100% of your donation goes towards the rescue & medical care of needy dogs.

Q: What are the responsibilities of a foster parent?
A: Foster parents are responsible for providing a safe and supportive temporary home for a rescued dog, and tending to the dog's medical, social, and behavioral needs. Specifically, foster parents will:
1. Work through their State Coordinators to rescue a needy dog, either picking the dog up directly or helping with a transport to get the dog into fostercare.
2. Commit to safely and responsibly care for the dog until he or she is adopted.
3. Submit a Foster Agreement within 24 hours of receiving the dog.
4. Seek prompt veterinary care (within a week), according to the standards described in our Foster Home Manual. (Vetting expenses are reimbursed by the organization.)
5. Keep careful medical and other records on the dog.
6. Handle day-to-day care of the dog, including
          (a) feeding a proper quantity of a good quality dog food;
          (b) ensuring the dog gets monthly heartworm preventative each and every month without fail;
          (c) keeping the dog clean and groomed;
          (d) providing monthly flea preventative;
          (e) ensuring the dog's safety at all times.
7. Provide socialization and training, according to the dog's needs, to try to help the dog become a highly desirable, adoptable pet.
8. Help to "market" the dog by submitting a profile (bio and photos) for listing on our websites, and periodically updating the profile.
9. Assist the Adoption Department in the adoption process by quickly responding to correspondence about the dog, providing feedback about potential adopters, and helping get the dog to its new home upon adoption.
10. Participate regularly in our New Rattitude volunteer network (Yahoo group).

Q. What's the difference between fostering and dog-sitting?
A: Both Foster Homes and Dogsitting Homes go through our screening and approval process. But while the foster home is responsible for the dog's overall care from intake through adoption, a dogsitting home is providing very short-term housing and is not responsible for things like vetting, training, or administration. Dogsitting homes support our rescue efforts and our fostercare network by providing a place where a New Rattitude dog can be safely "parked" for a few days, either while transportation is being arranged or during short periods that the foster parents must be out of town and cannot take the foster dog with them.

Q. Can foster dogs be kept in a secure outdoor climate-controlled kennel?
A: An outdoor kennel may be used for limited daytime hours or a temporary emergency situation, but an outdoor-only set up will not be approved for a foster home. Part of our role as foster parents is to help socialize and train the dogs as good household pets. That requires that they develop good indoor "manners," housetraining skills, and compatible relations with humans and other pets, and that won't be achieved if the dog isn't kept inside as one of the "family."

Q: Can I become a fosterhome if I live in an apartment? Or don't have a fenced yard?
A: If you can show realistic expectations and understanding of a dog's needs and potential behavior "issues," and have a plan for how you'll deal with such eventualities, then you can still be approved as a fosterhome. Have you considered issues such as how a high energy dog would get adequate outdoor exercise, what the "potty" schedule would be, and how you would deal with a dog that turned out to be a loud barker or howler? You will also need approval from your apartment manager.

Q: What types of things would disqualify me as a fosterhome?
A: It's not always black and white, because a lot depends on your individual circumstances. But these are some of the things that would wave red flags in our fosterhome approval process:
    * planning to move or have major home renovation within the next 6-12 months
    * will be changing jobs or starting school within the next 6-12 months
    * have a heavy travel schedule
    * pregnant or have new baby
    * have a newly-adopted pet (within the past 3-6 months)
If any of these things apply to you, please think long and hard before applying to foster. In many cases, you may be better off waiting until your household situation is more stable before taking on this new commitment.

Q: How do I get a foster dog?
A: Your State Coordinator will let you know when there is a dog in your area needing to be rescued and will tell you as much as we know about the dog. If you have space, you may volunteer to take the dog, and then make arrangements through your SC to get the dog. If the dog is within an hour's drive of you, you'll probably be asked to go pick it up. If the dog if further away, your SC or a Transport Coordinator will work on plans to get the dog to you, and you may be asked to drive the last "leg" of the transport.

