“Mom! Can we get a puppy? Pleeeaaase?! PRETTY PLEAAASE????”
“I don’t think so, hun.” Famous last words.
Our kids have wanted a puppy for a long time. And we keep avoiding it. And then we revisit the idea a hundred times.
We have never given a firm answer, and we really don’t know why we are avoiding it. So we decided on a compromise.
Puppy foster care.
This gives us a chance to get our puppy fix, while testing the waters to see if we are suited to raise a puppy in this stage of life. It also gives us the opportunity to help the Forever Home Dog Rescue in Johnston.
How Puppy Foster Care Works
Apply online to become a puppy foster home. Someone from the rescue will be in contact with you about setting up a home visit.
You can foster older dogs, young dogs, or 7 week old puppies, like us. They will answer your questions and contact you when they need a foster home. At that time, you will need to get all of the supplies for the dog(s) such as an indoor pen or crate, food, food/water dishes, toys, training treats, puppy pads (if fostering puppies), and probably a cheap blanket you can put with them.
You take care of these dogs, love them, socialize them, and host potential adoptive dog owners to meet them until you find the right home for them.
Our Experience
We are in our first 24 hours of fostering our first pair of puppies. They are brother and sister, a hound/lab mix, 7 weeks
old.
The puppies were so new to the rescue that they didn’t even have names yet! Hubby and I decided to name them without the help of the kids to avoid attachment. Our first two sets of names were vetoed on account of the rescue using those names recently. We landed on Marshall and Skye. A little Paw Patrol love.
These sweet pups were going to have a very short life without the help of Forever Home Dog Rescue. I’m so glad they were rescued! They are doing great at learning our home, our kids, and befriending our cat. The kids just adore them. Except Sophia…she isn’t too sure she likes them up in her business.
Future Fostering
We hope to continue to help this rescue. I know there are more dog rescues in the metro that use the foster care system:
A Heinz 57 Pet Rescue & Transport in De Soto
There is certainly a learning curve to this, and like I mentioned, I’m writing this on day 1 of our first experience. But, so far, we love being a puppy foster home!
