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Health & Fitness

How to help a doxie? Foster

Any animal rescue organization can use foster homes. They allow rescues to help more animals in need and are any rescue's greatest assets. And Dachshund Rescue of North America, Inc (DRNA) is no different.

How do rescues get the animals? There are different avenues leading to rescue. An animal may come from a shelter where they may have been relinquished by their owner or found as a stray. Some come from puppy mills or possibly hoarders. Some owners contact a rescue directly to relinquish their pet.

How much is known about each animal that comes into rescue can vary greatly. An owner-relinquished pet will hopefully have a lot of information—behavior, physical health, vet records, likes and dislikes. And sometimes all you know is it’s a dog plus gender and breed (in most cases).

Dogs from puppy mills are used for commercial breeding have most likely lived in horrid conditions. These dogs have lived in cages where they eat, sleep, and reproduce. They are not house-trained. They have lived in their own and their cage-mates’ waste. They usually are not well socialized and need a lot of TLC to adjust to being out in the world.

How do you become a foster home? Simply complete the foster application. The information provided will help determine what type of dog is best suited for your situation.  The process includes a home visit.  This is an opportunity to meet and answer questions.  Once approved to foster, your first dachshund may show up shortly after that. Or it may be a few weeks before you have the chance to foster.

The DRNA rep will contact you about your availability.  You are not forced to take whatever dog is currently needing a foster home.   And if now is not the right time, you have the option to say no.

You will not be asked to do more than of what you are capable or think you are capable. When adopting, we try for a good match. And the same applies to fostering. We do not want to put a dog that does not like kids in a household with kids. We would prefer not to put a dog with separation anxiety with a foster home where people are gone ten to eleven hours a day due to work.  DRNA prefer is not to move the fosters around. However if something comes up, the DRNA rep will work with you to move the dog to a new foster home.

While in foster care, the dachshund may need veterinary care (vaccines, spay/neuter, injury, illness)   DRNA has vets we currently work with to provide care.   All approved veterinary care is paid for by DRNA. 

While you have the dog, you care for it as you would a dog of your own. And while you may be sad when the dachshund gets adopted. Remember you have helped one in need and can now take in another in need.

Dachshund Rescue of North America (www.drna.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with one sole purpose -- rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing needy dachshunds and mostly dachshund mixes.

For more information, please contact me at mayberry63@msn.com.




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