# Am I asking too much?



## SeriousConfusion (Aug 2, 2006)

I had a bad first experience fostering a mixed breed small dog. So, I really debating fostering again.
I decided to only foster German Shephers and brought a young 12 month old home this weekend. I was at the rescue lady's house for 2 1/2 hours. Today, I try to take her into the groomers because she is matted, shedding and smells really bad. I doubt she's ever been bathed before.
Well, she doesn't have a rabies tag, and the rescue just told me that her Rabies expired a few days ago and she didn't realize it.

I don't mind giving a foster shelter in my home, a clean house, a big backyard, food, attention and love. How can I be sure all her other vaccines are up to date as well?

I'm just annoyed. I don't have time to take her to the vet. I have weekends off, today was the day to get her groomed and I am annoyed and pissed. Let alone putting my own pets at risk.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Sorry that you feel like you're having a bad experience. My experience fostering is that while the rescue pays for vetting I am responsible for getting it done. I have never gotten a vetted dog from a rescue unless the dog was an owner surrender and came with vet records. Not sure how the rescue you're working with operates but that's how it was with the ones I've fostered for. 

If this pup had a rabies shot at 4-6 months then you will not be putting your own dogs at risk. The 1 year rabies booster is necessary by law but the dog is probably well protected. Waiting a week is not going to make a difference. Same goes for basic vaccinations. If the dog had all of her puppy shots then she will be well protected for quite a while yet.


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## SeriousConfusion (Aug 2, 2006)

Thanks Ruth.
I can see it was a small oversight and I know rescue's are not paid and doing this on their own free time and money and work full time jobs too. I understand that, I do. But, if you need more foster homes, help me help you. Make it as easy as possible for me the first time, once I have that great experience, and I will foster again and again.
I will get this dog bathed today. She is so sweet and just wants to be loved, but it's hard when she stinks from a mile away. It's hard to love a stinky dog, but she is a beauty and will do very well with some basic obedience and manners.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

I really hope you're able to have a great experience this time out and that you get hooked on the whole fostering "thing". Good foster homes are the life blood of rescue. 
As you become more experienced you'll get a better idea of what is important to you regarding what prep work the dog needs before coming into your home. I have dealt with foster parents that want everything done prior to taking the foster in, and I have dealt with others who are okay with getting things taken care of after the the dog is in their home. It just depends on how much time they have, what they are comfortable doing on their own and other, individual factors.
And just as individual foster homes vary, so do individual rescues. Some are really careful about that stuff, and others not so much. Experience with this particular rescue will tell you if this was just a lapse in protocol, or if the people in charge are generally lax in these matters. 
I can totally understand why you would want only dogs already vaccinated in your home. Make sure that the next dog you bring in has already had everything brought up to date. Tell the foster coordinator that you only want dogs that have been brought up to date and ask the person you are picking the dog up from to have all related vaccination paperwork in hand and ready to pass over to you before you pick the dog up. A good rescue will understand why this is important to you and will be more than happy to get you what you need as a foster home. 
Good luck, and I hope your foster girl smells better after her bath!
Sheilah


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Stinky dogs are definitely no fun!







I hope she cleans up nicely. 

I agree that some rescues are much more organized than others. The rescues I've worked with have tried hard to match the foster with the proper foster home, made it clear what the expectations of the foster were and provided whatever support necessary. If the dog came straight out of the shelter or a bad home situation then s/he was usually stinky and bouncing off the walls. 

Both rescues I worked with had a policy where most new foster homes were only given really easy fosters or fosters who had already been in a foster home with an experienced foster for a few weeks. I thought that was a great policy because it did make things easier for new fosters.


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## SeriousConfusion (Aug 2, 2006)

Thanks. Great points and good information given. I guess I will have to keep in mind what's most important to me, and ask for that in advance next time.
I found a place to groom her (they didn't mind the missing paperwork and told me to bring it later)
So, she is getting groomed as we speak and I'm excited because she deserves a lot of love and this will make it a lot easier to give it to her.
I'll post some pics of her later.


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## SeriousConfusion (Aug 2, 2006)

It took the groomers 6 hours but she is back and beautiful! I didn't realize what a beautiful coat she has. She's more of a bicolor and I didn't even realize it because she was so dull before.

She's even cuter and sweeter because she smells good. So much more to love.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I fostered for several rescues and was always expected to take the dog to the vet and get it cleaned up. A few of the dogs were already vetted because they have been in boarding prior to coming to me. 

The rescue I am in now is small, we all work full time to pay for bills, foster and do rescue - so we are in the same boat. I would not expect someone to run around for my fosters in addition to their own. I feel that fostering is a great experience on its own, and don't expect others to make it a great experience for me, but that's just me. In our current rescue we could not accommodate a volunteer that is very high maintenance. We had such an experience and catering to the volunteer was more work than taking care of an extra dog and we had to let the voluneer go. A large rescue might be able to accommodate such needs better, we just can't.


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