We want the foster experience to be rewarding and enjoyable for both you and the little dogs whose lives you save.  To assist in that, we want to be sure that our expectations and requirements for the foster parents of Small Chance Rescue animals are clear.

 

Since the goal of our rescue program is to find loving, forever homes for our dogs, each foster parent is expected to make every effort to have their foster dogs at each Meet and Greet Event.  If a foster parent cannot bring a dog to the event, Small Chance Rescue can make efforts to arrange transport to and from the adoption event. *These dates are always listed on our website but we will try to send out notices in advance to the Yahoo Group so you can have time to tell us you need help with transport

 

All dogs are adopted through the Small Chance Rescue adoption process. If a foster parent knows someone they think would make a good home for a dog, they need to refer that person to the program, have them fill out an application and follow standard adoption procedures.

 

We value your commitment and care for these dogs.  We appreciate feedback regarding what type of home would be best for the dogs you are fostering and we will try to get a good idea up front of what type of household the dog will do well in and make that information available to the public on the website.  If you feel comfortable, we would be happy for you to talk either one-on-one or over the phone with a potential adopter once their initial screening has been done (such as interview and vet reference check).  However, all adoption placements are ultimately the responsibility of the Small Chance Rescue group.

 

Small Chance Rescue provides medical care for all dogs in our program.  Each dog will have the following medical care prior to placement: spay/neuter, rabies, DHLPP, and bordatella vaccinations, heartworm preventative (or heartworm treatment if positive), microchip.  All surgeries that are reasonable to fix ailments are completed by the group prior to placement (broken bones, tumor removals, eye repairs, etc.).  Other long-term illnesses such as kidney disease and diabetes will be managed and under control prior to placement.  If any dog needs medical attention, the foster parent should notify their foster contact, and we will make arrangements for the dog to be seen by one of our veterinarians.  To facilitate record keeping and keep our expenses manageable, fosters must use our rescue-friendly veterinarians.  However, if there is a medical emergency, the foster parent is to take care of the dog using whatever veterinarian possible.  Emergency member numbers and local Animal Emergency Hospital numbers are listed below.  Vet appointments can be either specific appointment times that the foster parent can talk to the vet or if the vet office has a hard time fitting us in at the last minute, the foster dog will be dropped off and then picked up later in the day when the vet office calls us.  The Coordinators will let you know which type of appointment it is and work with your schedule to make the vet appointment as convenient as possible.

 

If for some reason a foster parent cannot keep a dog, the foster parent is to notify their foster contact so that the dog can be placed in another home.  Any dog in the program is only allowed to be in a Small Chance Rescue approved foster home or boarding facility. Please give the group advance notice so we can work quickly to find a new foster home for the dog and have patience with us while we do our best.  If you need to go out of town, the foster dog should only stay with another approved foster.  You can post this request to the Yahoo Group for a volunteer to watch your foster dog.

 

If a foster parent is interested in adopting their foster dog, they must let us know as soon as possible. Fostering does not guarantee adoption approval, but we will do our best to make all involved happy. If there is already an interested applicant, this is where we have hard decisions to make.. Volunteers are arranging for placement of these dogs.  If you are seriously considering adoption, a foster may (with permission) keep a dog for 2 weeks while deciding if they have the right dog for them.  In such a case, the dog would not come to one Meet & Greet and would be listed as “pending” on the website.  Please remember that it is VERY easy to fall in love with your foster dog, especially the very first one. We ALL have had our “crushes” on foster dogs. The key to fostering is remembering that we want to find the best home for the dog and keep his/her best interest in mind.  Should the group agree with the foster adopting the dog, then the foster home will pay the adoption fee, complete the Adoption Contract, and assume ownership of the dog. Until, and unless, an Adoption Contract has been signed and the adoption fee paid, the dog is the property and responsibility of Small Chance Rescue.

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Your Pets and Your Rescued Dog

SCR Coordinators will discuss with you the best methods for introducing the new dog into your household. Though many dogs and cats, especially those used to their owners' rescue work, welcome the rescued dog, keep in mind that there may be a period of adjustment for the first few days up to 2 - 3 weeks depending on the rescued dog’s history and personality. During this time, the rescued dog may appear shy or submissive. He/she may be particularly wary in a new situation. Your foster may also have been hit, dragged by the collar, or kicked, which you'll know immediately from his behavior around you and your family. Take it slow and easy; let the dog learn to regain trust; give him hugs and kisses as he can tolerate them; he may be surprised at first, but will eventually relish the attention and return it. As he becomes more confident, he may change his behavior towards resident pets, beginning to play and explore the pecking order.

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Always feed your pets and your rescued dog separately; consider feeding your foster in a crate if you notice any food aggression between dogs. Be careful when dispensing treats or other high-value items like rawhides or favorite toys. Sometimes what is thought to be food aggression is actually just a territorial imperative that will take care of itself as the pecking order is established and the dogs relax. Keeping this in mind, always supervise the interactions of your rescued dog with other pets.

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When leaving the rescued dog home alone (even if you have other pets at home), the use of a crate or gate is recommended at least the first few days up to two weeks; for dogs going through Heartworm treatment, the crate is absolutely necessary to keep the dog quiet. Confining your rescued dog protects him, your pets, and your property from possible injury or damage. 

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Common Questions 

"Don't you get attached to the dog?" -- Yes, usually, and that is what we want for both you and the dog. It's fun to get to know new dogs, and for your foster dog and resident dog(s) to make new friends, too. Often, your resident dog will be revitalized in the presence of the rescued dog, and you will witness amazing developments in both dogs. It's educational to see how different dogs react to training, how they play with and teach one another. It's also educational to see when any territorial problems develop and learn to deal with those, usually allowing the dogs to work things out within reason, calling for crate time when the problem needs to be dealt with. You will fall in love with your foster dog, which is necessary to his or her rehabilitation and also leads us to the next question.
 

