Fostering
If you don’t, who will?
Fostering not only saves a dog’s life but is also guaranteed to change yours! We always need fosters and
we want to make sure you have the scoop on the true details of fostering. Let’s debunk some common
misconceptions about fostering:
1. “Fostering costs me money” or “Fostering is expensive” We have ZERO clue where this came from! Maybe there are rescues out there where
you spend your own money, but that is NOT us. We provide crates, food, toys, treats,
shampoo, vet care, collars, leashes----anything and everything you need to be successful
as a foster! You will never spend a PENNY fostering for Speak!
2. “I have kids, so I can’t foster” or “It might put my kids in danger”
We would NEVER put your children in danger. It may surprise you that most of our
fosters have children. As a rescue, we evaluate our dogs carefully to make sure they are
placed with appropriate fosters. For example, if an adult dog enters Speak! that we do
not know much about, we are not going to send it to a home with a grabby toddler. On
the other hand, puppies are usually great for foster homes with small children. A
gratifying and successful experience for YOU and the dog is always our goal.
3. “I’m older and can’t keep up with an active dog”
We take on dogs from all walks of life, from young puppies to seniors. Fostering doesn’t
mean you must commit to running with a dog every day; in fact, it may mean you just
need to sit with a dog on your lap all day! On the flip side, if you’re interested in adding
more steps into your daily routine, the right foster dog might just be what the doctor
ordered!
4. “I’m not qualified or knowledgeable enough to be a foster parent”
Says who? Not us! You do not have to be a dog expert to be a foster parent. If you are
willing to learn and are dedicated to fostering, you will be great! When you foster for us,
you will have a mentor to help you every step of the way. This mentor will be your go-to
for any questions or concerns you have about the dog or the fostering process. The
Speak! foster family is amazing and so knowledgeable; we are sure you will become an
“expert” in no time!
5. “I travel so fostering wouldn’t work for me”
The good news is that, unless you travel every single week, you can probably foster.
Traveling doesn’t preclude you from being a foster for Speak!. If you are worried about
the vacations or long weekends you take a few times a year, stop! We have a group of
volunteers that specifically watch foster dogs while their permanent fosters are on vacation.
6. “I’ll get a dog that I don’t want, that I’m not comfortable taking or that my resident dog doesn’t
like”
Hopefully by now you have recognized that we want to keep our fosters happy! We
would not be doing that if we gave you dogs you weren’t comfortable with. We get all
KINDS of dogs into Speak!; big, little, old, young, active, and lazy. There will be a dog
that will fit your lifestyle AND your resident dog(s)preferences, we promise.
7. “I’ll keep all of my fosters, so I can’t”
While we cannot guarantee that you won’t lose a little piece of your heart to every dog
that you help find a home, we can tell you that your next foster will fill that void. When
you adopt your foster and stop fostering, you are preventing another worthy dog from
getting a second chance at life. When you really let that sink in, it suddenly becomes
much easier to let each foster go. Foster fails (adopting your foster) do happen, but we
hope you are hooked enough to keep fostering anyway!
8. “Rescue dogs are broken and can’t be fixed”
We don’t see that. If that were the case, there would be no reason to do what we do.
Rescue dogs are merely products of their human experience. They are some of the most
appreciative dogs you will come across because they know a good life when they have
it. Dogs, like people, always flourish with some TLC and patience.
9. “Speak! only takes impaired dogs and I wouldn’t be comfortable with that”
We do take in a lot of blind and/or deaf dogs since that is our mission; however, we do
not discriminate against ’normal’ dogs either. One of our goals is to educate the public
that having an impaired dog is not difficult and they deserve to have great lives as well.
You just might find yourself around a deaf/blind dog at one of our events and see what
we are talking about. This will likely lead to you to taking an impaired foster; we see this
happen ALL the time. And if not, as mentioned, we have plenty of unimpaired dogs and
puppies that need loving foster homes.
Hopefully if any of these reasons have prevented you from fostering before, they will not stop you now.
Give it a try! It will be one of the best and most rewarding experiences of your life. Please do not assume
that someone else will foster----- we need YOU, AND our dogs need YOU. Please reach out to us if you
have any questions about fostering, we will be happy to answer them!
--Your future foster friends at Speak for the Unspoken