Volunteer Opportunities
Foster Homes
Foster parents help provide temporary or long-term care for both puppies and adult Italian Greyhounds in our program. Some animals need as little as a few weeks of care, while some older dogs may be at a foster home for many months before finding a home. Not only do we need people who may be able to care for a dog until they find a new permanent home, we also need very short-term caretakers who can watch a dog while other foster families are unavailable for a week or two. Throughout the USA we provide care to hundreds of displaced Italian Greyhounds every year, and the need for foster homes is ever present.
Families are needed across the state to help care for Italian Greyhounds surrendered to rescue. We never know when or where an owner may decide to surrender their Italian Greyhound, a local shelter or veterinarian may receive one, or sometimes even a stray IG has been found and not claimed. Our need for foster families extends from large metropolitan areas to small cities in rural areas. Providing a temporary space for an extra dog helps ease the urgency of transporting a dog over long-distances, and also can help expose the adoptable IG to adopters outside of areas where our existing foster homes reside.
As part of our fostering program, any IG should live within your home as part of the family just like your own pets. The Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation provides all veterinary care and medicine for the IGs in our care, but as part of fostering the dog will need taken to veterinary appointments so that they can be spayed or neutered, updated on shots, and have other needs addressed by a licensed veterinarian. Other than when an IG needs transported for appointments, or when a home has been identified, fostering is a volunteer activity that is flexible enough for most lifestyles. By offering your time, energy and home to an animal in need, you prepare the animal for adoption into a permanent home.
In addition to giving the Italian Greyhound a temporary shelter within a home environment, our volunteer foster homes provide time to care for and socialize the dogs, and pay for food or other supplies that dogs generally need. When a dog is taken to a veterinarian, a foster home will help ensure that the office provides care within the guidelines of our program and not perform unnecessary procedures by getting estimates which are approved by the rescue representatives for the state. Foster homes are expected to maintain a home that is both safe for the dog, and clean on both the interior and exterior of the home, so that we are within compliance of any state and local laws regarding the care of companion animals.
How It Works
When a dog is surrendered to rescue, our rescue representatives usually try to meet and evaluate the dog whenever possible before placing it in to a foster home. Although in rural areas this may not be feasible, and the foster home may help acquire the dog directly. Upon receiving the dog, the medical history of the animal will be reviewed and the animal will be spayed or neutered, updated on shots and other concerns addressed as determined by the local rescue representatives. A foster family will be responsible for helping to transport a dog to the veterinary office for any needed procedures. The dog then remains with the foster family until it finds a permanent home, or in some cases it is moved to another foster home in a location which may give it a better chance of finding a new permanent family. In either case, the foster family may help transport the dog to the new location, within a reasonable distance.
Requirements
Below are a requirements for anyone considering to volunteer as foster home for an Italian Greyhound:
- The primary caregiver in the home must be at least 18 years of age, and have time to dedicate to fostering an IG.
- Must live in a location that allows pets, if living in a rented dwelling, or any other location which has pet restrictions.
- Local laws restricting the number of dogs in a home must not be exceeded when fostering an Italian Greyhound.
- Foster homes must maintain an clean and orderly home, which is safe for animals both indoors and outdoors. Vital aspects include keeping feces cleaned up regularly, limiting odors within and outside the home, and keeping potential hazardous items inaccessible.
- Must maintain sanitary kennels, eating areas, and food storage free from rodents, insects or moisture.
- Should have a secure area, such as a fenced yard, patio, or other area where a dog can relieve itself.
- Previous Italian Greyhound experience or ownership is preferred, but not required.
Foster families must be flexible and reliable based on a dogs needs. They should be willing to work with the IG on learning basic manners or skills, and help train basic potty habits when needed. We do our best to ensure each foster dog will be in a foster home where it will thrive, and in return ask that our foster homes give a foster dog the care and patience needed to become a confident companion before going to a new home.