I'd suggest getting a food delivery puzzle. 3 of my 4 dogs get their breakfast that way (including the young malinois). You may even want to get more than one and rotate it. And a chuckit.
Fostering
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What feedback can any of you foster basenji ppl give me with regards to fostering….just wondering
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Fostering Basenjis specifically or fostering dogs in general? I'm a foster parent, and I love it. The first rule- you can't be overly attached to your carpet.
I have a Basenji mix as a family member and have fostered full Basenjis and Basenji mixes along with a ton of other dogs. Any specific questions or just a general overview? -
It was an option before but now we are actually getting our 2nd b this weekend. Don't think though that I could not get attached to the dog so it would probably be very hard for me to foster
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How does one foster and not get attached would be my question… I imagine if I fostered a B for several months, I wouldn't wanna give him/her back and then a couple years from now my story would end up in the papers and I'd be known as 'the Basenji man' with a housefull!
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It's hard not to get attached, but I've managed to do it. My B normally keeps it in perspective- she's always like "MOM, it is NOT staying here. This is MY house." and will throw some kind of fit like a 5 year old who just became an older sibling.
But she's getting along great with the Alaskan Husky we're fostering right now, so he might not go back. -
wow, fostering is quite possibly the most challenging and rewarding experience. I thought that when I took Savanah in with my two basenjis that there was a possibility that i would keep her. Shortly after, I realized how hard it was to transport 3 to the dog park etc. At that point on I knew she was being trained like my boys with all the love I had to find another home with a crazy person like me.
Fostering is not easy. It usually requires a lot of attention and communication to get a foster basenji to feel safe. I would say it probably takes as much energy and attention as raising a puppy because you never know what the special needs are until you have committed yourself.
I would say, if you dont have the space- dont do it. If you dont have the time- dont do it. If you dont have the extra resources for unknowns dont do it.
If you have experience with basenjis- do it. If taking care of your current basenji is easy but requires attention or non (its natural)- do it. If you have people around you that love your basenji- do it.
Fostering or adopting a rescue can be such an intense and rewarding experience.
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Many people fail "fostering-101". That's not anything new. To be a good foster, you have to send them on their ways. If you keep the dogs, then you will have too many to be a foster.
It is hard sometimes. After you foster a bagillion basenjis, you look back, and can remember that you had a few that were just exemplary dogs.
Like Mantis says, it takes a lot of effort to be a good foster, and to provide them the socialization that they might need. You need the ability to segregate your house if one doesn't get along with your own dogs. Then, you have to have time for each group individually.
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Many people fail "fostering-101". That's not anything new. To be a good foster, you have to send them on their ways. If you keep the dogs, then you will have too many to be a foster.
It is hard sometimes. After you foster a bagillion basenjis, you look back, and can remember that you had a few that were just exemplary dogs.
Like Mantis says, it takes a lot of effort to be a good foster, and to provide them the socialization that they might need. You need the ability to segregate your house if one doesn't get along with your own dogs. Then, you have to have time for each group individually.
All the comments herein from experienced fosters are consistent with my wife's and my experiences with fostering. We wondered to ourselves the first time how we would not get attached to our fosters.
However, when you remind yourself how your resident Bs own the house, the fact that there are other very deserving families/people who are ready and willing to provide a good home, and also in many cases how the foster B sometimes feels like a 3rd wheel to the resident B's, makes it a bit easier emotionally to let them go to their forever homes when they are ready. Best of all is getting email updates on their new lives with their families and how they are so happy and blessed with each other.
Bottom line:
- If you are a clean freak, fostering is not for you.
- If you are always pressed for time on other priorities, fostering is not for you.
- If you have a hard time managing your own B's behaviors, fostering is not for you.
- If one or more of your resident B's are incorrigibly territorial, fostering is not for you.
- If any family members do not care for the unique aspects of Bs, fostering is not for your family, because it truly becomes a family affair whether or not it's intended.
