Frequently Asked Questions About Fostering:
What does being a foster home entail?
What if I only want to foster one or two dogs a year?
What geographic area does Rescue cover?
How does a dog come into the system and get to a foster home?
How long does a dog stay in a foster home on average?
What are my responsibilities as a foster home?
How do I find a new home for a rescue dog?
What do I do when a potential home contacts me?
How do I check an adopter’s references?
Once the references have been checked, then what?
Don’t you get attached to the dogs you foster and want to keep them?
Okay, you haven’t scared me away yet. How do I become a foster home?
What are some guidelines I must follow as an ACDRA foster home?
What expenses am I likely to incur, and which will be reimbursed?
What are the procedures regarding the adoption contract?
What does being a foster home entail?
The ACDRA has a prescribed set of guidelines and policies for those who foster. For the first six months that you assist in rescue, you will have a mentor. This person will be someone who is familiar with rescue and the procedures and guidelines and can support you as you learn the ropes. This team is managed by the Foster Home Coordinator.
What if I only want to foster one or two dogs a year?
That would be just great! If we had ten additional foster homes that fostered only two dogs a year we could save an additional TWENTY cattle dogs from death.
What geographic area does Rescue cover?
Although the ACDRA has members from Maine to North Carolina, we primarily reach dogs that are in shelters within reasonable proximity to one of our foster homes. Occasionally, we are able to move a dog longer distances when volunteers are available to transport. Thanks to many willing and dedicated people, we often have state-to-state transports.
How does a dog come into the system and get to a foster home?
We try to have volunteers in each state within our geographic area. A volunteer in each state acts as shelter liaison and monitors ACDs in shelters statewide. The decision to pull a dog from a shelter and move it into foster care is predicated on several factors. Some of these are: the time a shelter allows the dog before euthanasia, the status of the dog’s health due to a prolonged shelter stay, the overall temperament of the dog (which affects adoptability). We ask the shelter to e-mail a photo to the appropriate ACDRA shelter contact. Positive identification is crucial. When a potential adopter comes to us they expect to get a dog that looks reasonably like a cattle dog. If there is a question as to the dog’s breed, the Foster Home Coordinator is contacted and the Board determines if the dog looks enough like a cattle dog to be adopted as a cattle dog. Sometimes a rescue team member is able to visit the shelter to evaluate the dog in person. ACD mixes have occasionally been accepted into rescue but it is a situation that does not work well. Mixes take much longer to adopt thus tying up precious space in foster homes.
After the dog has been identified, if a foster home is available and has agreed to take the dog, arrangements are made to move it. A foster dog must fit into a family comfortably — lsome foster homes can only accept females, others can only accept males, others find puppies are less threatening to their own dogs. As soon as possible after the rescue dog gets to the foster home it must be heartworm tested, get its shots and be neutered (if the shelter has not already done that).
How long does a dog stay in a foster home on average?
A rescue dog can stay in a foster home for as little as two weeks or as long as three months or longer. It depends on the dog and the potential adopters who have come to us. We prefer the rescue dog to remain in a foster home at least two weeks so he can be properly evaluated: is he good with children? Cats? Does he have a soft temperment? Is he afraid of men? Is he somewhat dog aggressive? Does it appear he was abused? Does it appear he had some obedience training? The more we know about a dog the better match we can make with his new forever family. And during the evaluation period housebreaking training can begin. Some of the rescued dogs are housebroken, some are not. The dog needs to learn basic manners as well: sitting for a treat, how to walk on a leash. The more training he has the better chance for adoption.
What are my responsibilities as a foster home?
You will be taking a dog into your home temporarily as if you were adding a new dog to your family, and doing so until the dog is adopted — how ever long that might take. The dog will need to be examined by a veterinarian, evaluated for temperment, socialized with humans and other pets and trained for basic obedience. You will also participate, with the other ACDRA members, in the process of finding the right permanent home.
How do I find a new home for a rescue dog?
The ACDRA website is updated regularly. If a potential adopter sees an ACD on the site that they like, they will contact the foster home directly. Sometimes another foster home will have a rescue that is not suitable for a particular family; since the team is kept apprised of all the dogs in the system that foster home might refer the adopter to you if you seem to have a dog that would make a better match.
What do I do when a potential home contacts me?
The first thing you are looking for in a potential adopter is the level of commitment to the dog. Every potential adopter must fill out the ACDRA Adoption Questionnaire and should be directed to read the Notes on Adopting page of the website. If the prospective adopter has not owned a cattle dog in the past we encourage them to visit websites like www.cattledog.com and www.australiancattledog.com. They should read the history of the breed and do all that is necessary to educate themselves. We work very hard to make sure rescue dogs do not go to inappropriate homes. Rescue dogs are dumped in shelters many times because they were in homes uneducated, for the most part, about the breed. These owners could or would not deal with their energy level and were not committed to the time and training an ACD requires. It is up to us, as a committed rescue team, to find the rescue dog a "forever" home.
How do I check an adopter’s references?
When the questionnaire is filled out and returned, references are checked. You will work closely with your mentor through this process the first few times. Ask questions of the vet reference like “Is this person a good dog owner? Do they bring the dog in when it is injured or do they wait until complications develop?” Ask other references if the person is responsible, have they had other dogs, do they know what happened to the other dogs.
Once the references have been checked, then what?
If the dog you have does not seem suitable for this particular family the questionnaire will be circulated throughout the team as another dog in foster care might be suitable.
If, on the other hand, all the pieces seem to fit together, the adopter can then visit you to meet the rescue dog. They should bring their spouse, children and other dog(s). We encourage foster homes to make home visits with potential adopters if at all possible. If you cannot do this sometimes it is possible for another team member to assist you. Never be afraid to ask the team for help. A home visit may not be possible in all cases. If you are satisfied it is a good match the adopter can sign the contract, pay you the appropriate rescue fee and take the dog home. Follow up calls should be made a week or two later and again a month after that.
