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NFT: Fostering our first dog today

pjcas18 : 6/15/2018 8:50 am
the rescue we got our current dog from said they were in need of families to foster dogs.

they constantly bring dogs up to Massachusetts from the South and wound up with more than they could (or wanted to handle)

So, my wife volunteered us to foster.

We we talked about it I was convinced that we would easily become foster fails and keep whatever dog we wound up fostering, but now i'm not sure. This dog looks little and my current dog is a 25 pound Jack Russell so I'm not looking for another little dog, but we will see. Get him today around 4pm.

His name is Gordon, but I am immediately changing it to Barkley (for whoever winds up with him as a forever home - hopefully a Cowboys fan).



Quote:
Meet Gordon! This 11 week old, 15 lb, lab/hound/boxer mix pup is looking for love in Mass! Could he be the pup for you? *Available for Adoption on 6/11/18 in Uxbridge, MA*
Gordo! Er, Bark!  
Beezer : 6/15/2018 8:53 am : link
Good boy. (him AND you lol).
Lab, hound, boxer mix  
Lowell : 6/15/2018 8:54 am : link
is not likely to be a small dog.
RE: Lab, hound, boxer mix  
pjcas18 : 6/15/2018 8:56 am : link
In comment 13991725 Lowell said:
Quote:
is not likely to be a small dog.


true, may not be little, but I'm not sure they know the breeds, those are guesses I think. When I see the paws maybe I'll be able to tell.
I have adopted a couple dogs from a Lab Rescue  
Chef : 6/15/2018 9:03 am : link
and recently adopted my current dog. Was fortunate enough to get a pure breed yellow lab. He came in from Alabama and picked him up in Hartford. It is a rewarding experience.
My guess is that pup  
Beezer : 6/15/2018 9:04 am : link
will be a 60-pound dude. But yeah, the paws will tell a bit more.
Beautiful pup regardless of size  
Fast Eddie : 6/15/2018 9:19 am : link
Looks like a lot of Boxer. Nice thing you are doing. Congrats
I would love to foster  
John in Loudoun : 6/15/2018 10:00 am : link
but I know that my wife would want to keep every one of them.
RE: I would love to foster  
pjcas18 : 6/15/2018 10:04 am : link
In comment 13991798 John in Loudoun said:
Quote:
but I know that my wife would want to keep every one of them.


that was my fear too (they call those foster fails but I don't see much failure with it to be honest).

And my kids are actually decent about taking care of the dog, so it's not like one of those stories where everyone begs for a dog and the mom or dad wind up doing all the work (though I do most of it, LOL).

So I'm prepared for that, but we'll see how it goes.

It might be nice getting a "trial" period with a rescue, while I don't think I'd ever buy a dog at this point from a breeder and definitely not a mill, every rescue is not a good fit for everyone. Being slightly selfish maybe fostering is a way to find out first before committing.

In either case I'm looking forward to it and I won't be upset at all if we only have this dog a short period of time, that means it found a forever home.
RE: RE: I would love to foster  
John in Loudoun : 6/15/2018 10:10 am : link
In comment 13991803 pjcas18 said:
Quote:
In comment 13991798 John in Loudoun said:


Quote:


but I know that my wife would want to keep every one of them.



that was my fear too (they call those foster fails but I don't see much failure with it to be honest).

And my kids are actually decent about taking care of the dog, so it's not like one of those stories where everyone begs for a dog and the mom or dad wind up doing all the work (though I do most of it, LOL).

So I'm prepared for that, but we'll see how it goes.

It might be nice getting a "trial" period with a rescue, while I don't think I'd ever buy a dog at this point from a breeder and definitely not a mill, every rescue is not a good fit for everyone. Being slightly selfish maybe fostering is a way to find out first before committing.

In either case I'm looking forward to it and I won't be upset at all if we only have this dog a short period of time, that means it found a forever home.


We have 2 lab mixes and one is getting pretty old. He's hanging in there but we might try when he passes. I've used breeders in the past with really excellent dogs but there are so many dogs needing homes that its pretty hard for me to justify going that route again. The two we have now are rescues and they were not easy dogs, especially as pups but man have they given us so much joy. Eli, the younger one, makes me laugh every day.
...  
26.2 : 6/15/2018 10:22 am : link
We adopted our dog who was a rescue from the south (Rome, GA to be exact) and he is a lot like your foster (Hound/lab/boxer). There is an unrecognized breed called Black Mouth Cur. They are bred in the south to tree squirrels, raccoons and to hunt wild boar.

