The Fosters

From beginning…….

A while back we decided to foster Boxers. We work with Lone Star Boxer Rescue(LSBR) here in Houston. Actually we decided to do it last year, in 2015. It has taken me until now to be able to sit down and actually put pen to paper about the experience.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was nervous about fostering, for many reasons. Probably the first one is that I didn’t want to know the back-story on these dogs. Absolutely horrifying. I don’t think I could live with the knowledge of what people can do to these animals.

The second reason was the idea of getting attached to these dogs, and then having to let them go. We didn’t make the decision lightly. We thought about it, googled it, and talked to people who had already fostered animals, particularly Boxers That we were going to foster Boxers was not an issue. Ever since our own first Boxer, Xena, we have been spoiled for any other breed. We just weren’t sure if we could put ourselves through the emotional ringer of fostering.

There are so many good reasons to foster. The first one being that LSBR makes it so easy, that there really is no reason not to. There is basically no financial cost to you. All they ask of you is a few cups of kibble a day, lots of belly-rubs, a place to lay their heads at night, and a safe place for the dogs to stay. Through their volunteer force, LSBR seeks out and provides veterinarian services, medical supplies and prescriptions, kennel services, transport services, and boarding and fostering, and eventually, permanent placement for their fosters. They even provide euthanasia services if you are fostering an end-of-life Boxer.

Another reason to become involved, is that by fostering just one dog, you are removing that dog out of a caged situation. Don’t get me wrong, the rescues are in good hands, the volunteers see that they stay with boarding facilities and other veterinarian offices. However, these dogs are “rescues,” and that means just that. They are rescued from deplorable, unthinkable, inhumane circumstances and they are placed in safe hands, but many times the place of safety is merely a pen in a veterinarian’s office, or crate in a kennel location. There, the Boxers wait to become vetted, processed, and placed into either foster, or forever homes.

Additionally, by fostering dogs we are able to socialize them, and to help them out of their negative behaviors while they are on the road to becoming acceptable, forever pets, in a forever home. Many times these innocents don’t have the basic of skills such as sit, stay, down. Many of them have food-envy issues, territorial issues, fear and anxiety over noises, being left alone. They can have  confrontational issues with any variety of other living creatures which can be men, children, other dogs, other breeds of dogs, cats, etc. Many of them also have confidence and self-esteem issues where because of the way they have been treated almost all their lives or even just recently, they have an air about them that says they are not good enough. This happens all the time with humans; it happens with animals too. By spending time in a loving and safe foster environment, they can overcome some of their negative reactionary behaviors and be integrated into a permanent household.

Another outstanding aspect of the LSBR organization is that they provide you with a temporary boarding situation if necessary. For example, when you have a foster and you want to go out of town, or you need to board the dog somewhere temporarily, LSBR provides you with one of two options. You can take the foster to a boarding facility that participates with LSBR for no cost, or if you choose to take them to boarding facility of your choice, they will help defray the costs for that facility.

The other option is taking your foster to a temporary boarding foster home. There are people within the organization that provide temporary, short-term boarding for fosters. LSBR puts you in touch with people in your area where you can drop your dog off in their homes for the time you are away. This way the Boxer maintains his in-home training and socialization process.

And while the foster spends with you learning about pack rules, human rules, eating etiquette, and basic training skills, the rescue volunteers are searching for forever homes for your foster.

We have started the journey with our fosters. To date, we have only had two, but we expect to have a lot more.

… to end…

…Foster just one until there are none !!