Becoming a Canine Foster Parent

Foster Girl Penny

Foster Girl Lovey

Foster Flunkie Trigger

Foster Boy Tiny (renamed Copper Top by his adopted mommy)

I thought it prudent to write about being a Canine Foster Parent.

The pictures on this post represent many of the dogs that The Lovely Shane and I have recently fostered in our home. You will notice that some of the captions indicate a dog to be a  foster flunkie. This is not a bad thing. These are dogs that fit so well in our pack that we decided to adopt them ourselves making them a permanent member of our pack. In other words, these dogs now have a forever home at the Dog Training/Foster Shack!

Foster Girl Gracy

A few of these fosters are still in our pack as foster dogs. Most of them, however, have either found other fosters whose packs were better for them or they have found forever homes.

So, I will start by defining what exactly I mean when I refer to as a Canine Foster Parent. In general terms, the Canine Foster Parent provides a temporary home for a dog that has been rescued  from a high kill shelter, a owner who could no longer care for him/her, being a stray, or some similar unfortunate situation.

Foster Boy Charles the Duke of Fayette County (or just Charlie)

As a foster, we treat the foster dogs very much as we do our own adopted dogs. They become temporary members of the pack and temporary members of our family here at the Dog Trainer/Foster Shack.

Foster Boy Dr. Phil McBeagle

With the support of the rescue organization with which we are affiliated (BullyWag, Inc.) and their donors, we take care of all the foster dog's needs. We arrange for them to go to the veterinarian when needed. We work on housebreaking if needed. We do some basic obedience training with them so that they are well on the way to becoming a polite little guy or girl. We feed them. In short, we provide them with love, routine, and care. The routine is important. It is important that they are exposed to a typical home environment so that they have a better chance at finding a perfect forever home. Having them in our home allows us to observe the foster dog in a typical home environment. We begin, very quickly, to learn about their "personalities", for lack of a better word. It helps us to provide better information, to a potential adoptive parent about how well they may fit in a particular adoptive home. This ultimately greatly improves the chances that they will find a loving forever home!

Not all dogs are a good fit as a foster with your pack. Our pack is comprised entirely of adult and senior dogs. Most of our pack are beagles or other scent hound or scent hound mixes. So, a young playful puppy is generally not a great fit in our pack.

Foster Flunkie Leopold Butters Stotch or just Butters

Sometimes, however, it is difficult to  discern how a particular individual will fit with your pack until the individual has spent a little time in the foster's home.

There is no stigma on your efforts as a foster or any hard feelings on the part of the rescue group if a foster does not work in your home for any reason. The safety and well being of all the dogs in your pack, as a foster parent, has to be your greatest concern. If a new foster is inducing stress in the rest of the pack or being too aggressive, most of the time, your best option is to find a more suitable foster for the individual that is inducing the stress or displaying the aggression.

Foster Boy Biscut

Being a Canine Foster Parent is not for everyone. It is a commitment. You will also become emotionally attached to the foster dog. This always happens to us. We reason it out in the following manner: Any foster that leaves our house for a forever home is a life saved. This is very literally true. When a foster gets a forever home, provided the forever home is not our home, this frees up our resources so that we can help save the life of another foster dog. This is a beautiful thing!

Many people ask me how long we typically have a foster in our home. The correct answer is that it varies very widely. Some dogs are adopted very quickly. One little guy, named Whiskey, was only in our pack for about a week. Some dogs take much longer. Copper, my demo dog, was with his foster parents for over a year before I adopted him.  Some dogs leave our pack before they are adopted. Foster boy Biscuit, was with us for a few months. He was an older puppy at the time. In the beginning he did very well. However, he eventually hit the puppy adolescence stage and was no longer a good fit for our pack. He became much too willful and active for our other dogs. He then found another foster home where he could play with puppies for much of the day. This was much better for our pack and for Biscuit.

Foster Boy Whiskey

Fostering dogs is a very rewarding and fun experience. However, it is a commitment in a similar sense to your commitment to your own adopted dogs. If you are considering becoming a foster parent, you will have to commit to caring for the fosters. This commitment involves the same things as does an adoption. You need to provide exercise for them. You will need to arrange for their care when you are away from home (this is done with the help of the rescue group with which you are affiliated). It is not a requirement but, I strongly recommend that you work with the fosters on obedience training just as you would your own dog. You don't have to work with a professional trainer but you should do things like get the dog to respond to his/her name, come when called, and walk properly on a leash. This will make the dog more adoptable.

It is not a requirement that you have other dogs at home. However, this sometimes helps the foster dog to learn routines and how to behave in a typical home. Dogs really do learn faster when other well behaved dogs are in their pack. However, many foster parents only have foster dogs at their homes. These are really special people!

You will also learn a great deal about dogs by fostering. You are exposed to dogs from differing backgrounds. Unfortunately, many times, you see the direct results of how abuse and neglect can effect a dog. These cases are heartbreaking but when I see a dog progress after one of these terrible situations it really makes me feel blessed to have been involved in helping that dog find a happier life! Some of the abuse toward dogs of which people are capable may sicken you for a while. Things like a dog that is starving or a dog that has been beaten really bother me. However, it is a great blessing to be in a position to help these wonderful creatures that God gave us as a gift. I truly view each of them as a special gift from God. I think you will too as a foster parent!

