More Questions About My Foster Boy - Huey!

[Rebanne]

do we know how poppydog and her pooch are doing?

Hi yes I know Poppydog and her dear little dog have looked after Poppy a few times, Poppy is thankfully fine.

That's good.

[Beth.]

Glad to hear Poppy is doing well

[Steve]

So sorry to hear that this has happened to you, get all the advice re what you need to do now from the experienced people here, you need to clean the car as well that you transported him in etc as well, also unfortunately parvo can stay in the ground for over 12 months, I wouldn't be letting any dogs on your property until that time is over. Keep a close eye on Poppy, I hope that the rescue group has informed you of what to do now.

Thanks!

They haven't informed me of ANYTHING!!! I haven't heard from them since 9am this morning when I called them to tell them he had tested positive for Parvo!!!

What should I be expecting of this group in terms of support? Should I be expecting them to supply me with the chemical you mentioned that needs to be ordered from the vet? Should I send an email outlining my concerns and informing them I will not be fostering.

OH and I don't even want to bring Huey home if he recovers. We feel like this whole ordeal has traumatised us a little and we want someone else to care for him and find him a loving forever home. I don't think fostering is for us. We were attached and all ready to adopt Huey even thought in hindsight now wasn't the best time (with the wedding coming up etc).

I've sent numerous emails to the coordinator and got NO response in the past few days.

I have had to call HER with concerns. Am really dissapointed!!!

Im so sorry that your desire to make a difference and enthusiasm has been squashed - If you would like to consider fostering again please give me a yell and we will sort out a foster carers course for you to help you to dodge some of the bullets.

Times have changed "rescuing " isnt what it used to be and its no longer acceptable for people to walk in with nothing much more than good intentions and set up shop without covering the basics.

Not only does this put the dogs and the people involved at risk but it also splashes onto the community and damages all the great work rescue have been doing to get it right.

This isnt just about one dog which came straight from a pound and had parvo. There are many more things pound dogs may have which will put the carers dogs at risk but also their family's health as well.

The bigger picture is that one pup has potentially spread this disease around and caused other people and their dogs to suffer but its also about the fallout.

Why would anyone want to put their hand up to foster dogs if this is how things occur ? Foster carers are a rescue group's biggest asset.Consider for a minute what it takes to agree to bring a strange dog into your home which will impact on your own animals and your family. Apart from the obvious kennel cough and parvo there are loads of risks which you cant vaccinate for which your own animals can contract but also your kids.

The public and potential foster carers dont just associate poor practices with your group but it impacts on the years and years of hard lessons and progress made by reputable rescue. It threatens to have them come under restrictive laws and regulations and it causes a back wash far greater and wider than you see personally.

Please use this to learn and grow. No kill is great until it means no kill is suffering.

[huga]

Wow, I have no words. I think we need a translator.

Exactly cosmolo. How dare a rescue group try and blame others for their pup contracting parvo, then expose dozens of other innocent dogs and pups to it without a second thought.

Well said, Kirty.

[~Anne~]

What can you say. Good grief.

[Kissindra]

Steve that is a wonderful offer

True, we've focused of KC and Paro and there are other issues to consider.

I find myself increasingly angry this morning - angry that people who should know the importance of this stuff can't seem to grasp the implications even though they are not ignorant of the risks and have seen the consequences first hand before. I do not understand how ANYONE can imagine it is ok to put people in the possition that Poppydog and others have been put in. I can't imagine seeing someone who just wanted to help be so scared and distressed and actually letting people BLAME her rather than acknowledging that SIMPLE steps could/should have been put in place which would have prevented this happening.

I can't imagine brushing aside the fact that not only have the publics animals been put at greater risk, but foster families and foster dogs - dogs which the rescue has a DUTY OF CARE for have been exposed to entirely preventable and unecessary risk and rather than say "we can put things in place which mean this doesn't happen, we SHOULD have put things in place so it never happened" the risk is brushed aside, the blame diverted and no sign is evident that anyone responsible thinks there is any need to do anything.

You probably wont be surprised to learn the issue of foster carer support/education was raised very early on but has since been purposefuly deleted - presumably because it was posted by me.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Kissindra

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

I for once am speechless. There are no words to express how bad this situation is.

I have a lot of time and respect for rescues and foster carers who do the right thing and they are out there thank goodness however, this sort of situation makes it very difficult for good rescues.

What on earth were they thinking, where was the quarantine process and where was looking after all dogs?

The thought that innocent dogs may get parvo, one of the most awful dogs diseases, is beyond comprehension.

This is exactly like someone taking a gun to a dog park and indiscriminately shooting at dogs...some will die and some will not.

Would anyone here defend the shooter....I think not....this situation is the loaded gun

[mita]

Its just common sense to tell all foster carers not to take new fosters anywhere public for at least 7-10 days, the only time we did not do this was if we had a dog surrendered to us privately with a full vaccination record.

Your posts have all been common sense. Wherever unvaccinated dogs come from, risk comes, too. Also interesting to speculate how many dogs taken to dog parks by their owners (& out walking generally) are unvaccinated.

Pity there aren't some standard, accurate resource articles that can be given to all new rescues and foster-carers.

The point of this thread was that the OP was not made aware of risk and what to do in the face of it. And risk awareness/management wasn't built into the rescue's process.

It's often been advised on DOL that people who want to start rescuing or fostering, should begin by being part of, or mentored by, an experienced group who know the ways & means.

As I've posted I was fortunate that my first contact with a rescue was with someone who explained how they worked in an 'at risk' environment for disease & why... & what they did about it. Always knowing, at best, they could minimise it.

