Lessons from a canine foster mom

I am a foster mom for a local dog rescue. I chose to do this because I desperately needed a dog around the house but I couldn't commit to a dog longterm. As it turns out anyway, I love being a dog foster mom. I only take one dog at a time, as per my lease agreement, and they are generally under 20 pounds.  I have been doing it for about a year and a half, and I've fostered 5 dogs so far, each for a couple of months at a time until they get adopted. I view my house as a refuge of sorts. Most of the other foster homes with the rescue have a lot of dogs, a lot of kids, and a lot of chaos. A lot of dogs thrive in this and love being part of a pack. But some others are not so fond of it. So I tend to take dogs that are brand new to the rescue, usually still traumatized from the loss of their owners, and/or not suitable to be around kids or other dogs, or maybe need special medications or vet treatment (such as spay/neuter). Here is a snapshot of what I have learned, seen, and laughed about:

1) I used to have a dog that I adopted from a rescue, his name was Hiro. He was 10 when I adopted him and he passed away at 14, due to age. He was my best buddy and I miss him a lot. My foster dogs though are good substitutes. I actually treat all of them just like I did him and you know what? They all start to respond and act in similar fashion. I click my tongue like I did with Hiro and they respond. I call out "buddy," because that's what I generally called Hiro, and they respond. I'm probably teaching them bad things because I love when they get all excited and jump up on me as I walk in the door. Since these are little dogs, it's not like I get knocked over or anything. I also love having slobberfests, where I set my stuff down after walking in, and I go lie down on my bed. They of course follow me and proceed to lick attack me and jump all over. It's my favorite time of the day because it tickles and I'm giggling the whole time. It's nice to have a reason to laugh.

2);//////////////-=     Those symbols are from my foster dog, who placed his paws on the keyboard to distract me. Most of my foster dogs are velcro dogs. Probably because they know I'll indulge them. Probably another bad habit, but again, I view my house as a refuge, not a place to chastise them.

3. One difference between Hiro and my foster dogs is that Hiro had a stomach like a trash compacter. One of his favorite experiences was when I would order a pizza and he would get the crusts. That dog could pack it away. I don't feed my foster dogs human food or scraps though. Their stomachs are often delicate from the upheavals and moving around, so it's just good practice to stick to their high-quality dog food (provided by the rescue, which is good because it's expensive, corn-free, filler-free stuff).

4. I buy a stuffed animal or dog toy for each of my foster dogs. I send it with them when they go to their new home. I started this when my second dog developed a very "intimate" relationship with a tennis ball....I sure didn't want to keep that thing, so I included it with him. It's one of the cutest things when a dog gets adopted and I get to see them carry their beloved toy around as they check out their new home. It's a nice reassurance for both of us.

5. My current dog is a year old, the youngest one I've ever had, and he is very, very active. I frankly think he would be best in one of the crazy, chaotic homes because he's always full of energy. But I do what I can to entertain him. Besides taking him on walks every night, I've made it a mission to find his ideal chew toy. All of my dogs have different tastes in chew sticks. My last one loved the himalayan chew sticks, but my current one doesn't. The one before that liked chewable nylabones, but those got expensive. My current one is a simple one, he likes plain old rawhide. The others needed various forms of flavorful, long-lasting ones. It's a process each time, but it's fun when I sit down to do homework and I watch them wander over and pick up their chew stick to chomp. I like seeing them have their little lives, simple as they are.

6. It always takes my dogs a few days to settle in. They are usually either hyper, jumpy, or standoffish until then. The best sign is when they fall asleep on their back for the first time. That's how I know they're starting to trust me and feel safe.