FOSTER A DOG
Do you have a spot in your heart and your home to foster a dog? We are always looking for foster families, the more we have the more pets we can save! We like families that are patient with new pets, have a firm understanding for how to train through positive reinforcement, and have lots of love to give. If you fit the bill please fill out our foster application form here.
Fostering FAQs
Does ROMP need foster homes?
Yes, yes, yes! In fact, because we do not have a facility (we are a rescue, not a shelter), foster homes are the backbone of our organization. Without foster homes, we could not rescue any dogs! The more foster homes we have, the more pups we can save! Help us help more pups!
What does fostering entail?
Foster homes give a pet a temporary home until we find a suitable permanent adoptive home. You give the rescue a soft, dry place to sleep, yummy food to eat, love and lots of play time! All vetting expenses are covered by ROMP Italian Greyhound rescue, if the pup needs to go to the vet give us a call and we will schedule an appointment with one of our rescue vets. All foster pups come with leash, collar, toys, some food to get them started, and a crate to borrow if you don’t have one. All we ask that you provide is food (unless we receive a food donation). We receive many different types of dogs including owner surrenders, strays, kill shelter rescues and puppy mill survivors. Each dog has different needs and we use our foster application to match our rescues with foster families. We ask that you treat the dog as your own, with love and care.
Who makes a great foster home?
Anyone! You can be a student, full time worker, part-time employee, retired, single, married with children, living in a condo, living in a home with a backyard, in the city, in the suburbs, on a farm – the bottom line is that we have all different type of people foster our rescues! There is no cookie cutter type, just people with big hearts looking to open up their home to save a dog in need.
How long are animals typically in foster homes?
Good question! Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic number – the time varies from dog to dog, from a week to several years. However, you can help with that, too! Foster parents are encouraged to send us cute and fun photos, updated information and fun facts, adorable videos; and to be available for adoption events whenever possible. This almost always speeds up the process! We take our foster families into account when placing pups so those that are only interested in short term fostering and we can always move a pup around if you have a life change and can no longer foster (or are going out of town).
And what if I foster a dog and need to go out of town?
If you have an emergency or need to go out of town while you are fostering, you need only to contact us, and we will either find a new foster home, a weekend foster, or a boarding facility that can care for the animal while you are away.
What if I decide to adopt my foster pet?
Contact us and let us know! When a promising adoption application for your foster pet is received, ROMP Rescue will contact you immediately to make sure that you have not decided that you would like your foster pet to become a permanent part of your family. If not, we move forward with the adoptive family. If so, we move forward with you! Foster parents are expected to pay a discounted adoption fee.
How can I give up my foster pet when they get adopted?
Knowing that they are going to a good home and that you helped get them there should be comforting. Of course, if you get lonely you can always foster again and possibly keep in touch with your foster animal’s new family. It is better to cry watching them leave to live a life of happiness and joy in a loving home than cry because no one stepped up to help them and they died alone, frightened and sad in the puppy mill or shelter.
Is there a contract?
Yes, we have our foster families complete a contract outlining all the expectations during the foster process. You can see a sample of our foster contact (.doc) here (.pdf) here.
Fostering a Puppy Mill Survivor
Helping us by fostering a puppy mill survivor means that you are taking on a pup that is essentially a clean slate. Although they are an adult, they spent their entire life in a cage making puppies. They never learned the pet basics that most dogs do when they are puppies. The basics you may not even think about, they do not know: walking over objects, getting on and off furniture (they will fall off things raised off the ground until they learn this), the concept of mirrors, what beds and blankets are, what to do with treats and toys, how to walk nicely on a leash, etc). As a foster family you get to experience many firsts with them and will get non-stop smiles of joy as you see them transform into a pet. Each day is a victory as they learn more, trust humans more, and come out of their shell even more. They always seem to teach you something about yourself, are a friend for your pups, and just sweet souls to join you in your life. One would be keeping the pups safe (as they are high flight risk) and helping the puppy mill survivor transition to a pet by helping them learn how to use stairs, get on/off furniture, walk nice on a leash, building human trust, potty training and command basics, etc. You can see a short video of one of our pups journey from puppy mill to rescue to foster home and all the strides she made below.
Is it a tax deduction?
YES! Many of our foster families give more than their home and hearts, they go out of their way to treat the foster like one of their own by buying more toys/treats and other luxuries they didn’t have in the mill. We are proud to say that if expenses associated with your foster add up to over $250, we can provide a letter stating you are a foster for our not-for-profit rescue which will allow you to write the total amount of the costs off! (But, be sure to keep your receipts!) Information regarding the IRS court case that brought about these deductions can be found here.