How You Can Help
- Donate/Sponsor/Wish List
- Unchain Your Dog
- Report A Chained Dog
- Volunteer
- Adopt
- Foster
- Still Chained in the NRV
- Change The Laws
- Sign Up For Our Newsletter
- Shop Our Store
- Join Dogs Deserve Better
- Stop BSL
Don't Shop, Adopt!
- Giles County Animal Rescue
- Angels Of Assisi
- PAWS of VA
- Animal Hope Alliance
- Animal Welfare Program
- Midnight's Animal Hospice
- Lab Rescue of SWVA
- Floyd Humane Society
- Montgomery Co Humane Society
- Dalmatian Rescue of SWVA
- Friends of Animal Care & Control
- Radford Pound Pals
- Radford Humane Society
- Pulaski Animal Control
- Pulaski County Humane
- Adopt-A-Pet
- Pets911
- Petfinder
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Foster Thank you for your interest in
fostering a rescued chained/penned dog for Dogs Deserve Better.
We really need your help! The more foster homes we have, the more dogs we can rescue. We will provide all vetting and all you have to provide is a loving indoor home and food. Please visit our adoption page to see all dogs looking for foster homes. Please complete our Foster Application. Every one of our available dogs would treasure toys, a bed, dye-free treats, healthy food, and their own collar and leash. Please help us support our foster program by donating. TO HAVE YOUR DONATIONS GO TO DOGS IN THE NEW RIVER VALLEY PLEASE SPECIFY "DDB-NRV" Tamira Ci Thayne, DDB's Founder and CEO, has written a wonderful book about keeping your sanity as a doggie foster parent.
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DOGS
DESERVE BETTER is
a nonprofit organization
dedicated to freeing the chained dog, and bringing
our 'best friend' into the home and family.
Dogs
Deserve Better,
2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA/Chase Pet Protector Award,
is a voice for chained and penned dogs, whose sadness speaks only
through the eyes. As the days become years, many of these dogs sit,
lay, eat, and defecate within the same 10-foot radius. Chained by
the neck, they exist without respect, love, exercise, social interaction,
and sometimes even basic nourishment. They live as prisoners,
yet long to be pets.
WHAT FOSTERING
IS NOT
I have discovered that there are a number of misconceptions about the true purpose of fostering a dog. Some people view fostering as a trial period to determine whether they want to adopt a dog permanently. Some start out with the right intentions, but become too attached to the dog and are unable to give it up. Others are only willing to foster one particular dog that they already feel an attachment to. Some potential adopters think fostering is a good way to get a free dog, free vet care and supplies. In my opinion, none of these attitudes reflect the true spirit or intent of foster care programs.
In most cases, people who foster already have one or several "forever" dogs. They probably don't have many extra slots for new dogs in their packs, either because of time and space constraints, or because their municipality allows only a certain number of pets per household. If a foster family adopts a dog, that "slot" is no longer available for the next needy dog.
So how do I prevent myself from becoming too attached? I never think of a foster dog as "mine." Each dog already belongs to someone else -- it just so happens that I haven't met that person yet. The dogs just stay with me until their special person is able to come and take them home. Another foster volunteer looks for minor, arbitrary faults in each new dog: "Oh, well, we don't need another male." "This one's nice, but we already have a white one." And of course the easiest way to keep from getting too attached is to remember that there is another dog that needs my help after this one goes home.
Fostering is not a way to get a free dog. It is not a trial period before adoption. And it certainly isn't easy. Fostering is a way to help a dog that really needs you. At times, it's incredibly stressful. It requires dedication, hard work, serious time commitments, lots of stain remover, and -- above all -- an understanding of the purpose of the process. If you can't give your heart to a dog and then let it go when it doesn't need you anymore, you probably shouldn't get involved.
IS NOT
I have discovered that there are a number of misconceptions about the true purpose of fostering a dog. Some people view fostering as a trial period to determine whether they want to adopt a dog permanently. Some start out with the right intentions, but become too attached to the dog and are unable to give it up. Others are only willing to foster one particular dog that they already feel an attachment to. Some potential adopters think fostering is a good way to get a free dog, free vet care and supplies. In my opinion, none of these attitudes reflect the true spirit or intent of foster care programs.
In most cases, people who foster already have one or several "forever" dogs. They probably don't have many extra slots for new dogs in their packs, either because of time and space constraints, or because their municipality allows only a certain number of pets per household. If a foster family adopts a dog, that "slot" is no longer available for the next needy dog.
So how do I prevent myself from becoming too attached? I never think of a foster dog as "mine." Each dog already belongs to someone else -- it just so happens that I haven't met that person yet. The dogs just stay with me until their special person is able to come and take them home. Another foster volunteer looks for minor, arbitrary faults in each new dog: "Oh, well, we don't need another male." "This one's nice, but we already have a white one." And of course the easiest way to keep from getting too attached is to remember that there is another dog that needs my help after this one goes home.
Fostering is not a way to get a free dog. It is not a trial period before adoption. And it certainly isn't easy. Fostering is a way to help a dog that really needs you. At times, it's incredibly stressful. It requires dedication, hard work, serious time commitments, lots of stain remover, and -- above all -- an understanding of the purpose of the process. If you can't give your heart to a dog and then let it go when it doesn't need you anymore, you probably shouldn't get involved.
