COULD YOU BE A FOSTERER? As part of our dog re-homing process we need fosterers. Fosterers can live in any part of the UK, in fact, the more we have across the entire country, the better! If you are already a fosterer, or are thinking of becoming one, please read the guidance below OUR RESCUE DOGS Our fosterers do a wonderful job, welcoming these often traumatised, abused dogs into their human and doggy families, where they learn to trust once again and, sometimes to adapt to living in a house for the very first time. Many of these dogs have never been liked, loved, walked, socialised or cared for properly before, so many IRR dogs do come with some emotional baggage. Some dogs have been locked in disgusting sheds all their lives or chained up outside with no adequate shelter or access to food and water. Some have been picked up as strays in Ireland, either dumped on the streets unwanted, or have escaped from a yard while living outside, or are voluntarily surrendered by the owners to a dog pound where they can be destroyed straight away. Stray dogs get 5 days grace by law, so they are the lucky ones. Whilst we don't expect our fosterers to be expert dog trainers, the foster dogs do learn the basics of living in society and, as far as possible, we expect them to follow our Twelve Basic Rules and VERY IMPORTANT RULES FOR THE HUMANS and to frequently consult YOU AND YOUR NEW DOG By GEMMA WICKENDEN on our training page. BEHAVIOUR If dogs are found to have any major behavioural problems, we will try to place them with a fosterer who is also a behaviourist and trainer if one is available, for as long as is required. During the transition period of time spent in their foster home (ideally 2 to 3 weeks but may be longer) all dogs will be given appropriate flower essences and homeopathic remedies to help them settle. Please remember that some of these dogs may have had a very poor start in life and it may take them some time to settle into their new environment. Fosterers need a great deal of patience and understanding when dealing with their foster dogs. Other family dogs can often be a very calming influence especially with those dogs who have been rescued from puppy farms. VETERINARY CARE If veterinary treatment is required, whether for an emergency (where the dog has been injured or is showing signs of serious illness), or a routine matter, Lorraine must be advised in all cases on 07956 686909. If she is not available, contact Pauline or Jackie. For non-emergency cases, if you provide a brief description of the symptoms, alternative suggestions for treatment may be offered, such as homeopathic remedies. IRR will cover all veterinary expenses on production of a receipt as long as we are asked in advance and consent is given. DIET The dogs need a good, healthy diet and as much fresh air and exercise as possible. This may have to be built up slowly in certain cases for example, where a dog is severely malnourished. Fosterers normally pay for food out of their own pockets but may contact IRR for assistance if this is difficult. LETTING DOGS OFF THE LEAD When exercising IRR rescue dogs, we ask that our fosterers keep the dog on the lead at all times when in public areas (unless you have a totally secure area in which to exercise them). The dog may not have received any proper training and might not respond immediately to recall commands. They may well be scared of their new environment and unfamiliar surroundings. When exercising near busy roads, there is an increased risk of them running into the road and being injured or worse still, causing a traffic accident. There may be aspects of their temperament which are not fully known and the dog may exhibit unexpected behaviour when coming into contact with other dogs. Small children and even some adults can be frightened of an unleashed dog running up to them no matter how friendly the dog might be. Needless to say, all dogs should be wearing identity tags with fosterer's surname and contact telephone numbers, both land-line and mobile, clearly visible. LETTING GO Finally, the fosterers have to be brave and let their charges go, which is often the hardest part of the job. It is also the most worthwhile, especially when they see their foster dog healthy and happy with their forever families at our Annual Reunion, details of which can be found under the Home Page Main Menu. PLEASE NOTE that fostering for IRR is not a fast track to adopting one of our wonderful dogs and by-passing the normal waiting list unless, of course, because of special needs, there is nobody suitable wishing to adopt that particular dog. Please read the following leaflets which are published on the Downloads page under Main Menu.
All Homeopathic remedies are charged to IRR for all IRR Foster dogs. There is also an Order Form for Homeopathic Remedies which all fosterers can complete and forward directly to Dr Sam by email. If you think you could help us by being a Fosterer, please download, complete and return the application form via email. If you require more information, please contact Jackie at giftedwheels39@aol.com or Tel: 01263 821441. It can take lots of time, effort and hard work to improve a rescue dog's behaviour initially but it is worthwhile and very rewarding when you are able to see the change in them. Alternatively, if you don't think you could be a fosterer, you can still help us by downloading this poster (PDF, 304KB) and displaying it in your local post office or vets. Or you could consider helping with the transporting of our lovely dogs once they have arrived in the country from Ireland or if they are in England and need moving. If you wish to help with transporting, please fill in our Transporting Application form Could You be A Transporter?
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