WHY FOSTER?

The goal and mission of Golden Huggs Rescue is to place unwanted or displaced dogs with loving, committed families. The Rescue creates a pathway for a dog to get from shelter to vetting and then into a foster home for evaluation, socialization, basic training and ultimately, placement in its' forever home! As a foster based rescue (no physical facility), the number of dogs we can "pull" into rescue depends solely on the number of fosters we have available.

Many people worry about "giving the dog up" once an adoptive family is found. Is it hard....FOR SURE. Is it worth it.....ALWAYS!

As a Golden Huggs foster home you will be supported throughout the process. We go through an extensive "getting to know you" protocol before any dog is placed in your home. We learn about your family, kids, other dogs/cats and your lifestyle. Through a conversation and home visit we can assess your wants/needs and answer any questions you may have. This will help us place the "right" dog in your home, meaning that we will do our utmost to ensure a good match to make the experience as seamless as possible.

If you want to make a difference, a REAL difference.....complete an application and one of our foster coordinators will reach out to tell you all about our program. Please consider trying it ONCE! ONCE will get that pup a great forever home and will have allowed another to be pulled from a shelter by one of our rescue partners. If you put in your time, energy and patience, we guarantee you will be rewarded tenfold!

WHAT DO WE PROVIDE?

Representatives of Golden Huggs Rescue will be with you throughout the foster process, answering any questions you may have and providing the support you will need to get your foster pup into its' forever home. We partner with several veterinarians where you can take your pup for anything from a fecal sample to an emergency. If you are not in an area where you can utilize the services of one of our vets, we do ask that you check in with your veterinarian to determine if they will be willing to accommodate your foster pup should a need arise. ALL vetting expenses are covered by the rescue. We just ask that you reach out to your GHR representative to determine if/when services are required.

The GHR adoption team will work any applications that come in on your pup and if they are ultimately approved (meet GHR standards) the application is sent to the foster who has the pup for review. If you, as the foster, feel it is a good application (meets the criteria for your specific pup) then you will be able to speak with the potential adopter to ask any questions you may have and answer any that they might have. Your foster coordinator/mentor will help you throughout this process. If you are convinced that they will meet your pups needs, the adoption coordinator will let the adopter know and a meeting can be arranged.

IF you feel that it is not a good match for your pup, you can voice that concern to both the adoption coordinator and your foster mentor. It may be that you feel a question has been unanswered and you need additional information, or it may be a hands down resounding NO. Either way, a conversation will be had to determine next steps.

A foster home is a critical link in our rescue. Without the commitment and overall assessment from our foster families, we are not as well equipped to place a dog in a forever home. It is through your hard work and dedication that we can make informed decisions as to placement to ensure the dog lands in the right home.

WHAT DO YOU PROVIDE?

We ask that our foster families treat their foster pup as though it is a new family member. What would a new family member need? Aside from the basics being food, shelter, exercise, socialization and training, the most important ingredient.....LOVE! You will need to acclimate your foster pup into your lifestyle. This will include introducing the pup to your family, including furkids, to ensure that everyone will peacefully coexist. After a time of settling in, we ask that you begin some basic training with the pup to include crate training, appropriate pottying, leash walking, etc. We ask that you observe and evaluate the needs, behavior and temperament of your foster during its time with you to enable us to make the best placement with an adoptive family. Again, your foster mentor will guide you through this process and we will have provided you with basic information prior to your pups arrival as to various methods you might implement to be successful. Once your foster pup is comfortable in its' new surroundings within your home and with your family, it is important that he/she be socialized to determine its' level of comfort meeting new people and animals to assist the adoption coordinators in choosing a good adoptive match. Keeping your foster pup SAFE, FED, HAPPY AND LOVED are the key ingredients to a successful foster experience.

EXPECTATIONS?

When you foster a GHR pup, we do ask that you begin the process of providing the pup with the tools needed to become a good family member. Many of these pups have never lived in a home, had a family of their own, or had any level of "expectation" put upon them in terms of behavior, etc. We are, more often than not, pleasantly surprised at how quickly these pups integrate themselves into the family experience. This does take work and patience but seeing your foster dog learn new and exciting things makes it all worth it!

As mentioned above, we will provide some general informational material prior to accepting a pup into your home and a GHR representative will be with you every step of the way.

READY TO FOSTER?

We at GHR cannot stress enough the importance of fostering to assist the rescue with continuing to save dogs. We ask that if you are at all interested that you reach out and ASK QUESTIONS! We are more than happy to have a conversation. Please know, however, if we feel that you might not be a good candidate to foster (time away, busy street/no fence, etc.) we will tell you WHY. But, it won't diminish the fact that you offered your home and your time to assist.....and likely, we will find another way to give you an opportunity to help.