It’s been almost 8 months since we entered into the world of foster hood, and although 8 months doesn’t seem like a long time in the grand scheme of things, I feel like a seasoned vet. We’ve learned quite a lot about the rescue world and fostering since then, and for anyone wondering what it’s all about, I wanted to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

#1 – You can say goodbye to a lot of your free time.

Between vet visits, grooming appointments, people coming to your home to meet your foster, and multiple home visits (which you may or may not opt to do), you will find your days filling up very quickly. On the flip side, your foster may come to you fully vetted without any health issues, and after going through multiple applications, you may decide that one person really stands out so you only need to do the one visit.

#2 – If you do choose to do your own home visits, you will know exactly where your foster is going.

Although these visits do take up quite a bit of your free time and can be a bit of a pain, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being able to see and visit the home where your foster may end up living helps to decrease the anxiety you feel when they leave. This is definitely one of the pluses to volunteering with a foster-based rescue over a shelter.

#3 – You will inevitably find yourself spending your own money on your fosters.

Although rescues usually will pay for vetting and food (the latter is not the case for many rescues however) you will still spend gas money driving to and from various appointments and visits. If you don’t have a car, then there is usually a volunteer driver who will take your foster dog to the vet, and a home visit team who will do your home visits.

Hopeful Hearts pays for all vetting, food, and most supplies, but sometimes those supplies run out or they just don’t have them. In those cases, we’re asked to keep the receipts and submit them. Have I ever done that? No. I’d much rather have the rescue use that money on a dog needing vet care.

Having said that, every time we bring a new foster home, we usually make a trip to the pet store. We’ve spent money on things like new collars for our fosters (Crazy Beautiful Collars is an addiction of mine), leashes, a playpen and monkey sweater for Snoopy (that he ended up hating), toys — you name it. But that’s our own choice.

#4 – There will be messes.

I have stepped in pee, poo, and puke (the three P’s) more often than I care to remember, and it feels like we’re always cleaning. Sometimes I think we have a houseful of furry babies running around.

You will come to realize that having a squeaky clean and beautiful home is not always a reality when fostering. A few days after multiple fosters arrived at our home for the first time, I had to say goodbye to our rug (it got peed on) and any notion of replacing said rug on the main floor. Between the three P’s, dirty snow and muddy footprints, it just wasn’t worth it.

There may also be damage to your belongings if your foster is destructive. Crates will become your new best friend, but if your foster has an immense dislike for crates, a great alternative is the playpen.

#5 – Your own dog’s behaviour may change.

Once upon a time our dog Halladay used to be impeccably housetrained. We would leave him alone in the house for 8+ hours, come home from work, and there wouldn’t be a single accident. Now that we have a different dog in our home every month or so, sometimes with questionable bathroom habits, Halladay has begun displaying his own less than stellar bathroom habits.

For example (yes, there is an example), the other night I was lying in bed, going through emails on my laptop. Lara was sleeping in her bed beside me, and Halladay and Wookie were wrestling. Suddenly Halladay stopped playing, went to a corner of the bedroom and began doing his poo spin. Thankfully I stopped him in time and got him downstairs and out to the backyard.

Clearly someone needs a refresher in housetraining.

On the flip side, if your dog is an only dog like Halladay used to be, you will dance with happiness when you find your beloved dog and foster getting along, and a few days later, even playing. As much as your dog loves you, nothing replaces their need for doggy companionship. It’s the same thing with humans. As much as I love my dogs, I could not survive wholly on their companionship.

When Wookie and Halladay began playing on Day #2, we really did do a happy dance. Wookie was the first foster that ever wanted to play, and I think Halladay felt like he hit the jackpot.

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In my very first Ottawa Dog Blog post I talked about my Hopeful Hearts foster dog Snoopy, the teeny tiny maltipoo. I mentioned that he used to bite me daily – chewing my fingers, hands, and toes like a furry little alligator.

Although his biting seems like a lifetime ago, thanks to Bark Busters, he still requires continued training and socialization. This is all part and parcel of being a foster parent – to help our foster overcome their fears and become the best furry companion they can be.

When Snoopy was out in the backyard one day barking at various items that scared him (the garden hose, my neighbour’s barbecue cover flapping in the wind, a worm), I wondered, after all this time, why he couldn’t just stop being afraid and get over his fears.

And then it dawned on me.

I’m 30 years old, and due to my fear of driving, I still don’t have my full driver’s licence. I only recently took the test in December to get my beginner’s, however I haven’t taken the necessary steps to learn how to drive, nor have I sat behind the wheel of a car since I got my license. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to learn, and I have been given the tools, but I am just too afraid to take that next step.

