When I took on my first foster dog, I can honestly say that it was due to an emotional response rather than a rational one. A friend of mine sent out an appeal for a little dog scheduled to be put down at IACC. It touched my heart, so I volunteered. A few hours later I was loading a frightened little dog in a crate into my car.
I wasn't totally unprepared, I have a dog of my own who came from the Humane Society, so I'm not totally unfamiliar with shelter dogs. As I drove toward home a dozen questions began swirling through my mind. What if this dog doesn't get along with Bubba, my dog. Will I be able to do justice to two dogs? Both my significant other, Craig, and I work full time. What kind of training did this dog have? Was he housebroken? Did he have any behavior problems?
Despite the uncertainties, I was determined to make it work. Bubba is a very sweet and laid back dog. He's a two year old Bernese Mountain Dog mix. We're regulars at Eagle Creek dog park and he goes to doggie daycare, so he's well socialized with other dogs. I had the support of Craig as well. The only unknown in this equation was this new dog.
When I got home I let little Beenie out of his crate. Beenie is an adorable Basenji mix. He first jumped on me and then on Bubba, his tail wagging furiously. It was an instant and immediate bond. First hurdle over. After spending so many weeks cooped up in a kennel, I decided that some exercise would do us all some good so it was off the the dog park for a romp. Even though he was a bit timid around all the strange dogs and people, Beenie did extremely well for his first time out.
After an hour or so of play time, it was back home for some dinner. The poor little guy ate like there was now tomorrow! Even more than food though he was hungry for a little affection and attention. He stayed glued to my side for the rest of the evening. He was so starved for attention. He fell asleep with his head on my lap as I petted him. When Craig got home later that evening, Beenie ran up to greet him right along with Bubba. We'd made it through the first evening!
What I learned with Beenie, I put into practice with my other fosters. I first let them have a chance to get to know Bubba. Then it's off to the park for some exercise. It's true what they say, a tired dog is a good dog. The first few days I typically let them eat their fill. Even if dogs are house broken, they usually don't know how to signal to me that they need to go out. The first few days I typically keep them on a schedule and take them outside every 1-2 hours, we stay outside until they pee or poo and then I reward them with a treat when we come back inside. After a few days they usually pick up on the routine.
Even though we had a successful first evening, there was still a lot of work ahead. But at least we were all off to a good start!
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