Fostering A Golden Retriever

(scroll down for Testimonials on Fostering)
 

Ode to Foster Families

Your home may have been
The first one that I'd ever seen;
Your voice the first to teach, to praise,
To guide me through confusing days.
You're the one who taught to me
What the We of a good dog ought to be.
Your patient persistence all the while
May have won my very first doggie smile.
And now that I am off to roam
With the family of my "forever" home,
Yours is the home I will always dream of
Your gentle hands, your smiling love,
The way you coaxed tangles out of my coat,
The sound of your voice, yes, every note.
If they learn to love me the way that you do
I will know that I owe my acceptance to you.
Though my paws may wander far away,
Yours is the home where I learned to stay.

        --Kam Ellery, 2000

Golden Retriever rescue is busier than ever ... that's why we're looking for people who are willing to open their homes and hearts to homeless Goldens in need of temporary housing.

Here’s How It Works:

Note: In the interests of reading ease, we will refer to your foster Golden boy or girl as he/him.

You will be required to complete an adoption/foster application.  Approval of that application will depend on results of past/current veterinarian care, interview and home visit by a Golden Rescue in Naples, Inc. (GRINinc.) member.

The member will call you when a Golden needs fostering; GRINinc. makes every effort, beforehand, to ensure that you foster a dog whose needs and characteristics are compatible with you, your family and lifestyle. If this doesn’t turn out to be the case, then we will place the dog with another foster family and let you know when we have dog that would be suitable for you.

When the dog comes to you, he will have been to a vet where he will have been evaluated, heartworm and intestinal worm checked, and, health permitting, brought current on all his vaccinations, micro chipped, and neutered/spayed if necessary.

GRINinc will cover all pre-approved veterinary costs and medications; heartworm preventative, flea/tick control and a collar & leash with GRINinc. ID tag will also be provided.  You will cover the cost of food and any toys you choose to purchase for him.  Charges that you incur will probably be considered charitable donations and, therefore, tax deductible, so you should check with your accountant or tax attorney as to how you can go about that.

The dog will be with you for a minimum evaluation period of two weeks, during which time we will ask that you evaluate his personality, likes/dislikes, needs, behavioral patterns and overall temperament, and establish what sort of family it would be best that he be adopted into. You will report all you learn about him to your GRINinc Representative – this will allow him/her to evaluate which applicants would be suitable for the dog.

During his stay with you, you will be responsible for:

• Daily feeding, walking and exercising (dog MUST be kept on leash when outdoors if not in fenced-in yard)
• Reinforcing basic obedience commands such as sit, come, down, stay, and housetraining
• Basic grooming such as brushing, baths
• Providing an abundance of love and attention

The duration of his stay with you may range from as short as two weeks to a few months. All the while, you'll have the support of a truly experienced, reliable and responsive GRINinc. member, and other fosters, upon whose knowledge you can draw at any time.

If you decide, at any time, that you truly cannot give him up then you have the option to adopt him yourself and will make the same adoption donation as anyone else.  Foster homes do have the FIRST right to adopt their foster Golden. But remember – while yes, you will become attached to the dog (how can you not?), that you are providing love and stability to a dog that is in dire need of that attention at this stressful time in its life and that there is always another dog coming into the Rescue that is in need of the same nurturing from you.

When a potential adoptive family has been identified and approved, you will be asked to meet with the family and introduce your foster dog to them. This usually happens in your home as this is the location in which your dog is most comfortable and allows the new family to meet him in a relaxed setting; however other options may need to be discussed.  While the potential adopter “interviews” the dog, you will have an opportunity to interview them. You know your foster best, you are his representative, and you will be there firsthand to see how they interact with the dog, and he with them.  Even though the family has been approved by GRINinc, if you are not completely comfortable with this family taking him, you have the right to veto any home.  If you do not want the dog to go to this family, you just let your GRINinc. Representative know and he/she will inform the family that this is not the right dog for them. For you this is a decision – for the Golden, it is his life.

