Starting a Rescue? Independant fostering?

Oh what a great post, I need this info also!  With my current foster it looks like I will be doing it all by myself since I haven't been accepted into a foster program.  I posted in "canine connection" about my situation.  I would love to know how to find a home for a foster if your doing the fostering independantly.  Since I can't do petco adoptions how else do I go about advertising to the right people that I have a dog in need of a good home.  I know what to look for when I screan people I just don't know how to find them.  Learning how to foster is more difficult than I thought but if it means saving a life it's so worth it!

i'm not sure exactly what you mean, but if i understand you, then yes, i do it.
 
when i find a stray dog, i bring it home.  i only do one at a time because that's already more than i can afford, and i live in an apartment now so even one is a stretch.  i bring it to the vet and get shots and neutering if necessary, check for chips, flyer the neighborhood where the dog was found, and work to find it a new home.  i work closely with the no-kill organization from whom i adopted rosie and attend their adoption events.  so far, it's been very successful.
 
i save all my receipts for every dime i spend, including gas to travel to events, and deduct it from my taxes.
 
if you have the time, the room, the money, and the right tempermant in your forever home dogs, it's quite rewarding!

A dog's health condition is a gamble.  I would not foster a dog unless I had sponsor to cover the vet costs.  A dog can come to you where its health condition is not visually apparent.  Rescue organization have arrangements with clinic and that includes huge discounts for their services, plus they also have access to specialist.  I am surprised that your organization doesn't want foster, you are definitely in high demand.

I think that is a great idea.  I did that once years ago with guinea pigs.  Nothing huge.  Just when people where in  a pinch and did not want or have time to find them a new home I would help out and keep the little squeakers till we found them a home.

ORIGINAL: DPU

A dog's health condition is a gamble.  I would not foster a dog unless I had sponsor to cover the vet costs.  A dog can come to you where its health condition is not visually apparent.  Rescue organization have arrangements with clinic and that includes huge discounts for their services, plus they also have access to specialist. 

 
a sponsor is a really good idea! i never thought of that!  i've been lucky so far, i guess... i've only done this with 3 dogs and they've all had (blessedly) clean bills of health.  because i work in conjunction with an organization while providing my own funds and my own advertising, i have access to the same vet they use, but i can only use it for the fosters.  that's ok with me; it seems a fair trade.  but DPU raises a great point- most people i know who run foster organizations are deeply, deeply in debt.

ORIGINAL: DPU

I am surprised that your organization doesn't want foster, you are definitely in high demand.

Me, too. I'm pretty annoyed about it, actually. They were pretty rude about me wanting to adopt an animal, too, because I had a cat, a dog, and a baby. They were acting like people who want to adopt or foster are a huge nuisance.

ORIGINAL: rolenta

ORIGINAL: DPU

I am surprised that your organization doesn't want foster, you are definitely in high demand.

Me, too. I'm pretty annoyed about it, actually. They were pretty rude about me wanting to adopt an animal, too, because I had a cat, a dog, and a baby. They were acting like people who want to adopt or foster are a huge nuisance.

 
I am also surprised... Wouldn't this be a good thing, since many dogs are adopted into a family with children or other pets? So strange... [sm=sad.gif]

I would not foster a dog unless I had sponsor to cover the vet costs.

My SIL picked up a stray and brought it home.  She and my brother spent about $800 getting it well enough that a no-kill shelter would take it. 
 
My SIL has a very soft heart and my brother loves her enough that he humors her.  Luckily they have enough money that they can afford it occassionally.  [] 

I foster for our local HS, but I, along with 2 friends also have our own mini rescue.
We just do puppies.
The one friend finds puppies to foster by searching the free to good home ads, or taking the free ones in pariking lots.
The other one calls the owners to ask if we can have them. She offers $$ to spay the parents, too.
I do photos, Petfinder, and am the initial contact re: adoption.
Friend 2 checks the applications and does interviews if necessary.
With our adoption fees, we can pay all expenses and still have $$ to s/n parents.
With the first litter, we had to wait until they got adopted to be reimbursed.
We do this to:
keep pups out of the shelter
so they don't end up in front of walmart
to reduce the # of free pups available
to screen the homes they go to
to ensure that they are s/n themselves
to get them off to a good start in the hopes that they will stay with their family for life: healthy, socialized, crate trained, begun basic manners, too.
 
