19 January 2008

Canine foster parenting 101


This week was our first as a foster family for a pup named Hugh from the Humane Society of Indianapolis. We got our two beagles from them, and were so impressed with their care and compassion for the animals that we decided to participate in their foster dog program. In brief, the program places animals who for one reason or another (health or behavior) wouldn't do well in the shelter environment; the animal is cared for at a foster home until a forever family is found.

I started posting Hugh's info on craigslist.org and also at petfinder.com; since then, I received a bunch of scam offers for pet purchases involving shipping as part of an advance fee fraud scheme. Nasty mean scammers. So I won't be doing that again.

If you are considering adding a new pet to your home, please check out a shelter dog. The variety of personalities, ages, sizes, and breeds at a shelter mean that there's likely a match for any animal lover. And usually the fee is much less than what a pet store or breeder would charge, if cost is a concern.

But mostly we're busy this week not posting things online but instead working with Hugh and getting him socialized. Hugh is an affectionate, adorable but painfully shy little guy with huge feet! I've so enjoyed watching him come round this week.

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