One of the most important and satisfying ways to help MAGDRL is by fostering a Dane in need of a home. Danes are being surrendered to MAGDRL more often than we have homes to house them. When we don’t have an open foster home for a Dane, we either place the Dane on a waiting list to come in or we have to put them in a kennel. Danes don’t do well in a kennel environment: they are social animals who love the comforts of home and the attention deserving of their great personalities.
Why foster?
Why open your home to a Dane who has lost a family? Who is being uprooted and placed in a strange environment with strange people and pets? Because it is SO VERY rewarding. If you aren’t equipped to handle a younger Dane, we have older Danes who can be just as easy as pie (no guarantees, of course, but it’s often the case). If you have the time and energy available to deal with an adolescent who needs house manners and some structure, we’ve got the Dane for you.
What about expenses?
Foster families are only responsible for day to day living expenses for the foster Dane in their care. Medical care and other costs are covered by MAGDRL.
MAGDRL is responsible for:
- vet visits
- tri-annual vaccines (only those covered, not lyme or corona-virus, for instance)
- tick/lyme testing and other blood tests
- any medically necessary surgery, such as spay/neuter, cherry eye, etc.
MAGDRL will not pay for unnecessary medical procedures such as skin tag removal, nail clipping and teeth cleaning unless deemed necessary by your Coordinator.
Foster homes are responsible for:
- transportation costs
- food and treats
- grooming/nail clipping
Most expenses incurred by a foster home for the care of their foster Dane can be written off for tax purposes. You can talk to us about what/can’t be written off or consult with your accountant.
Think maybe you couldn’t let your foster go?
hat’s ok. Most of us are foster failures. But you should try. There’s nothing like taking a lost and confused Dane, or even a wild child monster Dane with no manners, and showing them love and affection, teaching them some manners and watching them blossom. If you can let them go, you’ll just have a chance to do it all over again. You know they’ve found a good home and you helped them get there.
Think you’ll be getting someone else’s problems?
You will. That’s what fostering is all about: you take a dog that isn’t wanted, usually has no training or manners, and you help that dog become the best dog he or she is capable of being. It’s not always easy. You may come home to find that this foster dog that you don’t know very well has just destroyed something precious and treasured by you. And you’ll have to find it in your heart to forgive him or her, and figure out how not to let it happen again. And two weeks later, you may look up from your cooking and find that same wild Dane sitting as pretty as can be, hoping patiently for some tidbit. You’ll notice that she’s no longer eating pancakes right from the griddle (at least, when you’re in the room!) but finally understands that the manners you’ve been teaching have their rewards!
So there is give and take. And there will be fosters you may not be fond of, and you’ll only be a little teary-eyed to see go off with their new family. And there will be others you almost couldn’t part with, you loved them so much. And there may be one or two that you can’t resist and find you have to adopt for your own. As far as we’re concerned, it’s all good! Our more important goal is that Danes have a chance to find their perfect home.
More answers to your fostering questions
You can find even more common questions and answers here.
How do you become a foster parent?
You’ll follow the same procedure as adopters: we’ll do a reference check, vet check and home visit as well as a phone interview. And we’ll talk to you about fostering and what it’s like. You’ll get to talk to current foster homes and ask them questions.
The first step is to email our Volunteer Team Lead, at fosters@padanerescue.com.