Volunteer Archives - Greyhound Friends for Life - Rescue • Adoption • Advocacy

How to become a foster home for GFFL

Step 1. Fill out the GFFL online adoption application. You can indicate on the form that you are interested in fostering only. https://www.greyhoundfriendsforlife.org/adopt/adoption-application/

Step 2. A GFFL rep will call you and talk with you about dogs in need of fostering to see if they will be a good fit for your home.

FOSTER HOME INSTRUCTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS

Thank you for volunteering to be a foster home with GFFL. As a foster parent you will be taking the foster dog into your home, treating them with love, and teaching them to be a well-behaved house pet. Your work with a foster dog and input on their behavior and temperament will help ensure that we can make a good match with a forever home!

Supplies provided by GFFL: The foster dog will come with food, martingale collar, 24 hour snap collar with GFFL tag, and a 4-foot leash. We will also supply heartworm and flea/tick preventatives; these should be administered monthly. If you do not have a crate, we will provide one.

Veterinary care: Some foster dogs will need to be neutered/spayed & have a dental while in your care. GFFL will arrange this and cover the cost.

Transportation of foster dog: Foster family will need to pick up foster dog in Santa Rosa. When we have a home for the dog the foster family will drive the dog to at meet up location or back to Santa Rosa for adoption. (Foster families will need be located in Northern CA)

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gffl_hound2022-12-31T07:30:28-08:00August 5th, 2022|Volunteer|

Volunteering

Our volunteers are the backbone of the organization; without them, we would not have an effective adoption group. Volunteering is an excellent way for new adopters to meet other people in the greyhound community, and there are opportunities for helping the dogs in many different ways. We hold outreach events in various areas in the Bay Area, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, and Carmel/Monterey/Santa Cruz areas and can always use more people to come out and talk with people about the breed. It’s a great time for your greyhound to hang out with other greyhounds! Even if you don’t have a dog that is social enough to attend Meet and Greets, you can help by coming out and talking with people and answering questions. Check out the website for Meet and Greets near you.

Every year there are several larger events that require a larger turnout of volunteers with their greyhounds because it is an all-day or multi-day event. We have booths at the San Carlos Art and Wine Festival, the Solano Stroll in Berkeley/Albany, Bark in the Park in San Jose, the Los Altos Pet Parade, the Human Race in Santa Rosa, the Pumpkin Festival in Half Moon Bay, Woofstock in Rocklin, and the Golden Gate Kennel Club Dog Show at the Cow Palace. At the annual reunion and picnic, we need people to help with the set up and take down, organize and run the games, cook the picnic lunches, bring condiments, drinks, etc.

Volunteers also foster dogs, work on our website, put together the newsletters and the annual GFFL calendar, take photographs of incoming dogs for the website and other postings, and transport dogs, whether to new homes, veterinary appointments, or meeting hauls and bringing dogs to Santa Rosa. All these areas of the organization can use extra pairs of hands and new ideas!

If you would like to volunteer, or have ideas for events, outreach locations, or other issues, please get in touch with your local representative or anyone on the board of directors. We’d love to hear from you!

“The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people [and animals]waiting for someone like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, need our unique talents. Someone who lives a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give… It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.” [Leo Buscaglia]

bjudson2022-03-17T20:37:01-07:00July 1st, 2015|Volunteer|

Foster Homes

So why do we need foster homes? There are at least three reasons. The primary reason is for dogs coming out of a home who need a new home. A second reason is that some of the really shy dogs need some help adjusting to the big world before they are ready to be adopted (although we do have a few adopters who love working with the shy dogs, they usually have a full house). A third reason is to make room for dogs coming in from the track.

Fostering may last for a few days or a few months. While we make every attempt to adopt dogs in foster homes quickly, it’s not something that we can predict. There are also long-term foster opportunities for special needs greyhounds (a senior or a greyhound with a medical issue).

Ideally, a foster home has one person at home most of the time or less than a full work day. But this is flexible, particularly for a returning dog that is used to being alone during much of the work day.
Room to crate or x-pen the foster dog at first while you are not home.
Your greyhound(s) and other dogs need to be tolerant of new dogs. All dogs must be up-to-date with their vaccines.
You can opt to pay for the foster’s food and miscellaneous expenses, or GFFL will provide food. GFFL will cover any veterinary costs and provide heartworm medication.
We’d like you to do some basic training – house training, basic manners – the same kind of things that you did with your greyhound when she joined your home.
The majority of the greyhounds that we bring in untested are not good with small animals. Because the cat-safe dogs are adopted more quickly (we usually have people waiting for them), we will need more homes that do not have cats and small dogs. But we will also need homes with cats or small dogs for the returns that have lived with small animals. It’s a way to prevent them from becoming NOT safe with small animals.
Last and most important, you must share your love.

Fostering may last for a few days or a few months. While we make every attempt to adopt dogs in foster homes quickly, it’s not something that we can predict. There are also long-term foster opportunities for special needs greyhounds (a senior or a greyhound with a medical issue).

What are the down sides of fostering? Probably the major one is having to give the dog to the new adopter, especially when you’ve had it for a long period of time. The good part is that you will have an opportunity to talk with a potential adopter and provide input regarding the match. This will also enable you to stay in touch with the new home and get photos and updates. We guarantee that fostering a greyhound will be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done!

If you are interested, please contact Marni Parmar sighthoundstudio@gmail.com 510-520-6030. Marni or one of our experienced fosters will talk to about your home set-up, your schedule, your family, your pets, and any special considerations. If you’re a fit, you’ll be added to our fostering list.

gffl_hound2022-05-06T16:26:55-07:00April 15th, 2014|Volunteer|