"Don't you get attached to the dog?" Yes, and that is what we want for both you and the dog. It's fun to get to know new Mastiffs, and sometimes when it works out that way, for your foster and resident dog(s) to make new friends, too.
Sometimes, your resident dog will be revitalized in the presence of the rescued dog, and you will witness very beneficial developments in both dogs. It's educational to see how different dogs react to training, how they interact, play with and teach one another.
It's also educational to watch how any territorial problems develop and to learn to deal with those, usually allowing the dogs to work things out within reason, calling for crate time when the problem needs to be dealt with.
You will fall in love with your foster dog, which is necessary to his or her rehabilitation and also leads us to the next question.
"How can you give him up?"
This is
probably the number one reason why a lot of caring people do not
offer their homes for foster care: they are afraid giving the dog up
will hurt too much.
However, it's a hard truth, but without enough foster homes, we cannot rescue and save these dogs: they will die in the shelters and on the roadsides if we don't have the ability to make space for them in our program.
It helps to think of your foster Mastiff as your friend's dog that you are keeping during a vacation. Sure, you will enjoy him and will take really good care of him, but when your neighbor gets home, you will happily give the dog back.
Some of us think of ourselves as the rescued dog's 'aunt' or 'uncle,' a loving guardian for the dog on his or her way to a permanent home. This is a dog who ultimately belongs to someone else, who is in our care for only a short time.
When you give him or her up, it will be to a Mastiff 'forever home' that this dog has been waiting for--and you will be opening a space for the next rescue who needs you so desperately.
There is ALWAYS another rescue dog. But, also, after many years of fostering, your fellow volunteers can assure you there is nothing quite as moving as seeing your beloved foster dog happy, healthy, loved, and cherished by the forever home that really wanted him or her and in some cases really needed your dog. That is contagious, and we hope you will be hooked on fostering, too.
"What if I'm afraid my foster dog who is ill might die?"
We try hard to ease foster homes into the work gradually and try not to give a heartworm patient or other very sick or injured Mastiff to a home until they feel ready to take on that responsibility. To be honest, though, we can tell you that if you foster long enough, you may very well eventually lose a foster even with all our efforts to save him or her.
Tragically, most of us who have fostered for a long time have gone through the pain of loss because, after all, most rescues are in the program because they have been neglected, abandoned, and abused: and that includes previous owners not giving them heartworm pills or other medical care.
The illness is not the dog's fault, and sometimes the weeks or months he or she is with us are the only medical care, peace, and love the rescued Mastiff has ever known. We have held them in our arms when they crossed over and wept tears for them. It happens sometimes.
But in every case, if we hadn't intervened, the dogs would have had a far worse experience, dying on a cold steel table at the end of a needle in an overworked shelter putting down dozens of animals every day, or alone, frightened, and sick on the streets. The dogs we do lose in our program knew we loved them and did the best we could for them; and we are humbled by their sweetness and understanding even as they cross over. It is, in fact, a very humbling experience, and we're never sorry we tried to help these dogs. However, it's also important to remember that through loving foster care and the best medical care available, we usually manage to save most dogs.
Nearly all of your fosters are not only going to make it, but are going to thrive, become unbelievably gorgeous, go on to a wonderful new life, and make you very proud.
"What if my family falls in love with the dog and want to
keep her?" This does happen. Sometimes the
"perfect dog" comes along, and everyone in the family just seems to
agree that they are meant to stay together.
Fortunately, qualifying
as a Foster Home usually qualifies you as an Adopter as
well. Sometimes the dog tells us which home is right; and
we respect that. Should this happen, and your SC agrees, then the
foster home will pay the adoption fee, complete the Final Adoption
Agreement, and assume ownership of the dog. Please think about this
carefully, though, as often adoption means the family feels it no
longer has foster space available, and we desperately need those
homes too!