Picture this, a dog in a lovely home, with humans constantly by their side. Unlike the somewhat dreary shelters and boarding facilities, dogs in foster homes thrive on constant love and attention from their human counterparts.
When you choose to foster, you are agreeing to open your home and share it with a rescue dog. Apart from providing a home for the dog, fostering provides them with plentiful love, much deserved attention, and a good number of yummy treats. Here is a compiled list of reasons to demonstrate the importance of fostering.
Provides rehabilitation for rescue dogs:
It comes as no surprise that a home environment is much better suited for most dogs as compared to the often-stressful shelter environment. The love from their foster family will undoubtedly heal the mental and physical toll that dogs go through during their time on the streets – from empty soulless eyes to bright-eyed wonders prompting a game of fetch.
The comfort and love of a home ultimately gives these dogs a sense of security, trust, and assurance. Dogs who used to be weary of human contact soon come out of their shell with the love and care of a foster family; an experience by which life in a shelter cannot give.
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| Poor Adora has no foster / adopter and lives in a boarding home |
Get dogs ready for future adoption:
Fosterers dedicate their time to assess and develop each dog's character from the moment they arrive in hopes that the dog will be ready for adoption in no time. It is their utmost priority to ensure that each dog find a suitable and loving home in the future.
Many of these fostered dogs are rescued strays – they have never been in such close proximity with humans. One thing that fosterers immediately take to training these dogs is teaching them how to walk on a leash. These rescue dogs, having never been exposed to a leash, let alone a collar, are fearful and weary. Fostering allows for ample care of these dogs, allowing fosterers to identify their strengths and weaknesses, nurturing these dogs into becoming the best versions of themselves.
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| Matilda - HOPE's longest resident and still waiting for her forever home |
Experienced fosterers for exceptional dogs:
Although we don't have a specific set of requirements for fosterers, some foster dogs do require more experienced fosterers, especially if the dog is elderly, sick, etc. These dogs require someone to be home almost 24/7 as they cannot be left alone. Leaving them alone may be dangerous for them as they may hurt themselves. Dogs in our fosterers care that belong to this exceptional pack are our Diaper Club dogs:
Harper, Zeus, and Mantou, all of whom cannot be left alone for more than 2 hours.
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| Harper has taught us so much about life and being positive |
Our beloved poster girl; trooper extraordinaire is currently in the care of our experienced fosterers. With paralysed back legs, she may crawl and twist her back legs in the wrong position, causing her legs to be intertwined with each other without constant supervision from her fosterer. Her fosterer places her of utmost importance, including cleaning her trail of 'chocolate', courtesy of poo leaking from her diapers as she crawls around. In addition, her fosterer would have to wake up in the middle of the night to check on her as her legs may be intertwined, or that her back legs may be kicking on their own as a result of her nerves, by which her fosterer would have to massage her gently to stop the kicking. In part, her fosterer is not only a great pawrent, but a skilled cleaner and masseuse – trained by Harper herself!
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| Zeus has taught us never to give up |
You might also be familiar with our dearest boy Zeus, who at 15 years old, already suffers from multiple slipped discs caused by the many unfortunate accidents he sustained from his days on the street, causing him to be paralysed. His fosterers keep very close tabs on him, rushing him to the vet once they realise that something is off. Because of his fosterer's unending care and love, Zeus is now able to take small baby steps and 'go potty' on his own now! Hats off to his amazing fosterers and his enormous fighting spirit.
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| Mantou, thankful for a second chance in life |
The oldest member of The Diaper Club. Mantou suffers from arthritis, causing him to have difficulties when he walks. He had also developed pressure sores due to him spending most of his time lying down. His fosterers take him out for short 15-minute walks every 3 hours and wake up at 3.00 am each day to change his diapers. I must admit that I went full on _aww _when I saw the Facebook post of his improvement at walking. His fosterers have ensured Mantou's overall well-being, something of which I am sure this sweet boy is grateful for.
The Diaper Club dogs have benefitted greatly from being under the care of these amazing fosterers, proving their importance in a dog's life. From increased physical health and abilities to more outings and smiles, these dogs will continue to lead very fulfilling lives with their dedicated fosterers.
Commitment
We are aware that the interest rate for fostering has shot up substantially since the start of Covid-19. However, we would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that fostering generally requires a commitment of 1 year so as to not stress the dogs by moving them from home to home. Each time they are moved, they need to re-adapt to their new environment, causing these dogs to become depressed, lowering their immunity and making them fall sick. Their new fosterer also needs time to learn how to handle the dog.
The role of a fosterer is not just about providing a roof over a dog's head. It requires constant supervision, commitment, and responsibility. Dogs that are in foster care thrive at the dedication of their fosterers, who place them at utmost priority, enabling them to lead life to the fullest.
We have dogs such as Adora and Mathilda requiring experienced fosterers. Should you wish to consider fostering them, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg and we will be happy to tell you more.
Written by: Gabrielle
