I will be picking up my first foster dog on Saturday. Excited and nervous in equal measure. I've been organising all the equipment I'll need - bed, crate, collar lead, bowls, food etc
Question about pet insurance - have got several quotes from companies (think I'll go for the £20/month via John Lewis as they got good reviews from MN on a different thread). Do I need to tell them it's a foster rather than an adoption and do I just cancel the insurance when/if the dog is finally adopted? Is this allowed? (I will call them tomorrow to try and find out...) Also, Is there a way of transferring the insurance to another foster dog if I was to get a 2nd straight after? I'm guessing not as breed/size/age would be different, therefore changing the price quoted.
Have been reading up a lot on how to introduce a rescue dog to the family/house/environment but if you have any helpful tips I'd love to hear them. Thanks!
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
First time fostering a dog - helpful tips and advice most welcome!
LadyTurmoil · 30/09/2013 21:50
Congratulations Lady - well done on being a foster!
It's very unusual for a foster carer to need pet insurance - normally foster dogs' bills are covered by the rescue who is responsible for rehoming them, and their public liability insurance should also cover any 3rd party type incidents. Before you spend any money, check this with the rescue.
Do you have an existing dog or any other animals that the dog would need to get along with?
Most rescues will do what is effectively a "homecheck" for new foster carers - so fences and garden security checked, and a discussion about how vets bills/visits are to be managed, reporting arrangements, support that is offered to you etc.
See if you can find out what food the dog has been on (if known) so you can continue with that for at least a few days.
Is the dog coming from a relinquishing owner, a pound, a kennel or directly from abroad? It's useful to know things like whether it's housetrained, any previous experience of living in a house, and anything known about its nature. Even if the dog is housetrained, you should be prepared for accidents in the house over the first few days. Marking wees are normal and upset tums are too as the moving/stress can affect digestion. Make sure you have good wee cleaner stocked up. 
Check what ID tags the dog will be wearing and if is already chipped. Make sure you have a note of chip number, and who to contact if dog is lost etc.
Remember that the first few days are when the dog is most likely to bolt, run or escape and when it is most vulnerable since it does not know you or the area. Make sure therefore that you and all family members are fully briefed on keeping doors/gates shut, that dog is wearing well fitting, breed specific collar and sturdy lead, you don't let dog off lead, and that you are super careful in gardens, open spaces etc.
If a bitch, you may or may not know spay status. It's very typical for season to start after moving house - seems to trigger it v often. Rescue should be able to advise you on how to manage/proceed with this.
Take things v gently for the first few days - concentrate on building a routine for the dog and don't over-fuss (no matter how tempting!). As dog relaxes and becomes more confident, you can gradually interact more.
Good luck!
Just having a look, Lady. She looks gorgeous!
Right, MAKE SURE you have 3rd party liability as part of your insurance. Easiest and quickest way to do this if ever unsure is to join Dogs Trust - it's part of hte membership package. And don't skimp on hte medical insurance.
You might find if she has been chipped abroad that the chip is in a different place - mention this to your vet on first visit so tehy know to scan more widely. Also mention her origins to your vet as it means that she will have possibly been exposed to illnesses that are not endemic here and if there are curious symptoms this will help vet to consider possibilities. Hopefully you won't need this, but it's useful for vet to have whole picture.
James W is fine as a kibble - I love raw feeding but don't try to do too much too soon - just concentrate on getting her settled in before you start getting into dietary changes. Give her sardines a couple of times a week - brilliant for their coats.
Don't rush into doing the training - for the first few days just concentrate on establishing a routine. She will have a lot of new stuff going on to cope with. If you feel she is settled after a few days, then just do a few minutes a day with your clicker in the garden to start with. Keep a few tasty treats in your back pocket and if you call her, whenever she comes to you, give a treat. I often do this with ours, as part of just the daily household routines - anything which helps build up the picture that you are the source of all good things, and responding to calls gets rewarded.
Keep us all posted - we want lots of pics (looks sternly over spectacles) and progress reports.
Phew - after a 5 1/2 hour wait at South Mimms with some other lovely ladies picking up dogs (one was driving 4 hrs back to Wales after, poor thing), the van arrived!
Aga seems lovely, considering the tough last few days she must have had, she was fine in collar and lead, had a good sniff around the car park, poo in the crate on the way home. Gave her a bit of chicken and rice, she drank tons of water, had a wander round the garden, sat nicely for a few treats.
Others went up to bed, she went outside again, when she came in I ignored her and she went into her crate and has gone to sleep. I just need to close the crate now...
Will try and put up a couple more pics tomorrow but so far so good. The only thing is I just realised that the transport people gave out the pet passports to the other ladies and didn't give one to me 
. Will contact AAFA in the morning, suppose they can post to me
Aww she is lovely and that all sounds really positive for the start. Best of luck 
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