Have you ever fostered a pet?

[limeandpepper]

I have recently moved interstate to be with my partner and I am currently unemployed in an area far away from the action, and pretty much the only people I know are my partner, his family, and some MMM forum members. Anyway, I'm quite lonely and I feel like life would be so much better if I had a pet. I'm not sure if we can commit to one for the long haul (we both love to travel) so I'm looking into being a foster parent to a cat or a dog. We both have experience with pets.

If you have had experience in fostering pets, what is it like? Also, do you find yourself getting too attached and end up adopting it? (We don't want this to happen, but we all know how irresistible those darned animals can be...)

[MakingSenseofCents]

We have fostered one pet before and ended up adopting it. We were looking to add another dog to our family so we expected it to happen.

I think it would be possible to not adopt it. If you can help find the perfect pet parents for them, then you will probably feel better about giving it back.

[Cassie]

You can foster for years until a pet gets adopted.  I have a friend that does this.  Some never get adopted & they are forever fosters although the agency pays all the vet bills.

[Juslookin]

We have fostered multiple times. We generally foster cats because of the space we have available. Usually litters of kittens and once a mama who had babies in our bathroom.

Each time was a great experience, we did lose some animals and you have to be prepared for that.

We never kept any of the animals we fostered, even though we were offered, and usually if you foster you can adopt them for free.  We just were ready when it was time for them to go, we knew the humane society was placing them in good homes. Besides, when you return them you can usually pick up a new batch of fosters with new kooky personalities.

  My family was never really a "cat family". But there is something about a pile of kittens that will make anyone smile.

They always need good people to foster, good for you.  Just an FYI usually food is on you, everything else including vet care is on them.

[Cromacster]

If you foster for a group that is properly registered as a charity all expenses you incur while fostering the pet are tax deductible.  Food, vet etc.  So that would be something I would check out before agreeing to foster for a certain group.  Just an FYI.

[geekette]

We fostered once, and they found a home for the cat.

My SIL fostered a litter of kittens and all went to new homes.

A friend fostered a litter of puppies and a litter of kittens...She now has 3 dogs and two cats.

So it varies!

[starbuck]

You can foster for years until a pet gets adopted.  I have a friend that does this.  Some never get adopted & they are forever fosters although the agency pays all the vet bills.

This is something I would look out for (unless it's what you want.) There are some rescue orgs that are okay with very very long term fosters. I personally wouldn't want to foster an animal for an extended period of time (years?! wtf) unless it was a special needs case. To me, that's a sign of the organization not taking an active role in finding their animals permanent homes, and I don't like that approach to animal rescue. (This is different from someone doing foster-to-adopt to make sure it's a good fit, which is sensible.)

The animal shelter I work at always needs short-term foster homes for kittens + pregnant/nursing moms even though we have a physical shelter space.

FWIW, I plan on regularly fostering dogs (and maybe cats) in the future when we're better suited for it. (AKA when our senior dog that hates any sort of change passes on.) I don't get too attached to the dogs in my work at the shelter, but I've got pets of my own and have been doing this for years. Plus, having my own dog limits my ability to foster dogs that really need it. Of course I have favorites, though!

[Cookie78]

I started fostering dogs and I love it. I've fostered three so far and the organization pays for everything. Like you, I don't want to commit to another dog, but fostering brings me and my dog a lot of joy.

So far the fosters I have had have stayed for one to two months. I only foster adult dogs, and those without serious medical issues because I work during the weekdays. Puppies get adopted very quickly and medical issue dogs often take a lot longer.

One of the dogs I had was missing a leg. It had been amputated 3 weeks before I picked him up from the shelter, but he got around amazingly. He'd run and play and keep up with the other dogs we met. He wiped out a couple times turning sharp corners, but he'd just jump up and keep running. He was a great dog and I wondered if it would take longer for him to get adopted because of the missing leg. But it only took 2 months.

He was also the hardest dog to see go. He went to a lovely family though, and that helps, but I still miss him. If I was in a situation to be able to commit to a second dog without giving up other future goals (travel related) I would have adopted him for sure.

[RyanAtTanagra]

He was also the hardest dog to see go. He went to a lovely family though, and that helps, but I still miss him.

