I thought about ignoring this entirely because I'm really embarassed by it, but I thought it would be good info for everyone. The attached photos are just thrown in for your viewing pleasure!
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Sam and I have been contemplating getting into the world of fostering. We both work full-time and while that's not a show-stopper, adds a bit of complexity into the matter. But we think it's a great way to help out and could be a really good experience for our resident dogs.
So when an opportunity came for a short-term foster, we were excited about the opportunity. The foster dog already had a home lined up, so we didn't have to worry about having a dog indefinitely (which we totally understand is a major aspect of fostering), and we would only hold her for a couple of weeks.
The other major roadblock we have is Ed. While
he's making progress, we have no idea how
difficult he will make our lives he will do with a new dog. Tess also gets stressed out with lots of change. It's manageable, but also something we need to take into consideration. The way we figured is the first couple weeks should be the hardest, so having a dog only for those hard weeks would give us a good idea if we (the humans and dogs)were up to the task. If not, we know for the future and can continue to work on it.
I had been following the rescue through which we were planning on fostering for a few years. They are located about 2 hours away, so I had never had the opportunity to make it to an adoption event, fundraiser, etc., but had read good things on their website and facebook page.
The day we were to get our new foster, Sam did a quick google search to find the foster's page we had been looking at. He clicked on what he thought was her page and found a website of grievances and allegations against this rescue. We were floored!
We discussed what to do. We had already given our word, but did we really want to be involved in something that, even if it wasn't true, had this much bad press?
The answer was no. As much as we wanted to help out this dog and test out fostering, we did not want to be involved with this rescue. I was upset; I felt stupid; and I felt like I had let the dog down. But we're so thankful that we didn't get wrapped up in a bad deal and.. Additionally, I am learning from my mistakes and we are starting to compile some "checks" for any future rescue we might volunteer for.
Do you have any advice in checking out a new rescue? What did/do you look for?
***This is in no way to say that the allegations put against this rescue are true. I have done no personal research into the matter.***