Thank you for your interest in volunteering to foster.  Our foster homes are very important, without them we would not be able to save the lives of the many animals in need of our help. It is a very rewarding experience to help a special dachshund along in their journey to their forever home.

The number of surrendered, dumped, and abused dachshunds has sadly risen higher than ever before and continues to climb. AADR could not exist without wonderful foster families who volunteer their time and homes to show a dachshund that life can be filled with lots of love and happiness.

The members of AADR provide a great support system for one another and gladly invite you to join their rescue family!

The very first step is to fill out an application to become a foster member. Once that is approved, we can walk you step by step through the process and answer any questions. Below is information you will need once your application is approved and you are an AADR Foster Member.

PURPOSE

To provide a home environment for injured, abused and homeless companion animals until they can be re-homed.  

THE AADR MEMBER

Currently, our President serves as our Foster Coordinator.  She is the one you will be in contact with about receiving an animal, and eventually when that animal is adopted you and she will work to get the animal moved on to their forever home (mostly likely through a transport coordinator).  It is the responsibility of AADR to ensure that your foster is being cared for according to our standards and to help you in providing for that animals care, both physical and emotional.  

Fosters are seldom like bringing a puppy into the home that is a learning sponge just waiting to be filled.  Many of these animals will come from shelters where they were abandoned or from breeders.  For many dogs coming out of breeder situations, yours will be the first hands that have touched them in love and not in money making.  They will have been removed from dirty, depressing conditions. While going through intake, they will have been vetted and just begun to be introduced to positive human touch.  From there they are moved to your home.  Expect that they will take a little time to settle in.  Initially, they may almost seem in shock from all of the changes in their lives.  So, give them a little time and space to learn that they are loved.  

AADR is here to help you and the dog through that period, all the way to adoption and beyond.  If you have questions or concerns, you need to contact us so that we can work together to have the most positive impact for the animal.  
Here are a few reasons to contact us specifically:

1.  A fight occurs that involves your foster animal.
2.  Your foster animal is an escape artist and you are unable to keep him/her confined.
3.  Your foster animal turns up missing.
4.  Veterinary expenses and requirements.

REQUIRED FORMS

Foster Agreement: All Foster Families need to read this, sign, and to send in to AADR.

Foster Dog Evaluation Form: This form should be kept up to date on your animal regardless of the animal’s age.  
Most of the information on this form you will not know about your foster animal until he/she has been with you for a while.  As you learn more please update this information.  This form also gives whoever will be adopting your foster animal a little more insight as to his/her likes, dislikes, and temperament.  Two copies of this form will be needed when adoption time comes.

*Once you're application is approved, our New Member Coordinator will contact you and send you exactly what you need and can walk you thru each step. We want to make this as convenient as possible for our new foster members!

POSTING YOUR FOSTER ANIMAL ON OUR WEBSITE

One of the most important ways to help your foster animal get adopted is through our website and PetFinder.  
Send a digital picture to your Region Foster Coordinator along with a completed description and bio of your foster animal.

If you are unable to take a digital picture of your foster animal or do not have access to email, contact the AADR
member you are fostering for to make other arrangements.

1.   If you have access to email, please provide your email address to address inquiries concerning your foster
animal.
2.   Set up times and participate in adoption days so potential adopters can visit with your foster animal.  Note: Please let your AADR  know when and if such meetings are scheduled.  On specific request the AADR member or officers or board member can assist with visits.
3.   When answering inquires on your foster dog please copy your member with AADR.

If you find an interested adopter, please remember they must submit an adoption application and follow our adoption process.  The adoption application must be approved by your AADR member prior to scheduling a home visit of the  potential adopter.  Please refer all potential adopters to our website to complete an adoption application. 

VETERINARY CARE

Soon after your Foster arrives he/she will need to be examined by a vet.  Most dogs will have already had some if not all of these items performed. Please check the paperwork that came with the animal.  If any of this is missing, contact us about scheduling it with your vet (please contact us first to ensure the paperwork was not lost/misplaced -- all of this costs money and while we want to ensure the best care for each animal, unnecessary costs can keep us from saving other animals due to funding).  