If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please contact me for the names of some of God's special servants in the Dog Rescue world who will be happy to have you as a foster family!

There is a great need for foster families! Rescue groups always have more dogs than fosters. So, you are needed!

By the way, I am currently writing a book about adopted dogs. I intend it to also be very helpful to foster parents. The working title is Parent's Manual for Adopted Dogs (all rights reserved). I intend to have it published in electronic format in early 2015. I recently wrote a blog post about it if you are interested.
Till next time-

William
William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

Updated information regarding giving pills to dogs.

Earlier, I wrote a blog post in which I mentioned the method that we use here, at the Dog Training/Foster Shack, to give dogs medication in pill form.

One of the things that I suggested in that earlier post was to hide the pill in cheese or a hot dog as an alternative to the pill pockets and similar products that are available, for a high price, at the pet stores.  I mentioned that we used block cheese and that our pack prefers extra strong cheddar. The pack still loves extra strong cheddar, as do I. However, the other day, we ran out of the block cheese and only had the pre-sliced imitation american cheese pictured above. I gave Copper his pill wrapped in this stuff and he loved it.  This stiff is a little cheaper than the block cheese and, I found that it is easier to conceal the pill in it. You can just wrap this stuff around the pill and sort of squeeze it together like play dough.

So, you may want to consider this the next time you have to give your dog a pill.

Till next time

-William-

William Moore Canine Training
678-702-4791
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Does a dog's face ever remind you of a particular person's face?

This is foster boy Biscuit. His face reminds
me of one of my father's uncles face.

This is Trigger. His face reminds me of
a cousin.

This is foster boy Charlie. His face reminds
me of an aunt.

This is Butters. His face reminds me of
an uncle.

Have you ever seen a dog and noticed a facial resemblance to a particular person? This happens to me quite frequently. The Lovely Shane thinks I am joking. It is however, true!

The collage of pictures above represent some recent examples of this phenomena. 

I saw something on Netflix recently that perhaps begins to explain this phenomena (or psychosis, if you prefer). Sometimes I watch a documentary on Netflix before I fall asleep. On this particular evening I found one produced by the Smithsonian Channel. The documentary is part of their series titled "Catching Killers". The documentary was about using skeletal remains of murder victims in an effort to catch the murderer.  It was quite interesting. There are actually folks called forensic artists who can recreate facial features very accurately from the skull of a victim. This is used in an attempt to identify remains. They do this with modeling clay applied to the skull. It is really pretty cool. Well, the forensic artist indicated that the reason this technique works so well is that people remember faces based upon patterns. Patterns that we use are made up of elements like eye spacing, size of mouth, nose size, ears, etc. This is how we recognize individuals. 

If I apply this to my odd habit of identifying a particular dog's face to that of a human that I have seen, perhaps it begins to make sense. Maybe what my irregular mind is doing is using the patterns in the faces of people I have seen previously and seeing similarities in a particular dog. This makes me feel more sane :).

So, if you ever see a dog and think, "Hey he looks like Uncle Billy Bob", or something similar, perhaps that does not indicate that you are crazy :) . I just thought you should know.

Regardless of who your dog looks like, I can help you train him to be a polite little man. So, please contact me!

Till Next Time -

William

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Do you recognize this dog?

The Awesome and Lovely Shane found this little guy on our front porch.

Before I begin writing about the little guy in the photo above, I am very happy to announce that the Awesome and Lovely Shane has completed her Master degree program!!!

I was working on sanding the floor in the living room today when the Lovely Shane arrived home from a long day at the office. Accompanying here was the cute little guy that you see in the picture. He was patiently waiting for her on our front porch. We have never seen this guy before today. We checked with the neighbors and he does not belong to any of them.

We took this new arrival that we are calling Leopold  Butters Stotch or just Butters, (yes, we enjoy South Park) to visit our friends at Flat Creek Animal Hospital. They scanned him for a microchip. It turns out he is not microchipped. He was not wearing a collar. He seems to have been cared for well by someone. He is relatively clean and his coat is soft.

The veterinarian estimates his age at about five years. He is a cute little chihuahua mix (or at least that is our best guess). He seems to be quite friendly.

We are keeping him separated from the rest of the pack because we are not sure if he has any shots.

If you recognize this little guy, please contact me! My contact information is at the bottom of this post.

If you abandoned him here, also please contact me. I will not judge you and I am not mad at you. I would just like to get his medical history and perhaps a signed surrender form.

If you are attempting to find a new home for your dog, please, please, please do not drop your dog at our house! We live on a busy highway and it is very dangerous. Also we are not equipped to handle surrendered or abandoned dogs here at home. If you need to find a new home for your dog please contact me and I will help you to find an appropriate rescue group.

Till next time

-William-
William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-5791

Coming in 2015 ..... New Book!

That is the Lovely and Awesome Shane on the cover with our cover boy,
Foster Boy Charles the Duke of Fayette County (We just call him Charlie).