If you give the final approval to the adoptive family, then they may take the dog home with them that day, or they may ask to wait in order to think it over or prepare for his arrival. You will complete a form giving the new family all the information that you have gathered about the dog, and you will review the adoption contract with them prior to their signing it.

The dog will then leave with his new family.  Goldens are highly adaptable to new circumstances and bond quickly with new people. Your foster dog will likely leave without a backward glance.  While this is not necessarily the most flattering for you, it is a testament to the fact that you have taken a frightened, confused rescue and turned him into a happy, confident do g ready to join his new family and start a wonderful life.

You will now have a space in your home, and your heart, for the next Golden who needs you.

Click HERE for our Foster Application in PDF.
 

TESTIMONIALS ON FOSTERING
 

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4 years ago I found Grininc online. I was going to be moving into my new home soon and I wanted to adopt a golden.  That was when I met Mary Ellen.  I had no idea how much my life would change after speaking with her on the phone.  The time came to move into my new home.  Within a month, Mary Ellen had a dog for me, a foster with intent to adopt.  I was completely ecstatic.  I hadn’t had a dog in years and I was so ready to have a furry companion again.  Once again, I had no idea how much my life would soon change!  In came Rux...Teddy Ruxpin III.  At 125 lbs, and tall as could be, John P. brought this monstrous dog into my home.  My parents were with me when he came barreling through my front door.  None of us could believe our eyes.  A giant golden retriever!  Well, giant as he was, my job was to take him in, feel him out (or should I say he feel me out!),  and decide if he was the right dog for me.  Well, after a couple weeks of missing blankets and pillows, several trips to the vet (diagnosing a thryoid problem...hence his size), Mary Ellen called to tell me that there were others interested in adopting Rux.  I couldn't believe it!  I had to make a decision, to keep him or not to keep him.  He was awful big, was full of beans, if ya know what I mean, but just the funniest dog I have met in a long time.  I couldn't bear to see him leave.  So I made the decision.  Probably the best decision I have ever made!  My Ruxy dog has filled my life with love, laughs, and companionship. 

Soon after, I got a call from Mary Ellen, a little girl needed a foster home.  I was contemplating adopting a second golden, so this seemed like a good opportunity to "try out" another dog.  In walked Katie.  So pathetic, heartworm positive, grumpy, boney, and just plain awful looking.  I thought, what am I going to do with this dog?  She was sick, scared, and out of place.  So tiny next to Rux.  And how was Rux going to handle this?  Well, after several months of love, vet visits for treatment, and an INCREDIBLE foster brother, Katie ended up leaving us to go to her forever home.  My heart was broken, as was Rux's.  The house was empty again.  We were sad, we missed our lil Katie Bear.  WE wanted another dog.  

One after another, the fosters have come and gone.  They come in so pathetic and sick and I always say, what are we gonna do about this one?  It always ends the same.  A happy, healthy, GRATEFUL golden, that once was lifeless, leaves our doors full of life like never before.  Ready to go to a home where they get the life they deserve.  It hasn’t gotten any easier to see them leave. These dogs come into our home with fear and uncertainty, but in no time are so full of life, and so gratetful for taking them in and giving them a life they deserve! I never thought I could take in a dog and then let them go.  As I said, it doesn’t get easier to let them go, but to know there is another one waiting to join us, needing us, COUNTING on us to take them in and start all over!  I said my life changed when I met Rux.  We have become a foster family together.  I couldn’t do it without him.  So patient, understanding, and loving.  Together we have helped 9 other goldens find life again.  We wouldn’t change it for anything in the world!  Kim S.

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Archer is my third foster dog and he is now a joy. He was in horrible shape when I (I should say "we" as my dog had to "agree" with the newcomer) first took him into my home. To see the change of this loveable dog from a mangy looking stray to the handsome boy he is now is well worth the extra time he requires of me.

The love that they give to us is definitely worth the effort to take care of them while they are waiting for their "forever " home.
Judy W.

Golden Rescue In Naples, Inc. is a 501c3 Non-profit organization.

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