Posted in dog adoption, dog quotes, Dogs
Tagged adoption, dogs, rescue dog, Stephen Colbert
I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the issue of fostering.
This time last year, Sox and I were fostering blind greyhound, Fred, who was adopted in mid-February and has settled well into a loving forever home. New Zealand has always had a homeless pet population – you don’t have to look far to find an adoption group (or two, three, or more) that operate in your area. And now, with a greyhound racing ban confirmed, our country has the responsibility to re-home the 2,900 hounds that the industry says it has it in its possession.
Fostering is the gift of life for dogs needing homes; it also has many benefits for the foster carer and the adoption agency.
Benefits of fostering
Setting expectations and standards
To be successful, fostering works best when the adoption agency and the foster carer are clear about expectations and standards. If the adoption agency isn’t clear about boundaries, it’s hard for the foster carer to know what a good job in fostering looks like.
Questions to ask if you are interested in fostering
Ask yourself why you want to foster – and be honest.
Most people I meet have the best of intentions to foster but can be emotionally unprepared for the experience. A foster dog is not your pet; some attachment to your foster dog is expected – it’s easy to bond with a dog in your care as you learn their personality. Some positive self-talk is a good idea – remind yourself that at some point you will need to farewell the dog, knowing that you gave them a head start for pet life.
What type of dog are you qualified to handle?
If you have breed-specific experience, it’s best to consider offering your skills to a breed-specific rescue group.
In more general terms, most previous dog owners will have experience with adult dogs; puppies are typically fostered only by those with puppy experience (and the availability to monitor them more closely throughout the day). If a dog has special needs such as behaviour issues or mobility or other physical impairments, then they will ideally need a special foster carer with some experience in these areas.
What support can you expect as a foster carer?
Most adoption groups will supply the basics for their foster carers: dog food, leash, collar, crate and bed.
Ask what process to follow if the dog is unwell and needs veterinary care, for example.
If you are experiencing behaviour problems and want to talk through training, what assistance is available? Some adoption groups have a dedicated person who will follow up with foster carers just to see how things are going – if this isn’t possible in your area, is there someone else you can bounce ideas off of?
All adoption agencies should be prepared to give you background on your foster dog. Some agencies will, of course, have very little information on the dogs that come into care. Others will have more information.
Foster agreements should be in writing
Agreements with a foster carer should be in writing and set out the responsibilities of each party; every adoption group should act as a business in this regard.
If foster carers are expected to be available for certain weekend adoption events, for example, then these should be clarified in the agreement.
Foster carers should be dealt with respect and, even if they are not being paid for their services, their in-kind time and efforts should be recognised as if the person was an employee. There should be no bullying, harassment or discrimination and the foster carer should have an avenue outlined in the agreement if a problem requires escalation. If the adoption agency has concerns about a foster carer’s competence or performance, then the agreement should outline how such situations will be handled.
What if you can’t manage it (for whatever reason)?
Life can throw us curve balls. Your situation may change. Perhaps the dog is higher needs than you anticipated and you are not coping; perhaps you are ill; perhaps there’s a family emergency. If you can’t manage to see your foster commitment through, then the foster agreement should outline the process to follow to return your foster dog. Depending on the circumstances, you should de-brief with your adoption agency, particularly if you’d like to foster again in the future.
Make a lifetime commitment only when it is right for you both
It’s natural to form a bond with your foster dog; affection for the dog is normal. After all, you are caring for a sentient creature who needs your help and who is living in your home…
While some dogs end up as ‘foster failures’, you must be sure that you can make the lifetime commitment to your foster dog if you are considering adopting them. Can you afford their care? Do you permanently have the time and space to give the dog its best pet life?
Note: If your intention is to add a dog to your home, ask your adoption agency about a ‘foster to adopt’ arrangement which means that you are providing foster care for the purpose of taking the dog on trial.
Fostering a dog in need can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
If you are interested in fostering, please contact your local adoption groups for information on their needs – most will publish information on their website to get you started.
Kathleen Crisley, is Fear-Free certified dog massage therapist and canine fitness trainer. She has a particular passion for working with dogs and their families to ensure injury prevention and quality of life. She specialises in working with anxious and emotionally damaged dogs. Her mobile practice, The Balanced Dog, is based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Posted in animal welfare, dog adoption, dog care, Dogs
Tagged adoption, animals, Dog, dogs, foster care, foster to adopt, fostering, news, pets, re-homing, volunteering
When Meridel adopted Sadie, little did she know that they both would both have cancer in common.
