A foster family is an individual or family who is willing to temporarily allow a golden retriever to live with them until a permanent home can be found.

Foster families need to be willing to provide a safe and loving environment for a dog who may be very confused. Goldens are fun-loving, trusting and can be mischievous. Foster families need to be willing to have fun, provide structure, teach manners, if necessary, take the dog to the vet, if needed, and allow prospective adopters the opportunity to meet their temporary golden. Of course golden retrievers need to be primarily house dogs as they want to be part of the family. Some young dogs may need to go to a foster family whose yard is fenced to allow the dog to get needed exercise.

We ask that you complete an application so we know what type of golden retriever would best fit into your lifestyle young, active, male, female, couch potato, etc. We'll visit your home to answer any questions you may have.

When Golden Retriever Rescue is contacted to take in a dog that needs a temporary home we'll contact you to see if you are available.

That's the beauty of fostering a golden retriever, there are no monetary costs! Golden Retriever Rescue of Southern Maryland provides vet care, flea and heart worm preventative and even food!

The most common reasons for giving up golden retrievers are:

• Not enough time to care for the dog.
• Someone in the family is allergic or develops significant health problems.
• The owner dies.
• The family moves into a house or apartment that does not allow companion animals.
• The dog escapes or has other behavior issues.

The length of time a dog stays with a foster family varies. Every effort is made to adopt dogs to permanent homes as quickly as possible. Young, healthy dogs are typically adopted within a month. Older, special needs dogs take longer.

You can! That's one of the reasons many families decide to foster. We ask that if you think you may want to adopt your foster dog that you do so before he/she becomes available to prospective families. We don't want to disappoint a prospective adoptive family who falls in love with the golden retriever you're fostering and then you decide to adopt.

Many people say that, but the question is How can you NOT foster and risk a beautiful and kind golden could be taken to Tricounty Animal Shelter?

Foster families can rest assured that Golden Retriever Rescue of Southern Maryland is only going to adopt to exemplary families. That doesn't mean a family has to live in a mansion to qualify to adopt, but it means we feel so good about a prospective adoptive family that we would let our own golden retrievers live there.

Want more information or are you ready to become a foster family?

Our Foster Family Guide provides a detailed description of what's involved in fostering and helpful information on how to care for your foster dog.

For more email the Foster Home Coordinator or call 855-GRRescu (855-477-3728).