Q: Will I get to meet the dog before deciding to foster it?
A: If the dog needing rescue is located in a shelter near you, you may go there to evaluate the dog before deciding. But in many cases the dog is too far away or the situation is too urgent for that to be practical, and the decision will have to be made on the basis of the description given to us by shelter workers or other rescue volunteers. Sometimes there may be more than one dog in need at a time, and in that case, you may indicate which one you prefer.

Q: What if I get a dog with behavioral problems?
A: Most dogs WILL come to foster care with some behavioral issues, large or small. Whether it's chewing, howling, marking, growling, digging, "counter surfing," snake-chasing, door dashing, or something more significant, it's best to recognize that few new dogs will truly be 100% problem-free, and you'll need to be prepared to deal with these things. Fortunately, most behavioral problems will be minor, and it can be extremely gratifying to take in a less-than-perfect dog and help him develop to his full potential. You can start reading books and Internet sites on obedience training and figuring out ways to dog-proof your home or otherwise prepare yourself for the challenges that may come with fostering. Our New Rattitude volunteer network is also on hand to support each other with advice, suggestions, and encouragement. We also have a Behavior Modification Team that can be consulted to evaluate problems and develop customized treatment/training programs, giving the foster parent the know-how to properly deal with tough issues.
     For more serious behavioral problems (which, thankfully, are rare since we try to evaluate a dog's temperament before agreeing to "pull" it), your State Coordinator might be able to help get a dog moved to a different foster home if there is one with an opening. Keep in mind, though, that the other foster parents are themselves volunteers, just like you, and few of them are going to be eager to take in a new dog with known problems. The bottom line is that each dog, no matter what its issues, is the responsibility of the foster parent who took it in. So it's best to be prepared and to understand the commitment, and if the thought of having a dog that requires much dedicated attention and training is a significant concern, then perhaps fostering isn't for you.

Q: What if I start fostering but then can't continue?
A: Because it's not easy (and sometimes not even possible) to move a dog from one fosterhome to another, it's important that you not agree to foster a dog unless you are able to make a commitment to that dog for however long it takes. If your situation changes and you can't continue fostering, we will TRY to move your current dog, if feasible, but there's no assurance we'll be able to accomplish that in a timely manner so you'll likely need to figure out a way to stick it out until that dog is adopted. After that, we will try to find other ways for you to remain involved and help our rescue effort, other than fostering.

Q: How long does it take a dog to get adopted?
A: A dog must be in fostercare for a minimum of two weeks so that we can evaluate its health and disposition before allowing it to be adopted. After that, it largely depends on the dog and the foster parent. It's common for healthy dogs with few behavioral problems to be adopted very quickly, especially if the foster parent is diligent about helping us to "market" the dog by taking good photos and submitting a detailed profile for the website. Over half of our dogs are adopted within two months, and the great majority are adopted within 6 months. If a dog has significant "issues" &/or the foster parent is not proactive about helping to promote the dog, it can take longer. But even senior dogs and ones with special needs (such as blindness) are often adopted in just a few months if the foster family parent assists the process. These are our averages:
    22% of New Rattitude dogs are adopted within 1 month.
    52% of New Rattitude dogs are adopted within 2 months.
    70% of New Rattitude dogs are adopted within 3 months.
    80% of New Rattitude dogs are adopted within 4 months.
    88% of New Rattitude dogs are adopted within 6 months.
    96% of New Rattitude dogs are adopted within 10 months.

Q: What if my foster dog doesn't get along with my cats?
A: A good number of rescued Rat Terriers will not get along with cats. So if you have cats, it's your responsibility to figure out a plan to be able to reliably separate them. If that's not feasible, it will be essential for you to only agree to take in dogs that are known to be trustworthy with cats.

Q: What if I must go out of town on a trip?
A: As the foster parent, it will be your responsibility to make arrangements for this eventuality. There might be a nearby New Rattitude Dogsitting Home that can keep the dog while you are away. Some foster parents have trade-off arrangements with dog-loving friends or relatives or other nearby fosterhomes. Others take their fosters on vacation with them or hire a house-sitter or board the dog(s). Any for-pay arrangements are at the foster parent's own expense.

