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If any of you would like the joy of sharing your life with a hound but who may not be in a position to offer one a permanent home at the moment, do consider fostering for Lurcher SOS. We are always in need of new foster carers for our dogs. But even more so at present. Whilst we were in a lockdown situation there were many people who purchersed or adopted dogs. There were few dogs in the pounds we work closely with which was great! But now we are seeing dogs come flooding into pounds again. Which is so sad. As we have no kennels we rely on our foster homes. Once these foster homes are full, we can't help any more dogs. We are now turning dogs away.
You can imagine how heartbreaking that is for a rescue.
Getting a dog out of a shelter environment removes the animal from a stressful, noisy environment, where they are isolated in a cage, and puts them in an environment where they can relax and interact with people and other animals. It is much easier to get a good assessment of the animal’s personality in a foster home environment.
Pound animals who come from an abusive background or who are scared in the pound tend to be much more relaxed in a foster home. They can learn to trust while in foster care and become more social.
Foster parents can provide potential adopters with important information. You will be able to find out all the personality traits of a pet – Is he potty trained? Does he like to fetch? Does he like kids or other animals. What are his little quirks and idiosyncrasies? Does he like to chat……Bark?
Being a foster carer is rewarding and helps these abandoned and stray dogs settle into a home environment whilst they await their forever homes. You should be prepared to look after Lurcher SOS dogs in the same way as you would your own dogs until we find him/her a new home. You will need a secure garden with a 6 foot fences and gates, to be at home for most of the day; patience and the time to help these hounds settle. And your children need to be 10 years old and older.
Whilst in foster, your foster dog will need time to unpack any “baggage” and then the personalities of the dog will show. A big part of the role of being a foster carer is assessing the personality of these dogs to ensure that we match them to a home that is right for them. For example; are they cat friendly or not, (most aren't), do they have a particularly high prey drive, are they very active or are they chilled – and so on.
During their time in foster care all dogs, if not previously done, will be wormed, microchipped, neutered (if old enough) and vaccinated. We will cover the cost of all of this and any vet bills incurred whilst in your care. although if you can cover some of the food costs, that would be a great help to us.
You will have our full support and back up at all times.
But some people shy away from fostering because they fear getting too attached to the dog in their care .....
Yes, it can be a very emotional experience when the dog gets adopted and goes on to its permanent home, especially the first time that you foster a dog. I have found that this gets easier as you foster more dogs. As a foster parent, you will most likely be involved in the adoption process. A lot of the emotional issues are relieved when you meet the adopters and you know that the dog is going to a good home. Adopters are usually more than happy to share their email address or phone number with the foster parent and let the foster know how the newly adopted hound is doing. Some will send letters and pictures.
If you would like to help by fostering a Lurcher SOS hound, please fill in our Fostering Application. Or if you have questions, email us at lurchersos@yahoo.co.uk
Thank You!