The latest Mutual Rescue video tells their story. Cancer is a devastating diagnosis to receive, be it for a human or animal. I particularly like that Meridel talks about the love hormone – oxytocin – in this piece. There’s documented evidence about how the stroking of a dog results in release of this hormone in both the owner and the dog.
You can’t get more mutual than that!
Mutual Rescue™ is a trademarked initiative of the Humane Society Silicon Valley. Aimed at changing the way people think of animal welfare and adoption, each year the Society asks for submissions from people to share their story about a special connection they have made with an animal.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and canine fitness, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand.
“Hey, Sox. We need to talk.”
‘bout what?
“About where this relationship is heading”
Whaddya mean?
“Well, you came here to stay as a foster dog last month.”
What’s foster?
“Foster means that I take care of you and teach you about being a pet, but you’re not mine.”
I’m not yours?
“No, but you did come to stay with me on a foster-to-adopt agreement.”
What’s adopt?
“Adopt is when I say that you should stay forever and become part of the family.”
I likes adopt
“Now, just checking. You want to be part of the family even though there are house rules?
Whaddya mean?
“So when I told you that you were naughty last night. Do you know why?”
Why?
“Because you were hiking your leg and peeing in the hallway”
Oh
“And peeing inside is not acceptable.”
Oh
“Unless you are sick. Are you sick?”
No, I’s not sick
“Then you have to agree to try harder about not peeing in the house.”
Okay. But you pee in the house.
“What? No I don’t.”
Yes you do. On the shiny white chair.
“Sox, that’s a toilet. I’m supposed to pee in it. That’s where people pee.”
I think the shiny white chair is scary.
“Scary? Is that why you come in every time I go to the toilet?”
Yes. I worries about you there and think you need cuddles.
“No need to worry, Sox. I can handle going to the toilet by myself. But I think we are getting off track with this conversation…Do you like it here?”
Yes, but I no likes when you call me naughty.
“I only call you naughty when you are doing something that is not allowed.”
So if I no do things that are not allowed then you no call me naughty?
“That’s right. I will call you A Good Boy.”
I is a Good Boy.
“Yes, Sox, I think you are a Good Boy. I think you should stay and be my Little Boy.”
I’s not little.
“That’s true. You’re a big Greyhound. But if I adopt you, you’ll become My Little Boy. Do you like the sound of that?”
Yup. I be your Good Little Boy.
“Okay. Then I’ll sign the adoption papers and we can begin our life together.”
I now make the official announcement that Sox has joined The Balanced Dog as my Little Boy and companion. He is in training to be a massage demo dog, a café dog, and to like the water and waves at the beach.
I look forward to sharing our adventures together.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in dog adoption, Dogs
Tagged adoption, Greyhound, greyhounds, Greyhounds as Pets NZ
Every year, thousands of dogs end up in a shelter in the Netherlands. Experts expect an increase in this number in the upcoming period, when people go back to the office after working from home during the corona crisis.
Despite the good care of staff and volunteers, the shelter can be a turbulent experience for dogs. Researchers at Utrecht University investigated if dogs can adapt to their new environment based on their nocturnal activity.
Janneke van der Laan and fellow researchers from Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine compared the nocturnal activity of 29 shelter dogs and 29 pet dogs in their own homes – similar in breed, age and sex – with the help of night cameras and a small activity tracker on their collar.
They found that shelter dogs rest much less at night than pet dogs, especially during the first two nights in the shelter. This restlessness did decrease over time, but even after twelve days in the shelter, the dogs still rested less at night than the pet dogs.
“We also saw this restlessness in hormone measurements in the urine of shelter dogs” says Janneke van der Laan. Shelter dogs had higher values of the stress hormone cortisol in their urine than pet dogs, especially during the first two days but also after twelve days. It was also striking that smaller shelter dogs, for instance Shi Tzu’s and Chihuahua’s, were more restless during the first two nights than larger shelter dogs, and they also had higher cortisol values.
The researchers found big differences between individual dogs: some were already quite calm during the first night in the shelter, while others barely slept for a few nights. “It seems that dogs need at least two days, but often longer to get used to their new environment, in this case the shelter,” Van der Laan explains. “Humans usually also sleep less good during the first night in a new environment, for example at the beginning of a vacation.”
