What is it like to foster a rescued boxer?

I was asked to write an article about my experiences as a foster parent for homeless boxers.  When you volunteer to foster a homeless boxer, you are giving them a safe home environment to live in until a permanent adoption can take place.  Without foster homes the only alternative for unwanted animals is the local pound where their days are numbered and the best we can do is hope someone adopts them before their time runs out.  Take a look at the adoption statistics from your local dog shelter, you will see that the odds of them getting adopted before their time runs out are not very promising.

When you open your home as a volunteer foster parent, you are doing a great service for these needy animals.  Your foster dog stays with you until he/she is adopted; the average stay is asked to write a brief personality outline of your foster boxer and submit it for the website.  This outline along with pictures of your foster will be available to any potential adopters. This is the part of fostering that really appeals to me. I enjoy being part of the adoptive process. When a new foster comes into my home, I love and care for them the best I can and I want to be sure they are going to a home where they will never feel unwanted or unloved again. NBR lets you become a part of this process, helping to find a perfect match for both the dog and their new caregiver.

There are many emotional ups and downs involved in fostering.  It’s never easy to say good-bye to a foster dog you have cared for, and this is definitely the hardest part of fostering.  The day my first foster was going to leave for his new home, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to continue to foster if it meant feeling so badly every time I had to say good-bye.  But after seeing him with his new adoptive parent, I knew it had been a perfect match and he was going to a new home where he would be greatly loved.  So what if I felt a little heartache, I helped him find a new home and what could be more rewarding?  Because I took him in, I may have saved his life. That good feeling I get from fostering overshadows the sadness I feel as they leave me. They don’t need me anymore, I will have done all I can for them and it’s time for me to then say good-bye and welcome the next foster dog in need of a warm home and a caring family.

Jeff & Trieste

Fostering a boxer is a lot of fun. It can also be the learning experience of your life, and the saving factor in a boxer's life.  If you want to try fostering a dog, complete the foster home application.