The need:
Everyday we receive requests to “rescue” Cockers. These requests may come from families who can no longer keep their Cocker for a wide variety of reasons, but overwhelmingly,they come from shelters throughout the upper Midwest. This means we have a constant, desperate need for foster homes.

Many Cockers coming from a shelter need a great deal of love, medical care and attention before they are ready to be placed with a family. We rely on our foster families to provide the love and general care, we supply the rest.

What you can do to help:
• Long-term fostering (usually 1 to 6 months) is our greatest need.
• Short-term fostering (1 day to 1 month) is also a great need. .
• Transporter. Help by taking dogs between the vet or groomer and their foster home. Moving dogs from a foster home in one location to another, picking up dogs to attend an event, in-taking a dog from a shelter, doing a home visit or transporting the dog to his/her new home.
• Recruit other foster homes and volunteers - this could be something like posting fliers in the pet stores, vet clinics, boarding facilities, etc. in the area where you live.
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Your role as a foster parent:
• Provide a safe and nurturing environment for your foster.
• Provide routine care (bathing, cleaning ears, brushing, etc).
• May include things like working with your foster on perfecting their housetraining or some basic obedience training.
• Attend rescue sponsored events with your foster when possible and within a reasonable driving distance.
• Communicate with other key volunteers to update how your foster is doing to facilitate a good match with potential adopters and so that his/her online bio can be updated.
• Communicate with potential adopters wanting additional information about your foster.
• The most important role as a foster parent is loving your foster and treating him/her the same as you would one of your own dogs.

Support received from SCR:
• All dog food is supplied
• All veterinary expenses are covered
• Flea and heartworm preventative is supplied
• Back-up fostering or boarding for vacation, family emergencies and other situations.
• Transport to and from the vet, groomer, events and placements if needed.
• If there’s a problem, we are there to provide help . If a problem with a foster dog cannot be resolved, we can try again with another dog or try again at a later date.

How to become a foster parent:
Sorry but we cannot place a foster dog in a home with a child under 10 years of age.
• Complete the Foster Home Application on the website. (Foster Home Application)
• A SCR volunteer will contact you if your application is approved to arrange for a home visit.
• Once everything is approved, we will immediately begin working to provide a suitable foster for your household.
• When you receive your foster, you will be asked to sign our Foster Care Agreement outlining the foster responsibilities and procedures.

Can’t bear to give your foster up?
It is possible that you'll get a dog to foster who ends up stealing your heart and you just can't bear to give them up. In the event that you wish to adopt any or all of the dogs as a household pet(s) for yourself, you must contact the director as soon as you reach this decision to check on the current availability of the dog(s). If the dogs are currently available then you must enter into Adoption Agreement for the dog. If an approved adopter has applied for that dog it's too late for you to decide you now want to adopt it.

Do you get to choose your foster dog?
We will work with you to place a foster suitable to your home and family situation. Please understand that we evaluate the dogs to determine any needs they may have. Different dogs have different needs or need help in different areas. We place fosters in the available foster home that best meets that dog’s particular needs.

How long does a foster stay?
The length of the foster period varies greatly. Some foster dogs stay in foster care only for a few weeks before they are ready to be adopted into a family. Some dogs need more time and attention either physically or psychologically or both, and some dogs take longer to ‘click’ with the perfect adopter. The typical foster period is 1 to 6months. You are not required to complete a single foster period, however, if you find that your availability to foster is growing short, we will find another foster home.

Important note:
Settling a dog into a new home takes time, patience and a structured environment. Our foster homes rely on crate training (kenneling the dog in an indoor kennel, called a crate) to provide the dog with essential ‘quiet time’ and to make housetraining easier. We therefore require all foster families to have a crate in their homes when their foster arrives. We are happy to provide you with a crate to use for length of time that you foster as well as advice on crate training and housetraining.
If you have additional questions please send an email to Elaine (ebaumann2@charter.net)