Barbara Miller Fleischhaker

FOREWARD:  Over the last thirty years more than 300 dogs have blessed our family with countless joys and a few heartbreaks. We bought stunningly handsome dogs from very reputable breeders, adopted tremendous dogs from shelters and eventually realized we could make a real difference by providing foster care to rescue animals as they transition to new, forever homes (rehoming).  Through these animals, we have learned many lessons and developed special skills especially related to puppy mill dogs.

 

Having worked with a variety of rescue groups, we recognized a tremendous need for consistent, quality resources to support people working with animals in transition.

 

This is not intended to be a behavioral or obedience training manual.  It is a survivor’s guide designed to give foster homes basic information and recent adopters tips needed to ensure the successful transition of a canine companion.  We hope to alert the reader to behaviors that might be encountered in a rescued animal. Some behaviors could be misinterpreted and others are issues particular to the unique background of the dogs in rescue.

 

 

I hope to provide benchmarks and helpful tips, tested and proven through my experience and gathered through a strong network of foster homes and written resources.

 

Hopefully, this guide will reassure you when a situation surprises or stumps you and will save you from frustration and mistakes that have been made because there was not a readily available resource. This guide does not attempt to define the procedures and protocols of any rescue group, but does provide basic processes and raises questions you will want to ask to insure you have a shared understanding of expectations, limitations, and outcomes.  I hope you enjoy reading and learning more about the adventure of rescue, foster and adoption, and even more importantly, enjoy the experience!

 

Barbara Miller-Fleischhaker

Author, foster mom to canines, and

a push over for Tibetan Spaniels!