This would be my main concern.  I've never fostered, but a few years ago we got an older (12-13 years) rescue dog that had been at a temporary foster home for over a year with this sweet little old lady.  She brought the dog over to check out the environment she'd be in (pretty normal), and cried when leaving without the dog.  I'd have been the same way, due to how awesome of a dog she is.  So, you have to know yourself.  If it takes a long time to find a home for a dog, are you going to be able to say goodbye?  Definitely not trying to dissuade you, bravo for considering it, just make sure you understand the emotional aspects.

We lucked out in the foster missing our dog so much as we got to share pictures with her and she ended up being a great dogsitter, which both she and the dog was ecstatic about.  win-win-win.  But I doubt that situation is super common.

[Cookie78]

He was also the hardest dog to see go. He went to a lovely family though, and that helps, but I still miss him.

This would be my main concern.  I've never fostered, but a few years ago we got an older (12-13 years) rescue dog that had been at a temporary foster home for over a year with this sweet little old lady.  She brought the dog over to check out the environment she'd be in (pretty normal), and cried when leaving without the dog.  I'd have been the same way, due to how awesome of a dog she is.  So, you have to know yourself.  If it takes a long time to find a home for a dog, are you going to be able to say goodbye?  Definitely not trying to dissuade you, bravo for considering it, just make sure you understand the emotional aspects.

We lucked out in the foster missing our dog so much as we got to share pictures with her and she ended up being a great dogsitter, which both she and the dog was ecstatic about.  win-win-win.  But I doubt that situation is super common.

That's a sweet story. I cried a few tears too when I found out they were going to pick up their new dog a week earlier than expected, But I was fine when they came later that day to get him. It's a little moment of sad in exchange for a whole lot of happy, and knowing that you are doing a great thing for the dogs being fostered.

I got a couple pics sent to me a few months after he left and there was one with him with his head in the lap of their 4 year old daughter. She had the biggest most gleeful smile.

It's awesome that you have a dog sitter out of the deal too. :)

[southern granny]

I couldn't.  I would never be able to give the animal up.  I know my weaknesses.

[limeandpepper]

Wow thanks for the replies!

For the two shelters that I've been looking into, they pretty much provide everything (food, litter, bowls, bedding, medical care). So other than transport to pick up the pets, it's basically free, which is rather awesome.

As for length of time, I think I would prefer not to have them for too long, I looked at the application forms - one shelter would like a minimum commitment of 1 month; another gives the option of emergency temporary care which is covering for existing carers affected by unforeseen circumstances, or "short term" which they define as 3 - 6 months. Both of these requirements are fine with me at this stage.

The goodbyes will be tough but I'm thinking we can do it and maybe we should just give it a go and see how we feel after the first one. As some of you have said, I think it will be comforting to know they have found a good home, and also we can look forward to fostering another one after that.

[kathrynd]

We travel for about 7 months of the year, but when we are home, we are foster parents to momma cats and her kittens, or to orphan kittens.
Many times the momma cat adopts the orphans ad nurse them too...which is wonderful.

Over the past 3 years, we've had about 30, and only lost one (an week old  orphan who was pretty sick from the first day)
I worried about becoming too attached, because I love cats.

But our job is to socialize and love them, and to get them ready for their 'forever' homes.
It's the best feeling ever.

All of our adult children love to visit and cuddle them :)
For a month we had 2 momma cats and 10 babies....what a fun month !!!  :)
They were all orange except the 1 pure black orphan...so cute.

Do it...you won't regret it.
We never (hardly ever) gave them names..which helped me.

[happy]

I collected something like 9 rescue guinea pigs for a rescue and fostered them for a few weeks until the rescue could take them. It was an awful lot of work, and the rescue was obsessive about finding good homes, so relinquishing them was a bit of a relief. I did feel a bit attached but from the outset I knew I wasn't keeping them which helped a lot. For various reasons  I subsequently adopted 2 of them, down the track.

[nora]

We fostered a cat for a year in a private arrangement, and then his owners said they wern't coming back. But we had two cats of our own and they didn't get on with him, so we found a nice home for him with a loving human adult and no other animals also through a contact we knew. The original owners offered to pay for his food etc but we didn't take them up on it.

We fostered two horses from SPCA for a year or so. They were rescue horses. But we had to move overseas so we gave them back up for refostering. They were sweet personalities once we got to know them. And I felt good about doing it. It was very expensivr feeding them. And we bought them winter covers because I am a sook and couldn't leave them out there without one while my own horse had one.