading with her to keep him awhile longer and saying they would get back to her about permission. Last week she was in the yard with the dog on a line. As she was going up the stairs the dog went for her ankle and pulled her off balance. Once she was down he went for her in earnest and would have killed her except for a policeman who happened to be in the neighborhood and heard her screams. She was bitten more than 100 times, one breast was torn off, a big chunk taken out of one leg, and she lost a lot of blood. She will recover but will need multiple surgeries and will lose most of the use of one hand - she was using to protect her throat, which the dog was going for.

This sort of thing is rare, but it does point out the need to be careful when dealing with unknown dogs of questionable backgrounds.

I have been in the midst of getting set up to foster, but I don't know now. My breed is a large one. I will certainly be very careful about the cases I take on.

Well, just last month, my beloved Tabby, a cat that I have rescued from a rather cruel neighborhood, died. Then, 3 days before, there was this old woman who was selling a big sack of charcoal ( I live in a rather rural but beautiful place in the Philippines ) and saw her holding a cat that was quite beautiful. The old woman was trying to ask if anyone would adopt her and so I agreed at once. I am trying to encourage everyone to adopt a pet, because it might be their salvation from a cruel fate outside a good home.