If you want to do it, just try it. Start small and do what you can and what you want to.

ORIGINAL: janet_rose

I would not foster a dog unless I had sponsor to cover the vet costs.

quote]
 
I always wondered how that worked.  Do shelters get free vet services?  It would cost a fortune if they did not.  I have heard of a couple of Guinea Pig rescues that say thier pigs are vet checked and stuff. Well a vet visit is like $25 to $30 dollars so that would get expensive considering they have hundreds of piggies..
 
I know this is about dogs but since we were talking about sheltors I thought I would write that. 

I would suggest finding a rescue as someone said to cover the vet bills. Rescued dogs can end up being expensive, espeically if they turn out to be HW+, or have a bad leg, or get parvo or distemper....

It says you are from Alberta and I know there are tons of good rescues up there. We work with a rescue up in Calgary sometimes, and I can put you in touch with them if you like..
 
ETA-Peace-No, shelters do not get free vet services (not the ones around here) and neither do rescues. Some vets will discount services but they still have to cover their supplies & time..And yes it does get outrageously expensive.

Well, I found a rescue in Calgary who wants me as a foster!  It's two hours away from here, but they have other people in my area looking to foster as well, so they can make trips down and see everybody.
 
mmthomason, which foster do you work with sometimes?  The one I found was Furever After Rescue Society.  Most of their dogs are imported from high kill shelters from the US, so it's very likely you work with them! 

you asked...
Has anyone here started their own rescue or done independant fostering?
yes.  I have.
 
you said...
I'm thinking of having a small scale one, when I have the time and money.
There is never enough of either. Once you have the time and money...the rescue will eat it up...and leave you wondering...Where did all my time and money go?
 
you said...
My local humane society "doesn't need foster homes, especially homes with children." Considering the amount of dogs at the shelter and the amount of "free to good home" ads in the paper, I highly doubt it.
...and I would say your local humane society is a part of the problem. It is shelters like this that actually encourage people who have no business rescuing animals to start ( Not referring to you) and then are the first to complain and throw their hands up when things go badly. The lady who we just pulled two dogs from a few weeks ago who had 60 some dogs in her house in every condition from bad to dead...she started her "rescue" ( as she called it) for the very same reason...and the shelter was the first to cry foul.
 
My suggestion...
find a good rescue to in your area to foster for. We need another rescue like we need another web blog...or another forum for that matter. What we DO need is the existing rescues to be more effective and to have more help.
 
do not underestimate running a rescues ability to completely take over your life. Running a rescue is a bit like harboring a demon in your closet...you are constanly in fear it will get loose from you and run amuck...constantly worrying about this dog or that dog you did not have room to take in...constantly feeling the pressure ( mostly from shelter like the one you mentioned) to take this dog or that dog OR IT WILL BE KILLED...constantly worried how this dog or that dog is doing in their new home...constantly feilding emails from clueless people you have to be polite to even though you want to choke them...and you are constantly reminded that there are not enough hours in the day or money in the well...
my point here is that alot of people get into rescue thinking it will be all milk and cookies...puppies and sunshine...
the truth is that alot of times the milk is sour, the kids stole the darn cookies, the puppies just bit you in the ankle...right on your really bad sunburn...
 
other than that...it is just great! LOL!
seriously there are good times as well...but I would foster for a rescue first and get a feel for it..get involved and be active with a group and see if it is for you. Rescue is like this...I would not give it up for the world, but if I had known what I know now when we started...I would have started to begin with. Thatis the most honest answer I can offer you.

the end of my post should say I would have NEVER started to begin with..
 
not that it matter cause I see now you are thinking on fostering anyway...
 
good luck!