Bringing Your Foster Dog Home

Bringing Home Your Foster Dog

Bringing a new foster dog home is exciting, but the first few days should be calm, predictable, and focused on safety. Your foster dog has experienced a major transition and needs time to settle in.

Before You Get Your Foster

Check your foster box (mailed) or bag (handed to you) to ensure: your foster dog has:

A properly fitted martingale collar
An MLRR identification tag attached immediately
A secure leash
Harness (optional depending on need)
All medications currently prescribed
Any heartworm, flea, or tick prevention assigned to that dog
Food with feeding instructions
Any special medical or behavioral instructions

Collar & Identification

Every MLRR dog must wear a properly fitted martingale collar and MLRR identification tag immediately.

Remove old collars that come with the dog. Old collars may be discarded or donated.

Do not rely on an old shelter tag, previous owner's identification, or a microchip alone. If the dog comes with a microchip tag, please adhere that to the dog's collar.

When Your Foster Dog Arrives

Your foster dog may be tired, frightened, overstimulated, or confused after transport and transition.

For the first several days:

Keep the environment calm and predictable.
Limit visitors.
Avoid busy or unnecessary outings.
Give the dog a quiet place to rest and decompress.
Keep your foster dog separated from resident dogs initially.
Do not force interactions with people or animals.
Closely supervise doors, gates, yards, and leash handling.

Remember: The goal during the first few days is not to see how much your foster dog can handle. The goal is to help your foster dog feel safe.

First-Day Health Check

Within the first 24 hours, please look your foster dog over carefully from nose to tail.

Check:

☐ Eyes
☐ Ears
☐ Teeth and mouth
☐ Skin and coat
☐ Belly
☐ Feet and paw pads
☐ Nails
☐ Rear end
☐ Legs and mobility

Look for:

Redness
Odor or discharge
Wounds or sores
Scabs or hair loss
Lumps or swelling
Fleas or ticks
Overgrown or broken nails
Limping or stiffness
Signs of pain or discomfort

Also Monitor:

☐ Eating
☐ Drinking
☐ Urination
☐ Bowel movements
☐ Vomiting
☐ Diarrhea
☐ Coughing or sneezing
☐ Energy level

Notice something concerning?

Take a photo or short video when possible and contact our medical coorditor (Donna) and our foster coordinator (Natalie) promptly. Please do not wait several days to report a concern that was present when your foster arrived.

Medications & Prevention

Confirm exactly what medications and preventative products came with your foster dog. Do not assume everything has already been communicated.

Make sure you know:

☐ Medication name
☐ Dose
☐ How often it is given
☐ When the next dose is due
☐ When heartworm prevention is next due
☐ When flea/tick prevention is next due

Important: Medication and prevention assigned to a foster dog stays with that dog. If the dog is adopted before the next dose is due, the assigned medication or prevention should go home with the adopter.

Questions?

We would always rather have you ask than guess. Contact your MLRR Foster Coordinator if you have questions or concerns about your foster dog.