Dogs.
They’ve been considered as man’s best friend for centuries. For those of us who have experience with dogs, we know how intelligent, affectionate and faithful they really can be. They entertain us, they listen to us when we’re sad and display immense loyalty. And yet all they ask for in return is nothing but your company. It’s as Josh Billings said,
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Not all people can see this in dog’s though. As you may have already guessed, I am a dog lover. But not all people are confident with or favour dogs. Not everyone can connect with dogs or simply don’t trust them. The reason being, is usually down to negative personal experience with a dog who has been under the care of a bad owner. To put it simply, some people just don’t understand dogs enough, whether they’re too distant or simply afraid of them. It’s these people who don’t realise how emotional, how humane dogs actually are. They just assume that all dogs are unstable and aggressive, or may believe that dogs are almost robotic, as if they’re soulless and don’t feel emotion. But this is not the case. Just because Dog’s don’t communicate in a way we fully understand, it doesn’t mean they don’t feel love, hurt, jealousy, anger or excitement. Dogs are more human than we realise, and in some cases, they’re better.
Dogs have the potential to be the sweetest and most devoted creatures, but their behaviour usually depends on their owners. You see, dogs reflect their owner’s personalities. If a owner is caring and kind, so will be the dog. If a owner is cruel and dominating, It will either reflect in the dog becoming scared and reserved, or the dog will lash out and become aggressive. This is because the dog is afraid, the owner has become a threat and therefore the situation has become the survival of the fittest.
As unfortunate as it is, not all dogs are able to have safe and positive upbringings. Some dogs are abused and taken advantage of by brutal, blood-thirsty humans. They’re beaten, used for consistent breeding or are made to participate in dog-fighting. As disgusting and inhumane as this is, it happens, a lot more than you may think. But, you can save these creatures from this unjustifiable fate.
Many organisations such as Cavalier’s In Need (The organisation I fostered and volunteered for!) actually rescue the animals from the puppy farms and places they were being held captive and take them back into the safe and open arms of Dog-Fosterers. This is where you come in. Dog fosterers are ordinary people who have signed up to temporarily care for these animals and nurse them back to health, until the dogs are finally adopted and brought to their everlasting homes. They have to deal with frightened, flee-riddled dogs who wont just have potential physical health conditions, but will have mental health problems too. Being a dog fosterer is essentially hard work, but it is so worth it all in the end when you see the difference you have made in that little dog’s life.
Dog fostering doesn’t just help the dog’s under your care, it also helps you. It’s a learning process that you can share with employers. Volunteering is incredibly useful for your CV and during interviews for a job and lets be honest, who’s going to dislike someone that has rehabilitated a numerous amount of dogs? If you foster a dog, you’re helping to stop lining the pockets of bad breeders. You are saving lives. Dog fostering is heroic and anyone can do it. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve owned dogs before, you don’t need to have experience with them. You can learn on the go and the charities you are fostering for have lots of experience they will be happy enough to share with you.
Need some proof?
Meet Lady.
My family and I fostered her a year ago.
Lady came from a puppy farm. When we got her she had had limited human contact and was riddled with flees. She was so afraid she would hide in the corner of the room or beside the sofa, out of sight. She was constantly quivering with fear and refused to eat or drink. Within a matter of days of ongoing work, my family and I had freed her from fleas, had her starting to eat food and she had actually moved a few metres out from her hiding spot. All it took was patience and being gentle with her, showing her that no would ever abuse or take advantage of her ever again. Lady was in such a bad condition, the vets couldn’t estimate her age. Her teeth were badly damaged which made it impossible to tell how old she was. All we know is that she is currently an age between 4-8 years old. During her time at the puppy farm, Lady was made to breed constantly. Every time she delivered a pack of puppies, she was only given a short time to recover and made to breed again. This was all Lady knew.
Now, a year later, she is a totally different dog. She’s so much more confident and bursting with enthusiasm and excitement, she loves to play with our other dogs and she is the most intelligent dog I have ever encountered. We actually fell in love with her thus we adopted her, so her proper home is with us! But even though she is happy, Lady still does certain things she had to do to survive on the puppy farm. Food was very scarce on the farm, every day was a battle to survive. Lady doesn’t forget this as she will now eat anything and everything you give to her, should it be bananas, cabbage or apples, things dogs aren’t usually fond of. We have our suspicions that she does this because she’s not sure or confident on when she’ll get another meal, a lifestyle she was made to live on the farm. Of course, Lady is fed a healthy diet with us and is incredibly happy, but her horrific experience on the puppy farm is a part of her. It is her past and this experience can sometimes be reflected in the small things she does or how she thinks. Lady hasn’t forgotten her roots, causing her to be grateful for every kindness she receives.
Meet Biscuit.
Fortunately, he wasn’t from a puppy farm. Instead he came from a family who couldn’t keep him. Biscuit had knee problems and unfortunately needed costly operations to fix them, expenses his family at the time couldn’t cover. With the help of Cavalier’s In Need, they where able to cover his operations. Meanwhile, we cared for him at home. He was a happy dog, who happened to love dog biscuits, hence his name-sake. Once his operations were completed and Biscuit had successfully went through his recovery period, he was uploaded on an advertisement for adoption online and was finally adopted by a grateful family. Now, Biscuit is as happy as can be in his new home.
In conclusion, you should really consider dog fostering. It’s an amazing experience and certainly opens your eyes. Seeing dogs in these conditions is absolutely heart-breaking and not for the faint of hearted, but the reward is richer than a billion pounds. Finally seeing the result of these dogs after being rehabilitated is phenomenal. Seeing their eyes light up with joy and their tails wag with happiness is worth all the hassle. But it all starts with you. So contact one of your local dog charities/rescues, ask to be a dog fosterer. Do these good deeds, and those dogs will forever be in your favour.
The power is in your hands now to help these dogs by dog fostering. So, will you?
For more information on dog fostering via Cavaliers In Need, please visit:
www.cavaliers-in-need.org
“Cavaliers in Need are a small and growing rescue group of volunteers and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel lovers who came together in 2013. Our members provide foster homes for dogs in need. We fund raise to support this work and the group also meet on a regular basis for a bit of fun for us and the dogs!”
Other common dog rescues:
You must be logged in to post a comment.