One of my favorite advantages of fostering is that generally you can have all the perks of owning a dog with half the responsibility. The rescue covers the vet bills while we "rent" Relay a playmate. But what happens when you need a break? Well there's a whole foster family network that can cover. We got a call from K9 Justice League to say that Murphy's foster parents were headed on their honeymoon, so... Introducing Murphy!
Just before Murph was dropped off, I had read a post by Blueberry's mom on Spotty, Spotty, Polkadotty musing if she should start fostering again. I commented that acting as a temporary foster or foster sitter as it turns out here can be a great way to test the waters to see if you and your household are ready to foster a dog. The time commitment is limited, and if you find it doesn't work a good rescue will find a better suited foster home.
Murphy is an absolute sweetheart!
But oh my goodness we sent him back.Yeah, not my proudest moment, here, but let me explain. Most rescue dogs are not perfect family pets right away (not even Relay), but thankfully most dogs have just a few rough edges that need to be worked out and become great companions in no time. I've dealt with poor potty training, poor leash manners, no crate training, dogs that get territorial, dogs that steal food from other dogs, dogs that steal food from you, some separation anxiety, and even a little barking. Murphy has all those issues and then some (big baby is afraid of doorways and storms), but thankfully he was cute and so sweet we thought we should be okay.
Thing is his seperation anixiety is much worse than I have ever encountered. The pups sleep in the front room at night, and if you aren't fully potty trained you are crated at our home. This did not sit well with Murphy and he barked non stop. Unfortunately, we do not live in a single family home; so while I signed up as a foster to work through those sort of problems, the very kind lady who lives below us did not.
Reading back on my comments to Blueberry's mom about trails and errors with fostering I smile a little and wonder if I was just tempting fate... maybe I needed to live through something first before I was entitled to give advice on the subject.