I am happy to announce a new book on which I am working. The working title is Parent's Manual for Adopted Dogs (all rights reserved).

The book is intended as a reference manual for people who have adopted dogs in thier packs. In addition to that, it is also intended as a guide for those of you who are contemplating adding an adopted little guy or girl to your pack.

There are sections of the book regarding the most common behavioral and medical issues associated with adopted dogs. The book also leads you through getting your home ready for your adopted dog and introducing them to the pack.

The book details the monetary and time commitments that are necessary for the care of your adopted dog. The book also details what behaviors and training are necessary to help your adopted guy or girl become a polite dog. Because, as many of you understand, Polite Dogs = Happy People. This book is intended to guide you to the happiness that you can obtain from your relationship with your polite adopted dog!

My plans are to, at least initially, make this book available in electronic format for some of the popular e-reader devices (i.e. Nook, Kindle, etc.). Dependent upon the success of the electronic book, I will likely publish the book in a printed format.

I need some feedback from you, my readers. Please let me know which e-reader you currently use. Also let me know of any specific topics that you would like to see covered in the book. You can do this in the comments on this post or, if you would rather send me an e-mail or call me, that is fine as well. My contact information is at the bottom of this post.

Thank you all in advance for any help that you can provide on this project.

I expect to be ready to publish the book in electronic format around the beginning of 2015.

Till next time-

William

William Moore Canine Training
fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com
678-702-4791

Beagle Adoption Event at Petco in Peachtree City.

The Lovely Shane and I are happy to announce that on March 8, 2014 we will have an all beagle adoption event at Petco in Peachtree City. All the beagles that will be at the event are adoptable through Bullywag, Inc. Dog Rescue. We are calling it BeagleWag!

These dogs are fosters in our pack here at the dog training shack and will all be at the event looking for forever homes. I have previously written blog posts about all of these dogs and the links to the posts are below. Just click on their pictures for a link.

Dr. Phil McBeagle  resting.

Dr. Phil McBeagle is a 5 year old sweet guy.  He was surrendered to BullyWag by people who could no longer care for him. He is a very loyal little guy who really loves people and treats! Dr. Phil is housebroken and does very well on leash! Dr. Phil loves to snuggle with his foster people. Dr.Phil is available for immediate adoption and would love to meet you!

Sammy with his foster daddy just before his
 welcome to the pack bath.

Sammy is a young adult beagle. He was found wandering around in Senoia, GA. He had no microchip or identification. He was very timid and anxious when we first rescued him. He is now getting much better with people! He loves his foster parents! He also loves treats! Sammy really needs a forever home. Come meet him!

Charlie with his foster mommy.

This is Charles the Duke of Fayette County. We just call him Charlie. He is a senior beagle. He has recently recovered from pnemonia and surgery to remove a growth in one of his ears. He recovered very nicely and is ready for his forever home! Charlie is a laid back little guy who loves people, getting petted, and tasty treats. Charlie is looking for his forever home. Come see him!

All of these guys are heart worm negative. They are current on all their shots. They are all neutered. They are all microchipped.  So please come visit us tomorrow at the Petco store in Peachtree City. We will be there from noon until 5:00pm.

There is a reduced adoption fee for the dogs in this event. The adoption fee is $150.00. The normal adoption fee is $250.00

Waste Industries Full Circle Project Supports Animal Rescue!

The Lovely and Awesome Shane and I use Waste Industries for our trash collection. The Lovely and Awesome Shane got an email from them today announcing a new program that sounds pretty cool. Their customers get to pick which type of charities that waste management will support. It does not add any additional cost to your bill. All the details of the program are not in place yet but there is a selection to support animal rescue. If you are a waste industries customer you will be getting an email from the soon. Here is an except from the one Shane received:

"Welcome to the Full Circle Project, the all-new Customer Driven Charitable Giving project by Waste Industries!



Before we get into the details on how this campaign works, we want to take a brief moment to say how thankful we are for your participation. This project is designed to more appropriately direct how Waste Industries handles its annual charitable giving.

We take special pride in helping out the communities we service, a commitment that extends from the services we provide to the many charities we give back to each and every year. Now, however, we are doing things with a bit of a twist.

From now on, you get to decide how we donate our charitable funds. It won’t cost you a penny extra to participate, as this service is funded 100% by Waste Industries. The twist is that we don’t get to decide how the money is spent anymore, you do!

We have broken down our charitable giving into five categories. Those categories include:

Animal Rescue – Includes charities such as the Humane Society"

Other worthy causes were listed here as well. It goes on to read:

"Once you select a category, your iCAN account will be updated with a badge displaying your decision to push Waste Industries donations to the charities within your category. Within 2-4 weeks, you’ll receive an envelope from Waste Industries containing further information on your category and a sticker/decal to attach to your Waste Industries container, showing your neighbors that you have helped direct funds that benefit the charity of your choosing. The more people that donate to your category, the more funds your category could potentially receive."

So, if you are a waste industries customer, please consider making the choice of Animal Rescue like the Lovely and Awesome Shane and I did! Waste Industries customers should be getting an email like this soon.

Till Next Time

-William-