Oh hello, hypocrite.

I think that sometimes we have expectations of our dogs that may be unrealistic at times. Just as humans have fears, our furry little friends have fears as well. The next time you find yourself getting frustrated because your dog is doing something out of fear, maybe think about the things you are afraid of, and whether you have faced those fears yourself.

So, I am going to kick my fear of driving in the butt. Once my partner in crime returns from his trip to Dallas, we’re going to head out on the open road. And yes, I will be behind the wheel. Watch out, Ottawa!

It’s kind of funny, though. I am the one who is supposed to be helping Snoopy, but in reality, he’s the one actually helping me. Maybe this is what fostering is all about.

The night before my first ever foster dog was to arrive, I received a phone call from Hopeful Hearts‘ foster coordinator. She said there was this teeny tiny maltipoo at the same Quebec shelter as my soon-to-be foster, and did I possibly have a room for another furry little body? She warned me that he had little man syndrome, but I thought, how much trouble can a teeny tiny maltipoo be?

While sitting in the Quebec shelter waiting to be adopted, this teeny tiny maltipoo developed kennel cough. By the time the staff noticed how sick he was, he had to be put on an IV and spent the rest of his time in the emergency shelter with the very amazing folks there.

The moment he walked into my home, this teeny tiny maltipoo stole my heart. I was told that his name was Lucky, which made me angry and then incredibly sad. We spent the first few days calling him “Little One”, then moving onto “Lo”, and then finally deciding on the name Snoopy. The first time I called him that he immediately looked at me, so it stuck.

Snoopy was on a buffet of meds when he arrived, so he was barely eating. I bribed him with chicken, hamburger, rice, yogurt.. you name it. He just wasn’t interested. We were fortunate if we could get him to eat a tablespoon of food a day. All he wanted to do was sleep, and he very much resembled a stuffed animal in those days.

I did a little happy dance the first time Snoopy showed any real interest in food. In no time at all he was gobbling down boiled chicken and rice, then wet food, and finally, his beloved Chicken À La Veg Fromm.

After his appetite increased he became more lively, doing twirly little dances when he saw his leash, knowing it was walk time. When Snoopy started doing zoomies around the house, I knew we were in the clear. However as his health began to improve, we got to know the real Snoopy.

The first time he bit me I was completely gobsmacked. I was in the process of claiming my space (thank you, Cesar Millan!) by trying to shoo Snoopy out of the kitchen when he did it. He latched onto my foot with his teeth and started flailing around like a little alligator. After that he bit us for various other reasons — I nudged him when he was sleeping, tried to take away a kleenex that he managed to steal from the garbage can, said “no” to him when he peed on the floor, and once he even bit me because I looked at him funny. No joke.

I was flabbergasted. But then I got a chance to read his intake file.

At six months old, Snoopy was purchased at a pet store by his owner. He was left alone 10+ hours a day, and had only met a total of 2-4 people in his 4 years. It was also very clear that he had never been socialized, as he didn’t understand how to be around other dogs. He had never been taught how to use stairs or to go to the bathroom outside, and he didn’t have the slightest idea what to do with a dog toy. Three and a half years later when Snoopy’s owner’s new girlfriend moved in, Snoopy bit her, and that was it. He was dropped off at the shelter in Quebec and they didn’t look back.

After reading his file, we vowed never to give up on him, and to continue working on his issues no matter what.

The first thing we did was teach him how to use the stairs. Then we started taking note of his “triggers”, and instead of avoiding them, we purposely put him in those situations where he would normally bite. With a lot of patience and a ton of praise, Snoopy eventually went from a dog who bit us a few times a day, to once every couple of days. With the help of some very amazing people (Alana & Marco from Bark Busters), his biting issue is now a thing of the past.

It’s been five months since that teeny tiny maltipoo walked into my life, and I am now faced with the daunting task of having to say goodbye, as he has captured the heart of one very lucky lady. I know that her life will forever be changed, like mine was, the moment Snoopy walks into her home.

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Mel keeps a blog where she writes about her life as a foster Mom. You can read it here. And you really should read it – it’s awesome and so inspirational.

“To my boy, my buddy, Wiskaka, Snoopy and my friend.
I miss you, Tara-Lynn misses you. Everyone that knew you are sad that you are gone.
All the things we did, all the places we went together. I hope you are not hurting anymore. I hope you are chasing squirrels again.
We constantly think about you.
You will never be forgotten.”

With the deepest love,
Dad, Tara-Lynn, Anik, Skye and Alex

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