Don’t you get attached to the dogs you foster and want to keep them?
Yes, of course. If you decide to keep a dog you have been fostering you must complete a contract and reimburse the ACDRA for the expenses incurred if you have already received reimbursement.
If we become attached to the foster dog there are several things we try to remember:
At some point we all reach our limits of how many dogs of our own we can care for. For some of us this is two, for others more. If we keep “just one more” the lack of space and time will prevent another dog in need from having a second chance. When a foster home is lost cattle dogs die in shelters.
Even though we think nobody can love a dog or care for it the way we do, this simply is not true. There are wonderful, loving homes waiting for our rescue dogs — people who will love a dog just as much as we have.
For those of us who foster, the long-term satisfaction of knowing we have saved a life far outweighs the momentary sadness when he leaves. After all, we have given him a second chance at life and he is on his way to a “forever” home this time.
If you want to keep a foster dog, you will need to reimburse the ACDRA for veterinary care or other expenses, such as a shelter’s “pull fees”, if they have already been paid for by the ACDRA.
Okay, you haven’t scared me away yet. How do I become a foster home?
If you’re not already a member of the ACDRA, you must fill out a Membership Application. Next, please fill out a Foster Home Application. The Foster Home Coordinator will contact you once a decision has been made.
What are some guidelines I must follow as an ACDRA foster home?
A dog must enter the program with the approval of the Foster Home Coordinator. The ACDRA will not be responsible for and has no obligation to handle a dog that someone takes from a shelter on their own without prior approval.
We rescue ACDs only in areas where we have active foster homes and transport volunteers. For the most part the area we cover is the East Coast from New England to North Carolina. We do not rescue from or re-home dogs to other parts of the country. We do however, have contact information that can be forwarded to people from these areas as we do network across the country for resources.
A rescued dog must reasonably resemble a cattle dog. Docked tails are acceptable.
The rescue dog should have no major medical problems. When there is an exception, it is evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Rescue Team and the Board decides how best to proceed.
Aggressive dogs, confirmed biters and totally deaf dogs CANNOT be accepted into the rescue program. If, during evaluation, it is discovered the dog is aggressive, bites or has bitten it is considered unadoptable and will be euthanized.
ACDs on death row in shelters and in other life threatening situations ALWAYS have priority over owner surrenders. Dogs that are not in the ACDRA system can be listed on the website under Owner Placements for private adoption. Proof of spay-neuter and up-to-date vaccinations must be sent to the Placement Coordinator.
Routine maintenance costs, such as dog food or any grooming costs, are the responsibility of the foster home.
Those who foster must be covered by the ACDRA insurance policy. Individuals who are ACDRA members in good standing are eligible to foster. Before you are accepted as a foster home basic information must be provided to the Foster Home Coordinator for insurance purposes.
The dog must be vetted as soon after arriving in the foster home as possible. The veterinarian’s paperwork serves as a medical record for the dog and must be kept so a copy can accompany the dog to its new home. It is also a good idea to keep your own medical log noting dates the dog received heartworm prevention, bath, flea treatments, etc. Occasionally the shelter will have given a combo shot, wormed or even spayed/neutered the dog and that paperwork becomes part of the dog’s medical file as well.
Some shelters provide medical attention and neutering prior to releasing a dog. Some shelters charge a “pull fee”. When we decide to take a dog from a shelter the staff should be asked what procedures can be provided for us prior to picking up the dog. As a rule shelters can spay and neuter an animal for far less than we can using private veterinarians. When the shelters can get shots and sterilization done before we pick up the dog it keeps our costs down and our funds can be used for the next dog.
A Heartworm test must be performed and must be negative before the dog is spayed or neutered. If the dog tests positive, the Foster Home Coordinator must be contacted PRIOR to a commitment from the ACDRA to foster this dog if it is still in a shelter. If the dog is already in foster care and tests positive, no further vetting should be done until the Foster Home Coordinator and/or Board of Directors has been notified and approval is given.
Required vaccines and screenings include: a 7-way booster shot, which includes corona, bordatella (kennel cough) and rabies.
If the dog has not already been spayed or neutered, it must be done once a negative heartworm test has been performed.
What expenses am I likely to incur, and which will be reimbursed?
The cost of a heartworm test, shots and neutering should not exceed $200. If your vet will not give you a sufficient discount or if you cannot find a less expensive vet in your area, the Foster Home Coordinator or other team members may be able to suggest less expensive vets within a reasonable driving distance. It is not always possible in urban areas to find veterinarians willing to give substantial discounts to rescue dogs, therefore the ACDRA adoption fee starts at $200. This may be flexible depending on the age of the dog, any veterinary expenses incurred, and any special needs, which are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Expenses such as professional grooming or boarding are not reimbursable.
If a dog gets sick vet bills will be reimbursed only if approved IN ADVANCE by the Rescue Coordinator and Foster Home Coordinator and/or the Board of Directors. Exceptions are permitted in the event of a life-threatening emergency.
Receipts must be sent to the ACDRA Treasurer for reimbursement with a completed reimbursement form and a stamped self addressed envelope. The Foster Home Coordinator or the Treasurer can send you Reimbursement forms for you to fill out. We suggest you keep a copy of the completed form and all receipts.
What are the procedures regarding the adoption contract?
Adoption contracts must be filled out completely and accurately. The adopter must give you a check or money order made payable to the ACDRA.
The original signed contract should be sent to the Foster Home Coordinator.
The adoption fee should be sent to the ACDRA Treasurer clearly marked with the name of the rescue dog.
All paperwork should be completed within 14 days of adoption.