1.    Heartworm test*
2.    Listen to heart
3.    Check for worms, by stool sample (if the veterinarian only requires a stool sample, it may not necessary to take your foster animal to the vet to have this done, simply take in a sample you get from home).*
4.     Check eyes, mouth and ears
5.     Skin-look for any allergies, mange or any other skin problems
6.     Weigh him/her
7.     Make sure the animal is up to date on vaccinations and rabies shots.*
8.     Schedule for spay/neuter if appropriate.*
9.     Schedule a dental if needed.*

* should have been performed at intake

Veterinary records/documentation: You will be required to have in your possession the original or a copy of all
vaccinations, heartworm status, rabies certificate and tag, along with proof of spay/neuter.  If you do not have
these records please let your FPC know immediately.  Please get a copy of services rendered when your foster
animal visits the vet.  If the rabies tag has been lost, please take the certificate to the vet and have a replacement
tag issued.  Please ensure when your animal is seen by the veterinarian for the first time that they are aware this is a foster animal for the AADR.

Your vet needs to know that our treasurer sends out checks bi-weekly. Please make sure they are ok with this before you take your foster in.

Only emergency or non routine care must be approved prior to the foster animal being seen by a vet.  If the foster
animal needs emergency vet care or any other medical attention, please contact the one of the officers of AADR
with what your foster animals needs and what it will cost for such services.  Please note:  If a foster caregiver
seeks medical care for their foster animal without proper approval expenses may not be reimbursed.
Please see FAQ for examples of a medical emergency.

Vaccinations, spay/neuter,  and heartworm status checks:

You will be required to keep your foster animal up to date on all vaccinations, so please look at his/her records
carefully.  If your foster animal was accepted without being spayed/neutered, please coordinate with the AADR
and please have this done as soon as possible.  No animal will go to its adoptive home without proper tests,
vaccinations and spay/neuter (exceptions would only be in cases of a young animal).

CARE FOR YOUR FOSTER

Please familiarize yourself with the Foster Agreement Contract as to what is expected of you while an animal is in your care.  We require all of our dogs to be on monthly heartworm prevention.  All foster homes are asked to provide heartworm prevention for their foster dog(s), it is a MUST they are kept on monthly prevention.  We also ask that your foster animal be kept clean and free of fleas/ticks.  Flea prevention such as Frontline, Advantage are recommended but not required.  If you cannot meet these requirements please speak to AADR immediately.

Please ensure that your foster animal wears his/her collar and proper tags (name tag, rabies tag) at all times.

If your foster dog is not house broken, good on a leash, doesn't know basic commands such as sit, down and
stay, please work with them on this.  These basic commands will make life easier on you and also make him/her more appealing to adopters.

Even though your foster dog has been evaluated prior to acceptance, once a dog becomes comfortable in their foster home problems could arise that were not evident before (food aggression, same sex aggression, separation anxiety, etc).  Please notify AADR  if any problems arise.

PRE-ADOPTION PROCESS

Please familiarize yourself with our Adoption Protocols.  During the pre-adoption process if the adopters are close enough they may want to meet your foster animal.  Please set up a time for the adopters to visit with the animal — this can be done in your home or you can make arrangements to meet at a selected location.  Please let the AADR know when and if such meetings are scheduled.

Only when the Adoption Coordinator has approved an application is your Foster animal considered adopted, until then an adoption is pending.  Once your foster animal’s adoption has been approved follow the Adoption
Protocols to get him/her ready to go to their forever home.

Thank you again for caring enough to open your home and heart to help a homeless animal. Your commitment to
foster an animal can sometimes last for a few weeks, or even months, but the rewards of fostering are
tremendous.

FOSTERING FAQ's

1.  Should I separate my new foster animal from my own pets?

Initially you should separate the foster animal from other pets in your household
and not let them defecate/urinate in the same area until they have received all of
their proper vet care.  You should also be vary careful during feeding time -- see the discussion about that below.

2.  The Foster Animal Is At My House. Now What Do I Do?

Take a picture!

Send a digital picture to your Region Foster Coordinator along with a completed description and bio of your foster animal.  Make sure it describes your foster
animal in the best possible light, but don't lie.

If you can't get the picture for a few days, go ahead and submit the BIO. If you
do not have a digital camera or email capabilities contact your AADR member  to
arrange other means.

3.  What Happens If One Of My Own Pets Gets Sick?

Separate the foster animal from your pet so there is not any cross contamination.  
Please have your pet treated as soon as possible.

4.  How Do I Get My Dog(s) To Accept My Foster Dog?

Initially keep the animals separate with very short, always supervised meetings
with you in the room.  *NEVER* leave your dogs unattended with the 'new' dog until you are *absolutely* certain that your dogs will be okay with them.  Use your best judgment here.  
Even when things are going smoothly, don't become over confident.  Look for the little signs of dissension - posturing, intense stares.  In short WATCH the body language.  It may be subtle to us, but it is screaming at the other dog.

