Fostering with First Option to Adopt!
Fostering with first option to adopt, otherwise known as "foster to adopt" or FTA, is an option we offer to approved adoption applicants. Since we are such a small rescue, with only about 10 dogs available at any given time - we work with a small handful of excellent applicants to help them find a dog through one of the hundreds of dogs in need we are offered every week. Sadly, our inbox is full of literally hundreds of dogs on death row or needing to be re-homed by their owners.
For example, an applicant is looking for a dog that is kid friendly, and can be trusted with being left home for 4 hour periods. We then hear of a dog that is in need because its owner is needing to get rid of it (divorce, moving, death, change of jobs - we get requests every day for people needing their dogs gone) - and we take the dog into our program as a foster to adopt with the approved applicant. We then provide medical and behavioral support and the foster has 2 weeks to decide if the dog is a good fit for a forever placement in their home OR they need to commit to fostering it until it is adopted into a forever home (that is the commitment we ask of you before doing FTA, that you commit to the dog until it is adopted, whether by you or someone else). TO Be Clear: There is NO DISCOUNT ON ADOPTION FEE FOR FOSTER TO ADOPT applicants.
If you are interested in this option, or it has been suggested to you - please read the blurb below from one of our happy FTA adopters!
Why consider Foster To Adopt? - a testimonial from an SDR Foster-to-Adopt family
"When we applied with SDR, we were prepared for the process of interviews, a home visit, reference checks and eventually the most exciting part of meeting dogs. We completely trusted the SDR volunteers who were working with us. While we’ve had dogs our whole lives, the SDR volunteers have more experience about doggie behavior and training. We felt confident they would be able to suggest which dogs would be best for our family and lifestyle. As it turns out, at the time we were ready to welcome a dog into our home, there wasn’t a dog ready for us. So the options were to keep waiting, OR consider Foster to Adopt.
Our dogs and cats have all been rescues. We support all sorts of compassionate animal rescues and shelters, and we feel fortunate to be able to help. We learned that by Fostering to Adopt it helped a dog get out of the shelter and into a home - we would saving 2 lives - and making more room for another dog at a shelter. Of course we would want to help save another dog!
But, bringing a new dog into our home is big deal….we didn’t know much about the dog…what if he didn’t get along with our other pets? What if he didn’t like us? What if…What if…? What we DID know: The SDR volunteers showed us pictures, shared medical records, video clips…and they passed along feedback from the people in Arkansas that did already know the dog. It seemed pretty good so we took the chance and agreed to meet our dog for the very first time and he would be coming home with us straight off the van transport that brought several dogs from Arkansas to Colorado.
Of course we were hoping this sweet dog arriving to us would be a great fit. We were well prepared it would take some time for him to feel comfortable and settled in our home. But we also knew that Foster to Adopt meant if this dog wasn’t a great fit, we would be able to work with SDR to help him find another home that would be perfect.
Long story short, we met the van transport early Saturday morning, showed our paperwork and then claimed this big black lab named Tucker. Our first meeting took place in a parking lot amongst other rescue dogs and people meeting them. Tucker was pretty wired after the long haul. We loaded up an went home, both excited and nervous. We followed the instructions from SDR on how to introduce Tucker to our other dog and to our cats. Even though Tucker was a little out of sorts, and it took a few days to decompress after the transport, we could see pretty quickly that Tucker was a good doggie. It was only a week later when the SDR team was checking in on us we said we wanted to switch from Foster to Adopt to simply Adopt.
For us, Foster to Adopt worked out great. It allowed us to spend time with Tucker, get to know one another - while knowing that if things didn’t go well, we would be able to help Tucker find a better fit for him. And Foster to Adopt was another way to help dogs in overcrowded shelters, which was also wonderful. Tucker turned out to be our forever dog and we can’t imagine our life without this happy lab we love so much."
Kate & Doug Saunders
Boulder, Colorado
Fostering with first option to adopt, otherwise known as "foster to adopt" or FTA, is an option we offer to approved adoption applicants. Since we are such a small rescue, with only about 10 dogs available at any given time - we work with a small handful of excellent applicants to help them find a dog through one of the hundreds of dogs in need we are offered every week. Sadly, our inbox is full of literally hundreds of dogs on death row or needing to be re-homed by their owners.
For example, an applicant is looking for a dog that is kid friendly, and can be trusted with being left home for 4 hour periods. We then hear of a dog that is in need because its owner is needing to get rid of it (divorce, moving, death, change of jobs - we get requests every day for people needing their dogs gone) - and we take the dog into our program as a foster to adopt with the approved applicant. We then provide medical and behavioral support and the foster has 2 weeks to decide if the dog is a good fit for a forever placement in their home OR they need to commit to fostering it until it is adopted into a forever home (that is the commitment we ask of you before doing FTA, that you commit to the dog until it is adopted, whether by you or someone else). TO Be Clear: There is NO DISCOUNT ON ADOPTION FEE FOR FOSTER TO ADOPT applicants.
If you are interested in this option, or it has been suggested to you - please read the blurb below from one of our happy FTA adopters!
Why consider Foster To Adopt? - a testimonial from an SDR Foster-to-Adopt family
"When we applied with SDR, we were prepared for the process of interviews, a home visit, reference checks and eventually the most exciting part of meeting dogs. We completely trusted the SDR volunteers who were working with us. While we’ve had dogs our whole lives, the SDR volunteers have more experience about doggie behavior and training. We felt confident they would be able to suggest which dogs would be best for our family and lifestyle. As it turns out, at the time we were ready to welcome a dog into our home, there wasn’t a dog ready for us. So the options were to keep waiting, OR consider Foster to Adopt.
Our dogs and cats have all been rescues. We support all sorts of compassionate animal rescues and shelters, and we feel fortunate to be able to help. We learned that by Fostering to Adopt it helped a dog get out of the shelter and into a home - we would saving 2 lives - and making more room for another dog at a shelter. Of course we would want to help save another dog!
But, bringing a new dog into our home is big deal….we didn’t know much about the dog…what if he didn’t get along with our other pets? What if he didn’t like us? What if…What if…? What we DID know: The SDR volunteers showed us pictures, shared medical records, video clips…and they passed along feedback from the people in Arkansas that did already know the dog. It seemed pretty good so we took the chance and agreed to meet our dog for the very first time and he would be coming home with us straight off the van transport that brought several dogs from Arkansas to Colorado.
Of course we were hoping this sweet dog arriving to us would be a great fit. We were well prepared it would take some time for him to feel comfortable and settled in our home. But we also knew that Foster to Adopt meant if this dog wasn’t a great fit, we would be able to work with SDR to help him find another home that would be perfect.
Long story short, we met the van transport early Saturday morning, showed our paperwork and then claimed this big black lab named Tucker. Our first meeting took place in a parking lot amongst other rescue dogs and people meeting them. Tucker was pretty wired after the long haul. We loaded up an went home, both excited and nervous. We followed the instructions from SDR on how to introduce Tucker to our other dog and to our cats. Even though Tucker was a little out of sorts, and it took a few days to decompress after the transport, we could see pretty quickly that Tucker was a good doggie. It was only a week later when the SDR team was checking in on us we said we wanted to switch from Foster to Adopt to simply Adopt.
For us, Foster to Adopt worked out great. It allowed us to spend time with Tucker, get to know one another - while knowing that if things didn’t go well, we would be able to help Tucker find a better fit for him. And Foster to Adopt was another way to help dogs in overcrowded shelters, which was also wonderful. Tucker turned out to be our forever dog and we can’t imagine our life without this happy lab we love so much."
Kate & Doug Saunders
Boulder, Colorado