Q: Will New Rattitude pay for all of a dog's medical expenses?
A: We will indeed cover all essential medical care, and won't ever deny a New Rattitude foster dog needed treatment if a good outcome is probable. However, as a non-profit charity we have a limited budget, and spending a huge amount on one dog could mean not being able to save several others. So it is essential that we practice careful money management. Our foster parents are given a chart to indicate typical costs and maximum reimbursable limits for standard procedures, and are asked to be diligent in finding vetting options within those ranges. The core medical services that we provide for every dog include: exam, spay/neuter, vaccinations, heartworm test, worming, monthly heartworm preventative, and flea preventative. Other out-of-the-ordinary medical needs will also be covered but non-emergency procedures must be pre-approved.

Q: How does New Rattitude support the foster homes in the network?
A: New Rattitude maintains the websites and the Internet presence to locate and prioritize dogs needing rescue, and arranges for them to be brought in to the program. For each new dog, we provide a microchip, ID tag, martingale collar, and wormer, and we reimburse for heartworm preventative, flea preventative, and dog food (subject to our cost guidelines). We also offer a puppy stipend to apply to the extra out-of-pocket expenses of raising a litter of puppies. We provide training, support, and assistance for the members of the fosterhome network, and maintain a toll-free Lost Dog Hotline. Our volunteers manage the websites, market the dogs, handle the adoption application process, arrange for a dog's transportation to its adoptive home, and provide follow-up advice to the adoptive family. We also do fundraising and grant-writing to raise money to run the organization.

Q: What expenses does the foster family have to cover?
A: Foster families should have the following for their foster dog(s): leash, food and water bowls, training treats, toys, and chewies. Some other non-essentials are usually also helpful: crate (&/or X-pen or baby gates), car harness or tether, dog bed, grooming supplies (shampoo, nail clippers), and potty supplies (pooper scooper, enzyme accident cleaner, etc.

Q: If a foster dog destroys something of mine, will I be reimbursed?
A: Sorry, no. Our budget doesn't cover loss of property. We recommend that you keep a close monitoring eye on each new dog until you're assured of his trustworthiness.

Q: If I really fall for my own foster dog, will I be able to adopt him?
A: To help ensure that new foster homes are joining our fostercare program for the right reasons, and to help protect the stability of our program, New Rattitude has a restriction on new foster parents adopting New Rattitude dogs. We want to ensure that new volunteers become foster parents with the goal of helping to save multiple dogs, rather than adopting just one. Giving up a loved foster dog upon its adoption is usually the hardest part of fostering, but being able to do so is the only way a fostercare program can work. Anyone thinking about permanently adding a dog to their household should pursue adoption (and let us help find a great match) rather than fostering. Foster parents who have successfully taken at least one foster dog all the way "through the system" (meaning from intake through adoption) will then be eligible to adopt a future New Rattitude dog.

Q: May I independently find someone to adopt my foster dog?
A: Sure! But the prospective adopter still must go through our New Rattitude adoption process. We are legally responsible for each dog brought into our organization, and have an obligation to follow proper procedures to ensure that the dog will be going to the right home. If you have a relative, friend, or neighbor that is interested in your foster dog, have them fill out an adoption application and list you as one of their references.

Q: Do I have a say-so in the adoption process?
A: Absolutely! The foster parent communicates with the applicants to provide a very detailed description of the dog, answer questions, and perhaps even arrange for the applicant to meet the dog. While the Adoption Team concentrates on whether this applicant would provide a suitable "Furever Home" for a rescue dog in general, the foster parent focuses on whether this applicant would be a good match for this particular dog. The foster parent then provides feedback to the Adoption Manager, who makes the final approval decision.

Q: How long does it take to get approved as a foster home?
A: It will probably take us a few days to reach your references and then call you for a telephone interview. We then recruit a home visit volunteer, who will contact you to schedule a time to come inspect your property. After that, it should be just a short time before you hear if you're approved to be a New Rattitude foster home.

Click here for a volunteer application to Become A Fosterhome or Dogsitting Home