FOSTERHOMES DESPERATELY NEEDED

With Animalvida getting more and more attention, this also means that we are being contacted almost every day now about stray dogs that either need help, have been abandoned, or puppies in need. But space is limited and we are very

busy with the dogs we take care of. Therefore, we need your help!

(copyright of photo: Camilla Munksgaard) Our time and energy unfortunately is limited, but in order to fulfill our fundemental rescue intention we are in urgent need for more foster homes! All our dogs become house-dogs before they go to their new homes. Even though we would love to take on more dogs, we have to say NO too many times, as otherwise we would be over-flooded and that quickly would minimise the chances of dogs being adopted. Our goal is to convince with a good quality of training. This means the dogs are crate-trained, know how to walk on a lead (as much as possible), are good with kids, dogs and cats and dispose of some basic trainings. But as a dog lover you are well aware, there is always some need for more training which they are then getting in their new homes. Most of them are strays and potentially have experienced some real trauma. But living in such close contact to humans at animalvida gives them a chance to gain trust and accept being touched after a while and to get into a daily routine. In the end, no dog is sent out without being house-trained! We are looking for long-term fosters as-well as short-term fosters. Short-term foster is up to one month, while a long-term foster is a long-term period. The short-term fosters could be dogs that are waiting for their travels and could benefit from getting some more one-on-one attention, or who need to get off the streets/out of kennels asap. But due to our limited space we cannot integrate them into the house at that exact moment. Long-term fosters are meant for dogs that have not yet found a home. Some dogs just need a little longer to adjust and learn how to trust, before the are ready to be put up for adoption. We are located in La Cala de Mijas (between Malaga and Marbella) and are always in contact with our fosters and at their side. Should something not work out at all, we will be there to take the dog back. But of course, ahead of the adoption, we will advise and have a close contact and personal conversations at home with future fosters. This way, we make sure the foster-home is the right match and that the new fosters are prepared to be foster parents. We therefore also ask for your trust when we match you with a dog, even when things sometimes might become challenging at first. Again - we will responsibly be at your side all the time.

All costs are on us, but it is greatly appreciated if fosters would offer to pay food and snacks as this would relieve a cost from us. All fosters are given a start package with the dog of crate, bedding, bag of food, couple of bags of snacks, toys, bowls, harness, leads and collars - so even if you haven't had a dog before, you don't have to worry about being adequately equipped. What is the benefit of becoming and being a foster parent? - You have a dog, but you don't own it and -theoretically- can give it back any time, just like grandchildren in a way ; -) It's a great opportunity to be able to have a dog for a while, without being completely committed to owning a dog. Being a foster creates an elegant way of fingind of how a dog fits into your life full-time, before you adopt a dog later on. By the way, people who are not able to let go again of their foster dog, we call foster-failures ;-) What a wonderful way to get to know a dog and fall in love and test each other before your heart decides what to do ;-) An average foster period is expected to be between 2-3 months from the time dog is put up for adoption until it travels to its new owner. Some cases could be longer, some could be much shorter than expected. What are the requirements of becoming a foster parent? All you need is patience, time, and the strong will to train your foster dog mentally and physically to become the best dog possible! We have dogs of all kinds, but all of them need some mental activities to an certain extend. If you have kids in your home, you will also have to acknowledge that they need learn about the behaviours of dogs and to respect their own personal space. If kids are aware of these two things, they will learn to look at situations first before jumping into it. In the end, they gain a new best friend to share a lot of great times with. Are you interested in more information and are thinking about signing as a foster parent to help more dogs getting adopted? Send us an email at info@animalvida.com and we certainly will give you a call and have a chat before you sign up! ** We also adopt foster-homes in Denmark and Germany, but only on a long-term basis (with availability of 6+ months) - these will go through extra checks and contracts as we do not have the possibility of taking the dogs back home again, unless the case is very extreme.