Fostering with CBR

Have you ever wondered if fostering is for you?  Carolina Boxer Rescue is able to save the nubs because of many different volunteers – fosters are some of the most important!  Fostering is a good way to make a difference if you are not able to adopt a dog, or if you want to have an ongoing impact and help multiple dogs.  At CBR, rescued dogs are screened to determine if they are dog and people friendly; however, some boxers are rescued from lives of neglect, abuse or abandonment, and some have special medical care needs.  Being able to be patient and flexible are a big part of fostering.

Before making the decision to foster for CBR, it’s important to consider several factors – do you have other pets?  Are there small children in your home?  Do you have a safe space for a boxer to explore, inside and/or outside?  Do you have time to spend with a foster dog?  Do you have financial resources to support a foster?  While these are all important considerations, none of them should definitely preclude you from making the decision to foster.  If you are interested in moving forward as a foster with CBR, completing an application online is your next step.  

Fostering with CBR is a partnership between Carolina Boxer Rescue and the foster family.  Carolina Boxer Rescue has a strong support system to provide assistance to fosters, and assumes responsibility for healthcare expenses, such as vaccinations, deworming, microchipping, spaying/neutering, heartworm treatments, routine medications as well as emergency vet visits.  Foster homes are responsible for providing foster boxers with a loving home environment, socialization, basic training, and lots of attention, as well as a healthy diet/food.  While CBR covers medical expenses, fosters are expected to provide dependable transportation to and from necessary vet appointments.  

Fosters are expected to provide updates on their foster boxers – this might include photos and videos.  You may see these highlighted on CBR social media, or even in this newsletter!  Sometimes fosters may be asked to participate in events such as meet-n-greets and fundraisers, which helps showcase the foster boxer, with the end goal of helping them meet their forever family.  Although saying goodbye to a foster pup can be difficult, knowing you’ve helped prepare them for a happy life with a forever family is worth the goodbye.  Helping match fosters with potential adoptive forever families is another important component of fostering with CBR.  Another responsibility for CBR foster families is to provide information about the foster boxer to potential adoptive families.  As fosters get to know their foster boxers, they become experts on the dog, and sharing that expertise can be invaluable for potential adopters.  CBR’s foster homes also have a strong input in the adoption of boxers they foster.  Spending time and energy caring for a dog is a big investment – CBR values foster opinions!

Foster Fails – Happy Tails

Sometimes a foster situation turns into a foster fail, and the dog becomes a permanent part of your family.  S

Resources

From the CBR website, navigate to Get Involved and select FOSTER to learn more about this process.  The foster approval coordinator is Cricket Huff, who works tirelessly with other coordinators to help home boxers and make sure volunteers have needed information and resources.  

There’s a Book About That!

Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure by David Rosenfelt 

Another Good Dog by Cara Sue Achterberg

Stormy by Guojing – a picture book