"How can you give him up?" -- This is probably the number one reason why a lot of caring people do not offer their homes for foster care: they are afraid giving the dog up will hurt too much. However, it's a hard truth, but without enough foster homes, we cannot rescue and save these dogs: they will die in the shelters if we don't have space for them in our program. It helps to think of your foster dog as your neighbor's dog that you are keeping during a vacation. Sure, you like him and will take really good care of him, but when your neighbor gets home, you will give the dog back!  Some of us think of ourselves as the rescued dog's 'aunt' or 'uncle,' a loving guardian for the dog on his or her way to a permanent home.  This is a dog that ultimately belongs to someone else, who is in our care for only a short time. When you give him or her up, it will be to a 'forever home' that this dog has been waiting for--and you will be opening a space for the next rescue that needs you so desperately. There is ALWAYS another rescue dog.  But, also, after many years of fostering, your fellow volunteers can assure you there is nothing quite as moving as seeing your beloved foster dog happy, healthy, loved, and cherished by the forever home that really wanted him or her and in some cases really needed your dog. It's contagious, and we hope you will be hooked on fostering, too.

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"What if I don't think I have enough room for a foster dog?" -- Our rescues are generally small, take up very little space, and will only be with you for as long as they are welcome. You might be surprised by how quickly they work themselves into the family situation and your hearts: all they really need is a small space to recuperate for a few days or weeks until they are ready for their forever homes, and they are touchingly grateful.

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"What if I'm afraid my foster dog who is ill might die?" -- We ease new foster homes into fostering very gradually and never give a heartworm patient or other very sick or injured dog to a home until they feel ready to take on that responsibility. To be honest, though, we can tell you that if you foster long enough, you may very well eventually lose a foster even with all our efforts to save him or her. Tragically, most of us who have fostered for a long time have gone through the pain of loss because, after all, most rescues are in the program because they have been neglected, abandoned, and abused: and that includes previous owners not giving them heartworm pills or other medical care. The illness is not the dog's fault, and sometimes the weeks or months he or she is with us are the only medical care, peace, and love the rescued dog has ever known. We have held them in our arms when they crossed over and wept tears for them. It happens. But in every case, if we hadn't intervened, the dogs would have had a far worse experience, dying on a cold steel table at the end of a needle in an overworked shelter putting down dozens of animals every day, or alone, frightened, and sick on the streets. The dogs we do lose in our program knew we loved them and did the best we could for them; and we are humbled by their sweetness and understanding even as they cross over. It is, in fact, a very humbling experience, and we're never sorry we tried to help these dogs. However, it's also important to remember that through loving foster care and the best medical care available, we save over 90% of even the sickest dogs.  Most of your fosters are not only going to make it, but are going to thrive, become unbelievably gorgeous, go on to a wonderful new life, and make you very proud.

 

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Other Things You Need to Know

If you have a problem or a question, call SCR Coordinators! If the dog bites someone, you must call SCR Coordinators and report this immediately. Though some biting is fear biting and can be corrected, no dog will be allowed to remain in the program if he has become dangerously aggressive. If the dog escapes the fence, fights with other dogs, won't leave your cat alone, or has other behavior problems, we need to know this. We will likely be able to help with management or training suggestions, and will take these facts into consideration when screening potential adoptive homes for the dog. *If your dog should get loose, immediately contact a SCR coordinator and post a message on the SCR Yahoo group. We will help you find the dog.

When your foster dog arrives, SCR Coordinators will tell you everything they know about the dog and the dog's history. The dog will have a collar and tags, which shall remain on the dog at all times (except during bathing). The dog will be vaccinated and neutered (or scheduled for these needs); any health problems will be fully discussed. The Coordinators will keep in touch with the foster home through E-mail and by phone; we need occasional updates on the dog's progress, so the foster home would need to be available to exchange information with the Coordinators every week. Foster homes need to administer prescription medications and HW preventative (provided by SCR), crate a dog going through heartworm treatment, follow all veterinarian directions, and alert SCR officials of any medical emergencies. 

SCR Coordinators are the only persons who can approve a permanent home for your foster dog. If you have a family member or friend interested in adoption, or you meet a potential adopter, by all means, encourage him or her to apply and provide him or her with the phone number and/or web site, explaining that in addition to completing the adoption application, the prospective home must arrange for a home check by one of our volunteers and an in-home visit with the dog. Please contact SCR and give us that person's phone number. You must not promise or place a dog yourself. SCR must screen the applicant and interview all potential homes, and has the paperwork necessary to finalize all adoptions. Foster homes give our dogs the love and renewed trust they need to move on to their new homes with confidence. We appreciate the work our fosters do more than can ever be satisfactorily expressed. In return, we appreciate our foster homes' trust in us as well: the coordinators are extremely careful in our adoption procedures, and though we welcome our foster homes' love for and concerned interest in and suggestions about our dogs, because we are a charitable organization overseen by the IRS and health organizations, the coordinators make the final decisions about the actual adoptions of our programs' dogs.  

SCR Coordinators are the only persons who can accept a dog into the program. If you learn of a dog in need of rescue, please notify us as soon as possible with the information, and we will take steps to work with you to bring the dog into the program. Because we are responsible to our donors, dogs, and program welfare, SCR Coordinators are the only persons who make medical decisions for program dogs. In an emergency, foster homes take their dogs to a clinic, but must call or e-mail the coordinators so we can work with you and the clinic during the dog's distress.