Foster

MARR Foster Program

If you are unclear on what kind of dog (breed, type, energy level, age) would fit into your family, but you aren’t ready to give up on having a dog altogether, fostering for rescue might be the answer for you. If you want to help save the lives of dogs, becoming a foster home is just one way to help. MARR cannot bring a dog into our rescue until we have secured a foster home, so our fosters are the linchpin to saving these dogs!

What does a foster home do?

A foster is a temporary placement for dogs in a rescue. The foster home will be responsible for basic housetraining, socialization, health care, and temperament assessment of a placed dog.

What about expenses?

MidAmerica Rottweiler Rescue (MARR) will cover the cost of veterinary care and obedience classes if needed.  The foster home is expected to cover the cost of collars, leashes, and toys.  A food allowance of $25 per month is provided via a monthly check.

How long does a foster dog stay?

This can vary greatly, but we require a dog to be in foster care for a minimum of 30 days to really get an understanding of the dog’s temperament and to work on behaviors if needed. An older dog in the golden years of his/her life may be with you until the end, but a puppy may only be in your home for a short time. In the case of rehabilitation programs, the dog or puppy may only be with you as long as it takes to be declared adoptable.

What if the foster dog doesn’t get along with others in the family?

If this happens, you must notify MARR immediately and we will help you overcome the situation by offering guidance and/or recommended additional training.  As a last resort, we will find other placement, but we exhaust all other possibilities first; it is disruptive to the dog and sometimes difficult to find another foster quickly.  We do our best not to place you with a dog you are not ready to handle or is not a good fit for you or your family (to include other pets).

Do I get to choose the dog I foster?

You will ultimately agree to accept a specific dog as your foster; however MARR will recommend specific dogs based on need, temperament, and your abilities,  We then must approve to bring the chosen dog into MARR with you as the foster.

Can I adopt the dog I foster if I want to?

Yes, you certainly can adopt your foster dog (in almost every situation) and it happens quite often.  Also, our foster-to-adopt program is growing.  In this case, you are already planning on adopting the dog after the required 30-day fostering.  However, if you realize the dog is not the good fit you were anticipating, there is no obligation to adopt; but we do expect you to continue fostering until the dog is adopted. In either situation, if you move forward with adopting, you will still need to submit an adoption application and pay the applicable adoption fee.

What does the foster approval process entail?

The foster application process will include:

– Vet Check
– Phone Interview
– In-Home Visit

All 3 of these need to be completed before your application can be approved. We do require your current pets to be up to date on immunizations and on heartworm prevention (dogs).  Additionally, your adult pets should be neutered or spayed as applicable.  We do allow exceptions, but they are addressed on an individual basis and are usually based on a medical reason.