Thank you for your interest in volunteering to foster our rescued dogs.  There is a lot of personal satisfaction in fostering our sheepdog friends.  However, if you have never fostered before, we would like to point out the "pit falls" of fostering.

 

First, we become so attached to those in our care that it tugs at our heart to give them up.  We shed a tear or two when we send them to their forever home ... even though we know that is best for them.

 

Next, our foster families must remember that our sheepdog friends come from different backgrounds and it is our job to get them ready for their new families.  Some may be owner turn-ins; others may have been strays and come out of animal shelters.  It's our job to evaluate them, nurture them (give them lots of love), see that they are healthy, groomed and neutered.  We socialize them for their new families.

 

We are a small group and don't have deep pockets, but the medical and the first grooming are paid for by Texas OES Rescue, Inc. .  However, we personally provide the food and transportation ourselves.  For the most part, we ask the adopting families to drive all or part of the way to us.

 

Every rescue sheepdog is different; age, sex, and disposition.  We try to make the best match of family to sheepdog then we go on the basis of the applications that have been waiting the longest.  We try to look at both the personality of the dog and the personality of the people in the family.  Some dogs are best as "only dogs" and others like to be around other animals.  Some are good with children and some not.  We also look for families that know Old English Sheepdogs are "high maintenance" dogs. Many of our dogs are owner turn-ins because the people buy a "cute" puppy then are not ready for a BIG shaggy dog.  Old English Sheepdogs require lots of attention for walking, playing and grooming.  They are not outside dogs ... especially in our Texas climate.  They require obedience training so we ask the adopting families to take them to training or train them themselves.

 

The usual adoption procedure starts with a telephone interview with one or more rescue volunteers, a home visit and a reference telephone call to the family's veterinarian.

 

I hope this information is helpful to you.  Please let us know if you are still interested in fostering.

 

Thank you,

 

TEXAS Old English Sheepdog RESCUE, Inc.