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head_meet_keyboard t1_irx33j4 wrote

If anyone really wants to help but can't donate, consider fostering a dog from a shelter. Damn near every shelter is overwhelmed right now, and opening even one space at a rescue means that another dog can be saved. It doesn't have to be for months, either. A shelter near me does weekend fostering, as well as 2 week fostering. It helps the dogs in a number of ways, one of the most important being that the foster becomes that dog's advocate. All costs are provided for, all you need is a place for the dog to chill, and some time to give them loves and walks.

If you're worried that it will be emotionally difficult, then even just taking a dog out for a field trip or to chill at your house for the day while you work is an amazing way to help the dog, the rescue, and increase chances of adoptions. A snoozing senior pup on a couch will get more attention than a picture through the gate of a kennel. Plus, there's been studies that show a decrease in stress in dogs who went on sleepovers or went on doggy dates, so even when the dog goes back to their kennel, they're less stressed, they sleep better, and they're more calm.

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knittorney t1_iry39uu wrote

I have two rescues, and they are the best dogs I have ever had. The first was likely abused before I got her; the second, badly neglected.

There is no such thing as a bad dog! Dogs need mental and physical stimulation, consistent boundaries (enforced by patience—NOT punishment!), adequate nutrition, and love, in the form of being around their pack, which includes us. That’s it. If your dog is misbehaving, one of those things is lacking: he is bored, antsy, hungry/thirsty/tired/hurting, lonely, or doesn’t understand what the rules are. They’re just like us.

My dogs know what life was like before me: locked in a dog run in a shelter, abused and dumped in the country. As a result, it is so easy to make them happy. We still have some behavioral issues, like my abused dog still fearing male strangers and being a little timid, or my other dog getting a little too confident and independent, but it isn’t anything I can’t handle with a little bit of patience.

My dogs can be walked off leash, and I think it’s because the only lives they knew without me were unhappy. My boyfriend got his dog as a pup, and he goes off on an adventure—because he doesn’t realize that life can be difficult. My dogs know when to approach and when to hold off, because they have been extensively socialized around people and other dogs, which is awesome. My dogs also learned to wait at crosswalks and NEVER to cross the street until I allow them (I yell at the street, not the dog, and “rescue” them if they try—first, I imagine them dying so I get scared, then I grab and pull them back to “safety,” and pet them while I calm down). I have only had a problem a total of once in over two years, when my deaf elderly dog caught a scent and disappeared into a creek area at night, then reappeared the next day, muddy from a swim (so, she had found water) but less than 100 yards from where she got lost (probably because she got turned around). She had found another dog owner who called the number on her tag; she wasn’t close to a street at all, since I had trained her to avoid them. She had found water and knew how to get the attention of another human, by annoying her dogs until she went to investigate. She now wears a lighted collar at night and is always on a leash, since she can’t hear me anymore. My young male dog occasionally gets too far ahead, and after I ask if he wants to go home (which is what I normally do to “punish” him for misbehavior during an otherwise fun outing), he comes running. Lol. I used to have to pretend I was leaving the dog park without him to get him to come with, but it worked (and I never got more than a couple of feet past the gate before he was crying to get out).

Dogs are way smarter than we give them credit for. The key is knowing that they want to make you happy, and giving them attention when they do what you want, ignoring them when they don’t. The only negative reinforcement should come from a correction, immediately followed by an easy task the dog knows to get back into your good graces.

Anyway I’m rambling but yeah, shelter dogs are the best and they literally saved my sanity and maybe even my life (I was super lonely and depressed) during the pandemic.

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Slimxshadyx t1_irzaxmq wrote

Do you find foster dogs have many “issues”? I feel this is one reason why it’s hard for people to foster a dog because they are worried about biting or things such as that

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27catsinatrenchcoat t1_irzgvgz wrote

Not necessarily. There are all kinds of dogs that need to be fostered for different reasons. There's a number that have been mistreated, neglected, not trained, etc. and have issues, but a lot are just normal dogs. There's a million and one reasons pets end up homeless. It can be as simple as the owner moving or even dying. The pets they've had for years now don't have a home.

If you've observed what appears to be a scarcity of rescue dogs that don't need training or are "issue-free," that's mostly because those dogs get adopted quickly. There's no reason for them to be fostered because they can get into a home right away.

If local shelters are full of dogs that don't click with a potential foster then foster-based rescues are a good place to look, since they don't have a physical shelter they should have dogs that are ready to adopt out that need fosters in addition to any with behavioral issues. Medical rescues as well - those pets can require more work but it's on the medical level and not the behavioral level. Those are often sweet and normal pets that just need extra attention. My easiest foster was a cat with a broken leg who literally just couldn't live in a cage. His extra required care was... living in my house.

I love rescue and fostering, but it's so important to do it right. Giving a dog with behavioral issues to a foster that is unable or unwilling to address them is obviously a recipe for disaster. A ~good~ rescue should make the effort to match a foster with a dog that suits them - that's how you adopt out happy, normal dogs!

Sorry, this turned into a bit of a rant.

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head_meet_keyboard t1_irzp0oz wrote

Nope. The shelters know their dogs. Most dogs that are fostered are ones that have been through a behavioral assessment and are totally fine. They just need a place to go. I trained an Anatolian Shepherd who was terrible in the shelter because his breed was a guardian and being surrounded by "predators" had him on high alert at all times. I fostered him for a few weeks and he was the sweetest loaf. He was adopted shortly thereafter.

Another answer to your concern would be the short-term fostering. The shelter isn't going to put you with a dog that has big issues, but if you're still unsure, ask to take a dog out for a trip to Starbucks for a pup cup, or a walk around a new park. You can gradually work your way up with a longer field trip, then a sleepover, and then a weekend foster. Just take it at your own pace and know that you have an entire shelter there as support should you need it.

No dog is perfect. They all have their own personalities and quirks. The best trained golden retriever has likely destroyed a shoe or went counter surfing a time or two. The brilliant thing about these kinds of fosters is that you get to know this awesome new friend without having to commit yourself to months or years. When the dog returns, you can let the staff know some of those quirks and they can work on them with the pup to help make them more adoptable.

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Peenutbuttjellytime t1_issw3o7 wrote

Often time dogs who where strays and lived on the street have been so well socialized and jaded lol, they end up being the most chill dog ever.

Only problem is they can have a bit of a tendency to wander, they don't have that "where's mom?" Baby duck thing that dogs you have had since a puppy do.

It can be nice sometimes though, less seperation anxiety. You just have to always make sure they are on a leash

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