What's your reason for not fostering?

I'll want to keep him
When asked to foster, people often hesitate because they're afraid they'll get attached and not be able to give the dog up. Well, the alternative is that the dog doesn't make it out of the shelter alive. It's time to put our own feelings aside for the sake of these innocent souls. They didn't ask to be dumped by irresponsible people, and it's up to us to change their outcome. All area shelters are filling up fast this time of year, and if we can't find foster homes, the reality is that most of these dogs will be euthanized.

This is Luke. He was in a shelter and was to be euthanized. Was it fair? no. Was it his fault? no.

GSRBC took Luke into our care, thankfully a open foster was found. He was the most amazing dog, and we all fell hard for him.  He was in our care for almost a year waiting for that perfect home. They finally came, and this is Luke now; Literally, running on the beach! He's here with his new sister, Cedar. 

This is why we do what we do.  It doesn't get any clearer than this and Luke deserved his chance at a future.

Sadly, number 463 did not make it out of the shelter, and was euthanized. We can't help them if we don't have a place for them to go.

These are the cold hard facts. 

He won't work out with my animals 
We are always willing to test dogs with other dogs  and cats when possible, so we'll do everything we can to make sure you get a foster that will fit into your family. However, if you do not have a good handle on your own dog, fostering is not likely the right choice for you right now. 

I can't afford another dog
That's the beauty of fostering. You get to help another dog without the lifetime financial responsibility. If you're willing to open your heart and home to one of these dogs in need, we'll pay for any medical expenses. All it will cost you is dog food (which you have to buy for your own dogs anyway) and love.  If food is an issue, we'll find a way to get it! If you already feed a raw diet, we will contribute to that.

I don't want to get "stuck" with another dog
You are never stuck with our dogs. First off, we'd never place a dog beyond your skill level, but if you find that fostering isn't working for you, we'll try to quickly arrange another foster home to take your foster dog.  We can NOT do this in one day.

I'm going on vacation soon
No problem! We'll arrange for another foster home to temporarily take your foster dog in while you're on vacation.


I don't want to get in over my head
We've started a foster mentor program to help new foster parents with any issues that may arise while fostering. We won't just dump a dog on you and leave you to sink or swim. You'll have an experienced foster parent right there to help you the whole time. Every dog you foster for us is a GSRBC dog, first and foremost.  Their welfare and happiness is our greatest concern. We work hard on behalf of every dog in our care, and we stay involved through the whole process.

What will be expected from me as a foster parent?
Mostly, we will expect you to treat your foster dog with kindness, love and leadership. Fostering sometimes requires house training a dog, or working with them on their manners, sometimes they have moderate to severe separation anxiety and need to be worked with. This has been fairly rare, to be honest, but it does happen. Again, skill level comes into play here, and we are not looking to place a dog with you that has severe behavioral problems. If we do decide to take in a dog like that,  they only go to our most experienced fosters.  We believe in full disclosure and will give you all the information we have. Sometimes, when we pull a dog from a shelter, all we have to go on is what the shelter has told us. Sometimes it is accurate and sometimes it is not. However, full evaluations on each dog are done before we take them into our care. 

Fosters are required to take the dog to the vet when needed and sometimes are asked to attend events with their foster dog. We try to give our dogs as much exposure as possible to help them into new homes. We will assist you with a trainer if needed, and are with you every step of the way. We share the problems, find the solutions, and enjoy your successes. Together, we can make a difference.

So now, what's your reason for not fostering? If you have any questions or concerns about fostering that we haven't been answered here, please feel free to ask them. And if you're ready to start fostering now, please let us know right away! Or if you know of anybody else who might make a good foster parent let them know that the dogs need them now!

Please get in contact with us if you can help GSDRescue@shaw.ca