Hammer Time – Our New Greyhound Foster Dog
March 10th, 2010
Bath time for Hammer
I am now doing something I always said I couldn’t do: fostering an dog who is awaiting a forever home.
Why couldn’t I? Because I am the type of person who has a hard time visiting a shelter, much less bringing an animal home to meet everyone and get comfy.
As I wrote in my last post, I have been thinking a lot about how to get involved with rescue, influenced in part by “meeting” all of the amazing animal rescues and helpers out there on Twitter and Facebook. I have helped in other ways, but never so “hands-on” as fostering. That is a little close to home. I hope I can do this.
Hammer was part of a recent Greyhound haul that my rescue group accepted. Call it serendipity or whatever, but out of the 23 dogs, I was drawn to Hammer, mainly because he was the same size/build as my recently adopted Greyhound, Argos. He had that same quiet-sweet personality as both Argos and Sophie that I love.
See additional photos: Hammer and my other pets.
But cuteness and sweet personality weren’t why I signed up to foster. Turns out Hammer’s on a medical hold. He went for his pre-adoption neuter, dental, etc., with everyone else, but thrombocytopenia, a low platelet count, was found on his pre-op blood work. This condition may cause excess bleeding and bruising. Thrombocytopenia is fairly common in Greyhounds, often caused by Babesia or Erhlichia.
So he is on a course of antibiotics that are effective against those diseases and his bloodwork will be repeated in 4 weeks. Hopefully all will be well, and he can be neutered and have those tartar-y teeth cleaned up without a problem.
Greyhounds must be spayed/neutered prior to adoption. This means he will definitely be with us at least 4 weeks, maybe longer. A member of my rescue group who has fostered before said:
“enjoy the experience and think of it as if you are taking care of someone else’s dog. Which is really what you are doing. You just don’t know who that “someone” is yet.”
I like that. A good mantra for fostering!
Why fostering is important
As I learned more about retired/rescued Greyhounds and their former life on the track, I realized how important fostering is for these dogs. They have lived a scheduled life, unfamiliar with such regular things as stairs, windows, mirrors, cats, other dogs (they only see/interact with other Greyhounds), and so on. They need to learn not to surf tables and counters for food and have good house manners.
Why we decided to foster
As a family, we decided to foster for not only the strong reasons above, but also to help ensure that Hammer would be adopted into a forever home. The kids had to realize that this is a foster, not an adoption for us.
Greyhounds as a breed are different than other dogs and they have led a different life. For an any pet adoption to go smoothly – dogs, cats, all pets – working out a few possible kinks beforehand ensures an easy transition into foreverness.
March 24, 2010: Update on Hammer the Foster Dog
Is fostering for you?
Many shelters and rescue groups welcome fosterers and will provide guidance and support. If curious, call your local shelter or humane society and see what they need and can offer. You can find what rescue groups are in your area by using sites such as Petfinder or the Shelter Pet Project.
Have you fostered an animal that was successfully adopted?
Please share your story in the comments. I need all the support I can get here.
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6 Responses to “Hammer Time – Our New Greyhound Foster Dog”
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Janet Tobiassen Crosby DVM never planned to be a writer. She wanted to be a veterinarian from the moment she learned such a job existed - sometime during the first grade, when she accompanied her mom to the vet with a sick cat. Janet "adopted" all the neighborhood cats, and at age 11 she started training her first dog, a newly adopted rescue Collie. At age 12, she joined a dog obedience 4-H club and was active through high school as a member and as a junior leader.
I would love to foster, but both my current pups have some “issues” with other dogs. Since our motto is “He who came first, comes first,” I have to take their needs into account as my primary thing.
I don’t worry as much about the not-mine feeling since I managed to volunteer at a “kill” shelter for many years without any adoptions, but I would worry about the general disruption to day-to-day life that bringing a new character into the home might cause.
[...] Hammer Time – Our New Greyhound Foster Dog Share with your [...]
Congratulations on fostering. I’ve also had the same issues with fostering as you. You’re making me rethink it though!
Wow! What a great post. The volunteers that do rescue/fostering are truly inspirational. So much of the work rescue/fostering goes unnoticed and unappreciated. Thank you for raising awareness.
[...] been a little over two weeks since we welcomed Hammer the Foster Dog into our home, and I thought it was time for an update. I wrote about where we are today on my blog [...]
[...] Hammer Time – Our New Greyhound Foster Dog (my version of Be The Change) [...]