A few months ago, I contacted a bunch of animal welfare organizations asking about fostering and getting more involved in rescue. Rescues around here are always putting out pleas for foster homes and volunteers. I sent out e-mails to about a dozen organizations, including local rescues, two national breed-specific rescues as well as a breed-specific rescue in the USA (as they listed chapters in Canada), and a couple of local breeders hoping they might know who I could contact about getting involved.
Then things got busy with school, and finalizing wedding plans (and getting married), and I kind of put the idea of fostering on hold for a while, at least until the semester was over. And now that the semester IS over, I realize that I have not had one single reply from any of the organizations that I contacted. Not. A Single. Reply.
Occasionally, I visit the rescue webpages looking at the dogs that I would love to invite into my home, and tonight I noticed that many of them stat on their homepage that they "are in desperate need of foster homes" and volunteers, and I can't help but feel like the rescues can't be that desperate for volunteers or foster homes, when they do not respond to people who have actually contacted them about getting involved with their organization. Someone mentioned to me that perhaps when I contacted them they didn't need foster homes, and that the recent spate of spiteful winter has increased their need. This is a very valid point; like many things, there are "seasons" for animal rescue. And I would not have been upset if any of the organizations I had contacted had responded stating that they were not currently in need of foster homes, but could I contact them in a few weeks or months... although the responsible thing for them to do would be to set me up, do all the checks, interviews, etc. for me to foster, and then call me when a suitable dog came in. At the very least, they should acknowledge that someone has offered the help that they so frequently cry out for. Regardless, a lot of their behavior does nothing to foster a sense of community among animal rescue organizations in this city.
I really feel like it is important that people get involved in rescue in the area really highlights to me the importance of being involved in an organization that aligns with your values (and I don't mean just the big picture ones). All of the organizations that I contacted are about animal welfare, and giving dogs and cats the perfect home that they didn't have the first time. I'm talking about the smaller stuff - the organization I currently volunteer at runs a no-kill shelter. Unfortunately people in other rescue organizations around here believe "no kill" means "euthanasia free", which is simply not the case. I understand why many people in rescue are upset by the idea of euthanasia; it is not a fun topic to think about. But the shelter follows the policies that it does for a reason: to help as many animals as possible in the best way that it can. That means that spending months or years rehabilitating a dog that poses a large bite risk takes time and resources away from a larger number of dogs with less severe problems that can be rehabilitated faster.
For me, personally, since I am not currently fostering (and likely won't be for a while now, I would rather help as many dogs as I can. Quantity, vs. quality. And, the organization that I am with does include foster homes....Someday I will have the opportunity to help each individual dog on a much deeper level, but for now, I am content.
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