SCHNAUZER SITTERS (AKA FOSTER HOMES)
Schnauzer Sitters are the heart and soul of NJSRN. Our Schnauzer Sitters open their homes as a safe haven to Schnauzers in need. That's pretty terrific by itself, but our Schnauzer Sitters do even more than provide a safe haven - they make our rescues more adoptable.
Schnauzer Sitters observe their fosters and provide NJSRN with essential information on what a dog needs in its permanent home. We ask our Schnauzer Sitters to treat our rescues like they would their own dogs - which means establishing a regular routine; brushing and bathing so they get used to the grooming requirements; and working on other issues like house-training, crate-training, leash-walking, and socialization.
Schnauzer Sitting requires patience and commitment, but the rewards are endless! Your foster dog will blossom right before your eyes and when it's time for it to go to its permanent home, you can be proud knowing that you played a major role in its placement!
NJSRN cannot operate without Schnauzer Sitters and families to care for the dogs in our program, to help identify what the dogs need, to help with their training, and to develop their individual profiles. Because of our Schnauzer Sitter volunteers, we are able to take dogs into rescue from former owners and shelters. If you are interested in becoming a foster home for NJSRN, you can apply online now. Once submitted, this form is forwarded automatically to NJSRN.
Above: Ashley is still scared, but is starting to melt into a caregiver's arms.
Below: Brandi and Randy get to know each other.
FAQs on Fostering
I have never fostered a dog before. What do I do?
We ask our Schnauzer Sitter volunteers to care for the foster dogs in their care as they do their own pets. This means making sure that the dog is house-trained, crate-trained, properly socialized, has learned some basic commands, and that it is treated like a full member of the family. Our Schnauzer Sitters quickly become the ones who know and understand the dog the best - its likes and dislikes - and we rely on these volunteers to create a profile of the "perfect" home for that dog. If you have never owned a Miniature Schnauzer (or any other dog for that matter), but are still interested in becoming a Schnauzer Sitter, please contact us! We are happy to provide information and support for all of our volunteers!
Isn't it difficult to "give up" a dog that you have been fostering?
Yes and no. Because you have loved and cared for a foster dog, moving it to its permanent home is a little like giving up your own pet. Many of our foster volunteers talk of "the look" they get as they say goodbye - there's no denying it - it tugs on your heart. The reward comes in knowing that you were there when the dog needed you and that NJSRN has worked to find the dog a permanent, loving home. As the days and weeks go by, and you learn how the dog is adjusting in its new home, you begin to appreciate your part in its healing, and you begin to look forward to helping your next foster dog make the transition from temporary to permanent home.
THE PIECES OF MY HEART
(On Fostering)
Copyright Jim Willis 2001 (used with permission)
tiergarten@onebox.com
http://jimwillis0.tripod.com/tiergarten/
Our paths will cross for only a short time,
but while you are in my care I will be devoted to you.
If memories of your former life are painful, I will help erase them.
No longer will you hunger, and I will help to heal your wounds.
If your former life was good, I will promise you an even better future.
One day our time together will come to an end
and you will go off to your new home - healthy, happy, and healed.
As a parting gift, I will give you a piece of my heart to remember me by.
I may shed a tear...not for my loss, but for your gain.
Perhaps our paths may cross again for a fleeting instant
and I will be comforted by the aura of love that surrounds you.
There will always be a bond between us,
though we walk separate paths through this life.
After we reach our heavenly reward our paths may cross again.
You may try to return the piece of my heart
with thanks for all that I did for you.
I will tell you to keep it and thank you
for showing me that I could be better
than I thought I could be
and that I learned in giving came the greatest gifts.
The pieces of our hearts are like grains of sand.
They are pulled along a current beyond our control.
until they come together and form a safe haven.
I, like you, came to understand what it meant to be saved.
