4 Lucky Dogs Foster Care Program

4 Lucky Dogs Pet Rescue (4LD) is a foster-based rescue with no shelter or facility to view our dogs. Our address is a mailing address only. 4LD rescue dogs are in loving foster homes throughout West-Central Florida. For example, Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Manatee County, and Pasco County.

Our motto is to Rescue, Rehab, Rehome, and Repeat. Pets need homes and people need pets, so our goal is to enable those matches. We depend on foster homes to care for our rescued pets and look forward to receiving your foster application to possibly become part of the 4LD family.

 

Click here to apply to be a foster parent  

 

Why should you foster?

Fostering is a very rewarding experience. By taking a dog in need to your home you are:

  • Saving a life
  • Giving your foster dog the time he/she needs to relax and decompress before being adopted
  • Helping our rescue learn more about the dog so we can help find he/she the best home possible
  • Encouraging a dog learn how to live in a home environment
  • Assisting with socialization with other people and animals

 

4LD FOSTERING PROGRAMS

     Foster-Only Option     

When you foster you agree to take a homeless pet into your home and give him/her shelter, food, play, exercise, basic training, and love until the pet is adopted to a permanent home. 

Without our dedicated network of fosters 4LD could not save the lives of numerous dogs every year. For example, owner-surrender dogs could go to the shelter which would be a huge change for them or possibly just be dumped somewhere. Some dogs are already in the shelter but not doing well there such as too scared to eat, so they need to be in homes to feel more secure.

Fostering means you make the animal more “adoptable”. For example, help animals be calmer, teach them to walk on a leash, give praise for successful potties outside, and provide basic command training. Dogs that experience stability in a foster home become more self-assured, trusting, and willing to listen which in turn will help the dog become more attractive to adopters.

A foster dog may have come from a situation where he/she spent his life isolated in a crate/yard, or may have spent a month being a stray, or may be losing the only home he/she ever knew not understanding why. The foster parents will be relied upon to alleviate the stress the dog feels. 4LD volunteers have experienced it being very gratifying when the foster dog starts being able to enjoy his/her life.

The information you discover about your foster dog will aid in finding the correct permanent home. Potential adopters want to know as much as they can about the dog to know if it is the right fit for their family. You will be able to let them know the positives, challenges, and character of the dog so they and also 4LD will make a more informed decision.

When the day comes that your foster dog finds the perfect home, the satisfying feeling you will go through is something very special. You feel a sense of pride knowing you helped a dog go to a forever home with a happy ending. You also feel good seeing a person/family feel lucky getting a pet they always wanted and knowing you were a part of making that happen.

4LD May Ask Foster Families To

  • Transport the pet to and from veterinarian appointments (if needed).
  • Bring the dog to and from adoption events (if needed).
  • Provide 4LD with regular photos of the pet so we can post on social media to generate interest in the pet.
  • Provide your input to help write the rescue pet’s description since fostering him/her will give you the most insight into personality and behavior.
  • Talk to potential adopters that want to ask specific questions about the dog in your care (this will pre-arranged with 4LD).
  • Along with a 4LD representative, possibly bring the dog to pre-approved adopter’s home for a meet ‘n greet or trial.
  • To be patient and understand that all dogs are rescue dogs and their behavior can be unpredictable. Be prepared for some adjustment in the beginning. It can be stressful for both you and the dog to be in a new situation.
  • Be willing to foster your pet from rescue to adoption. The amount of time needed to find a permanent home for a pet can vary from days to months. We do not want the dog to have to change foster homes in the middle of trying to find the right permanent one and go through an adjustment period again. 

     Foster-to-Adopt Option     

It can be a big decision to adopt a dog and one that is made a little easier when you choose to foster-to-adopt. It gives you the opportunity to have the dog you are interested in at your home for a trial period so that you can decide whether you would like to proceed with adopting him/her.

Decide You Want to Permanently Adopt the Foster Dog

If a foster family decides they want to permanently adopt the foster dog, 4LD will be very happy for all and finalize the arrangements. This can be communicated to 4LD at any time during the fostering process but we cannot consider the dog officially adopted until all the medical requirements are fulfilled like neuter/spay. The adoption agreement will need to be signed and adoption fee for that dog will need to be paid to 4 Lucky Dogs.