5.  What Happens If My Dog(s) Doesn't Get Along With The Foster Dog?

Contact the AADR member immediately so another foster home can be located as
soon as possible.  You might have to play "musical" doggies' to keep them
separate.

6.  How Should I Handle Meal Times?

Food and water are scarce resources as far as dogs are concerned.  It won't take
much to get a fight started around the food or water bowl.  Feed your dog(s)
and the foster dog separately.  Crating a foster dog for feeding is a good way to do this.  If your foster came through Lewisberg,
they have been fed in their crates there.  This is a good practice for the beginning, until you see how the new foster responds/reacts
during dinner time.  Try to rotate the dogs out so that they won't all
arrive at the water bowl at the same time.

7.  What Do I Do If My Dog And The Foster Dog Get Into A Fight?

Remain calm. Try to distract them. Spraying them with a water bottle, water hose, or bowl of water
can be very effective. It surprises the dog and gives you enough time to separate
them. You could also try beating on a plastic trash barrel. The low frequency
might be enough to distract them. Do anything that might get their attention,
short of physically getting in the middle. Physical intervention generally is not
effective and should be used only when absolutely necessary. The dogs often are
so 'into' the fight that they may feel you hitting and grabbing at them and think it
is another dog. Then they may turn on you and bite you without realizing until
too late.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so again, watch for small signs
of unrest -- dogs say a lot with their body language -- teeth, tail, tense...  

8.  What if my foster dog needs medical attention?

Please contact your All American Dachshund Rescue member. Your AADR
member will then evaluate the situation and get approval from the officers of the
group if necessary.  If you do not seek the approval from your AADR member (or
get officer approval if necessary) for medical treatment, you may not be
reimbursed for your medical expenses. If the dog's condition is a true emergency
and the dog's life is at stake, by all means do not worry about getting approval.
Take the dog to your vet and notify your  AADR member as soon as the animal is
safe in veterinarian care to let us know what is happening.  We are concerned
about the health of each and every foster animal, so please keep us up to date.

9.  What Should I Do To Prepare My Foster Dog To Be Adopted?

House training your foster dog is very important, since our adoption contract
requires that adopted dogs be kept inside. Also doing some basic obedience with
the dog would be nice and gives your dog an advantage over an untrained dog.  

10.  How do I get reimbursed for my expenses?

Send your receipts to the President of AADR and you will be reimbursed
immediately for your authorized expenses.
Scarlet Lancaster, Treasurer
Attn: Vet Expenses
P O BOX 125
Sheridan, AR 72150

11.  What Happens When Someone Is Reeferred To Me, And I Discover That They Only Want A Dog For Breeding Purposes?

Politely explain to them that our organization sterilizes each animal that comes in,
in order to keep more from being bred.  Be polite and try not to get impatient or
outraged.  (I know it is difficult!) We are not only called to save.  We are also
here to educate those who would keep us in business. Not everyone will listen.  
In fact, most won't, but if you can reach one person and keep them from
breeding, then your efforts will be rewarded.

12.  What if the people who are looking to adopt are unable to pay the adoption fee?

The ultimate goal is to get animals into a home where they will be loved and
appreciated.  One must consider that if an adopter is unable to afford the
adoption fee how can they be certain they can afford to feed and maintain a
companion animal?

13.  What happens if the dog I'm fostering is not being adopted?

Try taking a new picture and typing up a 'fresh' bio.  Also join some forums and
email lists.  Discuss your foster dogs openly. Ask questions about their behavior
or comment on what great dogs they are and what a privilege it is to be a foster,
and be sure to put a link to the correct AADR page in your signature.  

14.  What do I do it I get an inquiry from someone about my foster dog and
he/she won't fit into their home/lifestyle or they have an adoption pending? Or if
they ask if we have any dogs that do meet their requirements?

Please tell them politely you do not think your foster dog will be a good choice to
add to their family. A brief explanation as to why would be nice (such as they
have cats, foster dog doesn't get along with cats)
If your foster dog has an application pending please tell them, do not mislead
them to think your foster dog is available. Ask them to fill out our Adoption
application. Tell them  you will be  happy to let them know should the application
fall through for some reason, and you  would be happy to work with them to find
a dog that will fit perfectly into their home.

15.  What happens if the dog I'm fostering bites someone?

You need to contact either the AADR member you have been fostering for or one
of the members of the board of AADR and explain the circumstances involved.  We
will then decide if the board needs to vote on whether to allow the animal to stay.