“With our follow-up research we will zoom in even further on the welfare of dogs in shelters. But our current findings already show that it is important to pay close attention to dogs that are unable to rest properly after several nights. The shelter staff may already be able to help these dogs by for example moving them to a less busy spot in the shelter.”
“Restless nights? Nocturnal activity as a useful indicator of adaptability of shelter housed dogs”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science. doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105377
Source: Utrecht University
Tagged adoption, dog adoption, shelter dogs, sleep, Utrecht
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
“The choice to adopt a pet is a big decision that comes with much responsibility but infinite return on the investment. It will undoubtedly change your life.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Patron of Mayhew animal welfare charity
Photo courtesy of the Royal Family Facebook page
Posted in dog adoption, dog quotes, Dogs
Tagged adoption, Mayhew, Meghan Duchess of Sussex
All of the dogs I have had in my life have been adopted.
Our first family dog came from a no-kill shelter; our second from a supermarket notice board. A local re-homing group, Dogwatch, facilitated my first adoption as an owner; my second dog, Daisy, came in a private adoption through word-of-mouth, and in 2014 Izzy, a greyhound adopted through the national adoption group Greyhounds as Pets, arrived on the scene.
Worldwide, there are more dogs that need homes than there are adoptive homes to care for them and this situation is no different for the greyhounds of New Zealand’s racing industry.
As of 2018, New Zealand is one of only eight territories in the world with a commercial greyhound racing industry. The others in alphabetical order are Australia, Ireland, Macau, Mexico, United Kingdom, the United States (five states only), and Vietnam.
But many New Zealanders are unaware of the findings of The Hansen Report, which was publicly released in the busy pre-Christmas period of December 2017. Formally titled A Report to the NZ Racing Board on Welfare Issues Affecting Greyhound Racing New Zealand, the report was written by the Hon Rodney Hansen, QC.
I won’t go into all of the findings in this blog post (the report is 93 pages). But the statistical analysis of the racing industry’s own data show that despite the efforts of all of the re-homing groups in the country combined, re-homing can’t deal with the influx of greyhounds leaving the industry. The report deems this a ‘current structural imbalance’ and recommends that ‘re-homing alone cannot solve the problems created by excessive numbers of greyhounds entering the industry each year.’
The bottom line? There’s still a lot to be done to look after the welfare of the greyhounds in the NZ racing industry. In the four-year period between 2013/14 and 2016/17, the whereabouts of 1,271 dogs could not even be determined and another 1,447 hounds were officially euthanised.
Upon the report’s release, Racing Minister Winston Peters described the findings as both disturbing and disappointing. While the racing industry has said it intends to act on all findings, those actions will take time.
And that is why I volunteer with Greyhounds as Pets and also offer my fundraising support. Because there are so many hounds in need of an adoptive home.
As with children, dogs don’t ask to be born. But it is our responsibility as a society to care for them once they are brought into the world.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in animal welfare, dog adoption, Dogs
Tagged adoption, greyhound racing, greyhounds
The Pet Effect is an educational campaign to raise awareness of the health benefits of pets and to encourage veterinary and other pet professionals to understand their role in promoting the benefits of the human-animal bond.
Needless to say, this is an issue very near and dear to my heart.
I am a passionate supporter of “Adopt, Don’t Shop” and, because of my work with dogs and owners as a canine massage therapist, I have the honored position of working with dogs and their owners as a team. We often focus on quality of life for the dog. In many cases, the quality of the dog’s life is a direct consequence of what is happening in their human family and vice-versa.
I really like the Pet Effect’s latest video – Adopt a Human – because it puts a different perspective on adoption.
Did your dog rescue you?
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
The Great Global Greyhound Walk has become an annual event since 2014 to raise the profile of adoptable greyhounds. (The event was started in 2010 as the Great British Greyhound Walk but interest soon went global.)
Groups from around the globe organize walks with their hounds to show them off to the public and to raise funds for greyhound adoption.
This year, the date is this Sunday – 11th June. 
If you follow the Walk’s website, there’s a searchable database to find the walk closest to you.
Check out the map while you are there – this event is truly global.
As Izzy is a greyhound and we volunteer for Greyhounds as Pets, you can guarantee that we will participate in our local walk in central Christchurch.
Interested in knowing more about bringing a greyhound into your life? Why not come out on Sunday and meet lots of hounds and their owners. Owners love to talk about their dogs and their enthusiasm is infectious. Bring your spare change and make a donation, too, so more hounds can find a forever home.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
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