Decide the Foster Dog Should Live in Another Permanent Home

If when doing foster-to-adopt you realize that the dog you were thinking about adopting is not the right one for you just let 4LD know. We understand that not all dogs are a match for all people which is why we offer the foster-to-adopt program as a trial.

We ask you tell 4LD of the decision to not adopt as soon as possible so we can post the dog as available for others to apply. That way we can work on getting the dog into his/her new home where adjustment can start again.

To fulfill your wish to adopt we may suggest another dog that is already in the rescue or put you on the wait list for when new dogs come into the rescue to see if you are interested in any of them. We would much rather a potential adopter be open with us about what they are looking for in a permanent pet so that both the adopter and their dog are happy!

FOSTERING EXPECTATIONS

4LD Responsibilities

  • Provides a collar and leash so you can take him/her to the bathroom, on walks, and social situations.
  • Pays for the initial medical care such as shots needed or spay/neuter. These are required to be done before we can officially adopt a dog. Even if you are interested in foster-to-adopt we need to follow our process and wait until all medical obligations are complete for final adoption.
  • Alerts about any medical treatments to be administered and gives initial dose of monthly heart worm and flea/tick prevention. If the pet is with you longer than a month, we ask you contact us to arrange to get another one.
  • Sends dog food or may ask you to purchase a bag if you want to serve what your current dog eats and/or if getting some to you is not convenient due to location or timing.
  • Offers supplies that you may need such as crate, dog bed, bowls, pee pads, etc. that you may not have at your home. The foster dog may come with some of those if an owner surrender or 4LD may have some that can be borrowed. If your plan/hope is to foster-to-adopt this dog we ask that you purchase your own supplies so the dog will get used to those items. 
  • Lets you know about the objectives of this foster placement (for example temporary housing, until spay/neutering/shots take place, or to find out about dog’s personality to help re-home).

Foster Requirements

  • You must be over 21 years of age to foster a dog for 4 Lucky Dogs Pet Rescue.
  • It is necessary for the head of your household to agree to allow a dog to be fostered in your home. If you are not this person, please discuss your interest in fostering with everyone else to be sure that they agree.
  • Foster will be expected to keep the animal safe and secure, return it to 4LD when requested to do so, and not promise the animal to anyone or imply that you have the authority to approve a potential adoption without involving 4LD.
  • We recommend a crate in the beginning to keep both the dog and your home safe and secure. We will provide a crate if requested.
  • If renting, 4LD will need to contact your landlord to ask if fostering animals in your home is acceptable. You will not be able to foster until we receive confirmation.
  • When 4LD agrees to take a dog into rescue we are unaware of the amount of training he/she previously had. The dog that you foster may not be house trained and may not have been in an actual home before. We ask as many questions as possible to find out the temperament of the dog, but owners are not always truthful. For stray dogs since we have no information on him/her it will be a discovery process by the foster if they have obedience difficulties. And a new environment or being scared about what happened to their previous family can cause unexplained potty accidents or behavior.
  • The best situation for a rescue dog is to stay in one foster home from intake to adoption. Our 4LD directors have tips and tricks for many common behavioral issues and are happy to help you work through challenges with your foster pet so he/she can remain with you. If for some reason the foster animal is not working out in your home, we ask that you keep him/her until a new foster family can be found. We are a foster-based organization, so do not have the capability to take the animal back on a moment's notice. The exception is if there are severe aggression issues, and your family or other animals are put at risk.

4LD Notes

  • 4LD tries to limit our fosters/adoptions to within the state of Florida.
  • 4LD reserves the right to deny any application based on answers to the questions or for any reason.
  • 4LD retains ownership of all animals placed in foster care (defined as being foster until adoption agreement is signed for the specific dog). We appreciate foster parents input and even ask them to talk to potential adopters since they know the dog best. Together you and with the 4LD directors will make the final decision regarding the adoption.
  • 4LD staff will make choices on how best to handle a situation if  an animal is seriously ill or a dog shows serious temperament issues. Please plan to contact us if something comes up.

 

Click here to apply to be a foster parent