Fostering Greyhounds

 

Swiss Valley Greyhound Rescue relies on a network of fosterers who are able and willing to take in a greyhound and give it a stable, loving temporary home until it is adopted.

We do not have a large rescue kennels; there are only kennels for up to 6 dogs at a time.

For many reasons, fosterers are one of the most crucial parts of our rescue and being a fosterer can be extremely rewarding. The availability of a fosterer, especially on an urgent, last minute basis, often determines whether a greyhound can be rescued.

Fosterers give the greyhounds breathing space to relax, act like a normal dog, a chance to settle into a home environment and to grow confident.

Fosterers are also important in assessing the greyhounds; they give SVGR and the adopting family a good sense of each hound’s personality, skills and abilities, and any potential issues.

As a fosterer myself I can honestly say that it is not all about ‘giving’, as I know I personally get back ‘love and affection in abundance’ from my foster hounds as well as the ultimate satisfaction of seeing my fosters settled with their ‘forever family’.

It can be hard to let go but there is always another hound waiting to be rescued.

 

What does fostering involve?

Some fosterers are valued for being able to take in a hound on short notice but this isn’t a necessary ability.

Some are helpful as they can hold a hound for a few days while it gets matched to a longer fosterer or to its adopting home.

Some fosterers are happy to take a dog for an indefinite period until it can be homed, which rarely takes longer than a few weeks but sometimes a longer foster period is required.

Fosterers must have a secure, well-fenced garden.

Fosterers can have cats, dogs and children, or none of the above.

Fosterers must have patience, understanding and in some cases perseverance.

Fosterers should have some experience with dogs however, and realise that while they will receive full backup, each foster hound is really an unknown quantity.

So think through the information provided here to see if fostering sounds like your cup of tea. It isn’t for everyone, as it does take some time, flexibility and a big heart!

And there are other ways of helping SVGR, contact us for details or see below.

 

 

 

What do we expect of SVGR fosterers?

Fosterers do such a wide range of things that there are no hard and fast rules except a commitment to our greyhounds and an understanding that rescued greyhounds are generally an unknown quantity, as they have no knowledge of living in a home environment, but they are almost always quick to learn.

Some greyhounds will be perfectly mannered but many may not be and won’t have come from very caring homes or may have been straying for some time or have come from a bad situation or more often than not from a kennel environment.

Myself, I look at the greyhounds as having come from a life akin to being in prison, whereby they need to learn what the outside world has to offer them and how they fit into this new world. Basically I never expect too much at first, but with a little patience and perseverance, I wonder at the gorgeous creature that emerges, ready to find their permanent family.

To the best of our ability we will match fosterers and greyhounds, trying never to place any foster home in an anxious situation.

 

 

 

What can fosterers expect from SVGR?

1.                  • Some fosterers like to cover costs like feeding the hound themselves but SVGR can supply food and makes sure every hound has a collar and lead for walks and is microchipped.  

2.                  • SVGR will cover all vet costs though if you feel it is necessary to take the dog to a vet yourself for any reason, please clear the visit with us beforehand, unless it is an emergency of course.

3.                  • SVGR offer full backup, are reachable by phone, email or text, and are there to answer questions at any time. If problems arise we will work to help solve them, and can relocate a dog though this may take at least 24 hours.

 

Tips for fosterers

            Fosterers all foster in different ways, but here are some general tips and guidelines I’ve picked up over the years:

1.                  • Remember that arriving in a strange place is traumatic for a greyhound just as it would be for a child. In such a situation, too much fussing and attention can add to anxiety rather than reduce it, even though you are doing what comes naturally, trying to give extra time and attention to a dog that may have been deprived of proper care and attention for days or even months or years.  Experienced fosterers and dog trainers advise taking a very low-key approach to a foster, for the first few days at least. Give the hound lots of time to explore its new environment, and don’t constantly fuss over the dog (especially as it may come to see this as expected behaviour from humans and then, become very demanding! I find separation anxiety a big problem for new greyhound owners and feel it is due to the hound discovering affection and then basically ‘overdosing’ on it – they just can’t get enough.).                                                     

Kind, steady, low-key love and attention are perfect. This lets the dog build up confidence in its own time.

2.                  • Do not feed a lot of treats or table scraps but keep the diet fairly bland. Many greyhounds may have some stomach upset if they have been roaming or in kennels, and even simply being put into a new situation may make for anxiety. Small portions of a quality dry food are ideal. Personally, I like to feed tripe and biscuit and find this bland diet settles tummies quickly and the greyhounds enjoy  a meat diet. If the hound doesn’t want to eat, that’s fine; take up the food dish and try again at the next normal feeding time. It won’t starve itself and greyhounds can initially be too anxious to want food.

3.                  • If your greyhound doesn’t have a name, give it one. Sometimes after a few days the appropriate name springs up!

4.                  • Remember that a rescue greyhound is an unknown quantity. The greyhound may be housetrained or not, more likely kennel trained, or may have accidents as it is frightened or anxious, so take up rugs and confine the dog to a safe area like the kitchen or a utility room if that works best for you. If you have cats it is a good idea to have the dog muzzled and on a lead and under control any time the cats are around until you are happy they will respect each other, better safe than sorry.

5.                  • It is best to feed the new arrival separately from other household dogs or cats, across the room, or in the garden, etc, as some dogs may be food guarders or may guard out of anxiety of being in a new situation. Items like dog chews can also be a flashpoint between a new dog and resident dogs so keep dogs well separated if you are offering treats, until you are happy as to how they will react.

6.                  • If you can take the time to note down a few things about the dog once you get to know it, SVGR and the adopting family always appreciates this! Sometimes this can be a nice project for a child in the family, my daughter loves doing this, adding to whatever I’ve said. Fosterers will know the dog better than anyone else and a child’s observations always brings a smile and gives the dog a special send-off.

Remember that 95% of the time fostering is easy and enjoyable, and a foster greyhound will fit right in. They are an amiable, gentle breed that almost always likes other dogs, children and making friends. But it is common sense to take the precautions mentioned above until you get to know your particular greyhound and its likes and dislikes.

 

 

 

Finally,

If fostering isn’t for you or you’re not sure yet, but you want to help this breed in an alternative way, consider being a,

fundraiser (hold a bucket at one of our street collections, do a car boot sale),

homechecker (occasionally meet people who wish to offer a home to one of our hounds), maybe be part of a transport network (a hound may need a lift into rescue or into a home) or give a donation (monetary or a bag of dog food or some treats, maybe you have some old leads, collars, coats, doggy shampoo etc for our needy rescues.

At the end of the day these hounds come to us with nothing, every little helps.

We give them the opportunity to ‘look to the future’, and they do this with help and donations from you .