Problem is the ones that don't hunt very well get taken to the kill shelters and they are filled with them.

Another problem and the biggest IMO, is that they are extremely great dogs and very easy to train. It breaks my heart everyday thinking that my dog could have been euthanized b/c he wasn't a good hunting dog (watching him chase squirrels and deer I can see why!). Anyway, don't be surprised if you really like this guy. FWIW, my dog (charlie) is 67lbs.
We have fostered dogs  
Bubba : 6/15/2018 11:20 am : link
for years. Just remember your job is too evaluate, train ( if needed) and place them in their forever home. What was the reason he is available? Is he a stray, owner turn in...?
Thanks for the replies  
pjcas18 : 6/15/2018 11:21 am : link
if people want I'll post some pictures once we get him later today.

for all I know my current dog (who loves everyone and all dogs - actually she hates rodents and rabbits but I've posted about that already) may not get along with him.

RE: We have fostered dogs  
pjcas18 : 6/15/2018 11:24 am : link
In comment 13991862 Bubba said:
Quote:
for years. Just remember your job is too evaluate, train ( if needed) and place them in their forever home. What was the reason he is available? Is he a stray, owner turn in...?


And entire litter was abandoned in Alabama. The rescue we got our current dog from has a network throughout the south where they bring back abandoned dogs or dogs in kill shelters to help them find homes up North.

I'm not sure why, maybe the weather or just something about the culture, but there are literally thousands of abandoned dogs throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina - this group brings back as many as they can. You occasionally find some abandoned dogs up here too, but not close to the same volume or frequency.

Gordon (soon to be Barkley) is the last of this particular litter. I really don't expect to have him too long. Puppies usually go quickly.
Dogs are Cute  
Alwaysblue22 : 6/15/2018 1:49 pm : link
Too bad they SHIT..or I would adopt one.
I foster for the SE German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue  
ctc in ftmyers : 6/15/2018 2:23 pm : link
I get the cases that the other foster don't want or can't handle. I have 6 or seven that have went on to their forever homes and a few that have never left.

The ones that have never left are all senior dogs that were never let out of a kennel.

The 2 brothers, Luke and Duke, I have right now were suppose to be ~6/8 years old. Well, they're 10 plus and had never been to the vet in their lives. Needless to say, the chances of them leaving here are slim to none.

Not only are they not crate trained, they will break out of any crate you put them in. I mean absolutely destroy it. When I took Duke into get neutered, they called me to come pick him up 3 hours before I was to pick him up because he was wreaking the steel cage they put him in for recovery when he woke up.

the one good thing about these 2 is that my kennels have been reinforced to where the can hold any critter Jurassic world has to offer.

Seriously though, fostering is a great experience. The ones that I have straightened out and sent on to their forever homes is a satisfying experience. You get to match the dogs to the situation that will give him/her the best chance to succeed.

RE: RE: We have fostered dogs  
26.2 : 6/15/2018 2:28 pm : link
In comment 13991869 pjcas18 said:
Quote:
In comment 13991862 Bubba said:


Quote:


for years. Just remember your job is too evaluate, train ( if needed) and place them in their forever home. What was the reason he is available? Is he a stray, owner turn in...?



And entire litter was abandoned in Alabama. The rescue we got our current dog from has a network throughout the south where they bring back abandoned dogs or dogs in kill shelters to help them find homes up North.

I'm not sure why, maybe the weather or just something about the culture, but there are literally thousands of abandoned dogs throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina - this group brings back as many as they can. You occasionally find some abandoned dogs up here too, but not close to the same volume or frequency.

Gordon (soon to be Barkley) is the last of this particular litter. I really don't expect to have him too long. Puppies usually go quickly.


The shelters in those places you mentioned have high kill shelters. So basically, if the dog doesn't get adopted or one of these organizations doesn't come get them, they kill the dogs within a week. Its pretty unsettling.

At the same time there are probably tons of dogs that
people can't take care of. Lots of rural, farm land where dogs have freedom to travel to other farms to find "love." Then the next thing you know there's a litter. Lots of breeders in those areas too.

My dog was about a year old when he was rescued from one of those shelters and transported up to VA.
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