For anyone who isn't very familiar with what happens with greyhounds once we are done with our racing careers, basically there are three main options for us. The first, and probably most common is that we get sent to another kennel, where we are taken care of by people who are nicer to us, and we wait to be adopted. That's what happened with me. Another thing that might happen is that we might get taken to a real people-house right away, without spending time in a kennel. They take care of that dog in their houses and teach them things while they are there. Those are called foster homes. Then, several weeks or months later, they are taken away from that house and put in another house. The worst option, of course, is when nobody has room for a dog, and the dog is taken away by someone with a needle and we never see them again. Maybe they take them to a land of plentiful rabbits.... who knows.
I want to focus on the second of those options, the fostering. Some organizations use fostering exclusively to have their greyhounds adopted out. They claim that the dogs are much more ready for life in the real world once they have been fostered, but me and Shane and Cassandra really disagree with that, after seeing both sides of it.
There are certainly some advantages to fostering, like getting to know people sooner and learning from someone who has experience teaching a bunch of other greyhounds before they get there. Pork Chop had an easier time learning how to sit, for example, because his foster family had already taught other greyhounds to sit and they had a few tricks. Fostering also keeps dogs out of another kennel which provide less comfortable living conditions. As far as I can tell, though, these just make it easier for the people adopting the greyhound, and really do nothing at all for us. I am destined to learn stairs whether it's with a foster family or with my forever family. I'm going to get housebroken either way. Anything I learn, I'm going to learn regardless of who is taking care of me. An argument can be made that it is easier to determine the personality of a dog to find the right fit as well. That may be true, and it certainly gives people a better idea of how dogs will react and behave, but for us, we are learning and bonding the entire time. The truth is, that even though the foster agency might think they can match dogs better, they still have them returned by people that can't take care of them just like any other adoption method.
That's where the downside to fostering becomes apparent. I can tell you from personal experience that I've learned about so many things I had never seen before, just in a little less than two weeks. I've learned how to use stairs, how to get in and out of the car, and when I get fed. I've learned what "go to jail" means (it means I run to my crate and get a treat!), I've learned that the other dog in the fireplace and windows isn't really a threat to me, and that really it's just copying everything I do. I've learned parts of the house I'm not allowed in (like the kitchen) and I've learned that there are all kinds of different looking dogs, and they are all fun to meet! These are all things I'm really comfortable with now, but was really scared of the first time I experienced them. When I first took a car ride, I had to be lifted into the car and I barked all the way to my new house. Now, I jump in so fast that I forget the seat needs to be up for me to get in the back seat, then I end up in the front seat and somewhat confused that the car looks different from up there. I've learned that it's okay if my people leave for a while because I know they always come back. I don't get angry or nervous about it.
The constant in everything I have learned is that I learned it from Shane and Cassandra and they have proved that they would never do anything to endanger me. Anytime I get nervous about something new now, I just go stand by Shane and I feel much better because I know I'm protected. They really give me a sense of security... and remember, I've only spent two weeks with them. Imagine if I spent another two weeks after this one bonding with them and trusting them more, and then when I was finally completely comfortable, they gave me to some other new owner and I never got to see my first family again. Would I really be able to trust them that much? I definitely think it would take much longer to get comfortable in a new house, because all of the sudden I'm a little tentative that these new people might get rid of me too. That would take a while to get over!
I know that everybody is second guessing everything about Pork Chop, but it sure seemed like leaving his foster family was just too much for him to take. Once you form a bond with people that you haven't had for the first four years of your life, I can't imagine being taken away from that. Perhaps that is what caused him so much stress and anxiety that he would have been okay with otherwise. Trying to blame anyone seems illogical, especially when from my experience, it seems that the process of fostering might be causing many more problems than it is helping.
If you're reading this and thinking of adopting a dog, and specifically a greyhound, I hope you'll think twice about using a foster service like Greyhound Welfare (www.greyhoundwelfare.org). Take a dog that has just finished racing and will have the opportunity to learn everything with you. You'll form a much greater bond than you would with a foster dog, and you'll have a great friend like me. You'll be glad you did!
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