[s2560821]

I do not foster dogs but have been thinking about it lately. After reading the posts and how dogdaze has reacted, I will not be fostering. I have two precious babies and do not wish to put them at risk just to save another pup who may have parvo.

Dogdaze, i dont know you but your posts do not do the rescue group any good, whether you are a part of the group or not your attacks here have turned me off fostering any dogs. Your anger just points to a guilty conscience.

The posts from people sadden me about this event turning them off fostering. I volunteer for a rescue group in Brisbane(NOT the one named!!) who do a fantastic job and it angers me that the actions of this particular ‘rescue’ group have turned people who would be fantastic carers off. I find it deeply upsetting as it is so hard to find dedicated foster carers for the dogs we save and our good work gets tarnished by some selfish acts of other groups.

To all of you who were considering fostering before this happened, please do not be turned off. There are simple methods to make sure that your own dogs are not put at risk. Talk to the rescue group you wish to foster for and make sure that the dog has been vaccinated before you receive it in your care, make sure that they have good procedures in place and make you feel comfortable.

Fostering is the best experience….given you do it with the right group 

[SueM]

Very true this group in question is only a couple of months old, only started when the Qld floods happened, sadly they do not want to listen to anyone they know it all and I can't see this attitude changing, can see it by how the foster carers they currently have are commenting on the facebook page, we are all stupid and they know everything, no hope.

[Steve]

I do not foster dogs but have been thinking about it lately. After reading the posts and how dogdaze has reacted, I will not be fostering. I have two precious babies and do not wish to put them at risk just to save another pup who may have parvo.

Dogdaze, i dont know you but your posts do not do the rescue group any good, whether you are a part of the group or not your attacks here have turned me off fostering any dogs. Your anger just points to a guilty conscience.

The posts from people sadden me about this event turning them off fostering. I volunteer for a rescue group in Brisbane(NOT the one named!!) who do a fantastic job and it angers me that the actions of this particular 'rescue' group have turned people who would be fantastic carers off. I find it deeply upsetting as it is so hard to find dedicated foster carers for the dogs we save and our good work gets tarnished by some selfish acts of other groups.

To all of you who were considering fostering before this happened, please do not be turned off. There are simple methods to make sure that your own dogs are not put at risk. Talk to the rescue group you wish to foster for and make sure that the dog has been vaccinated before you receive it in your care, make sure that they have good procedures in place and make you feel comfortable.

Fostering is the best experience….given you do it with the right group 

Yes I agree that the fallout each time something like this happens is so sad.

Foster carers are the very best resource any rescue group can have .Even without the added risk factors of what has been demonstrated in this thread caused by in adequate operating policies its a major issue for people to consider taking another dog in their homes which will imapct on the life and dynamics of the household.

These people should be treated like gold - trained and nurtured and supported and nothing put as a priority over them and their own dog's welfare.

It seems that foster carers are seen as the lowest level of the chain and treated with appalling lack of understanding - just taken for granted to some rescue groups and its time this was rectified.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Steve

[mita]

To all of you who were considering fostering before this happened, please do not be turned off. There are simple methods to make sure that your own dogs are not put at risk. Talk to the rescue group you wish to foster for and make sure that the dog has been vaccinated before you receive it in your care, make sure that they have good procedures in place and make you feel comfortable.

Another post with commonsense.

[s2560821]

I do not foster dogs but have been thinking about it lately. After reading the posts and how dogdaze has reacted, I will not be fostering. I have two precious babies and do not wish to put them at risk just to save another pup who may have parvo.

Dogdaze, i dont know you but your posts do not do the rescue group any good, whether you are a part of the group or not your attacks here have turned me off fostering any dogs. Your anger just points to a guilty conscience.

The posts from people sadden me about this event turning them off fostering. I volunteer for a rescue group in Brisbane(NOT the one named!!) who do a fantastic job and it angers me that the actions of this particular 'rescue' group have turned people who would be fantastic carers off. I find it deeply upsetting as it is so hard to find dedicated foster carers for the dogs we save and our good work gets tarnished by some selfish acts of other groups.

To all of you who were considering fostering before this happened, please do not be turned off. There are simple methods to make sure that your own dogs are not put at risk. Talk to the rescue group you wish to foster for and make sure that the dog has been vaccinated before you receive it in your care, make sure that they have good procedures in place and make you feel comfortable.

Fostering is the best experience….given you do it with the right group 

Yes I agree that the fallout each time something like this happens is so sad.

Foster carers are the very best resource any rescue group can have .Even without the added risk factors of what has been demonstrated in this thread caused by in adequate operating policies its a major issue for people to consider taking another dog in their homes which will imapct on the life and dynamics of the household.

These people should be treated like gold - trained and nurtured and supported and nothing put as a priority over them and their own dog's welfare.

It seems that foster carers are seen as the lowest level of the chain and treated with appalling lack of understanding - just taken for granted to some rescue groups and its time this was rectified.

Absolutely!!!! Foster carers ARE gold...this group clearly didn't register the fact that without carers they simply would NOT exist! There are SO many good groups out there doing the right thing and do treat their foster carers well and I am PROUD to say I am a member of one of those groups!

[Greytmate]

I do not foster dogs but have been thinking about it lately. After reading the posts and how dogdaze has reacted, I will not be fostering. I have two precious babies and do not wish to put them at risk just to save another pup who may have parvo.

Dogdaze, i dont know you but your posts do not do the rescue group any good, whether you are a part of the group or not your attacks here have turned me off fostering any dogs. Your anger just points to a guilty conscience.

The posts from people sadden me about this event turning them off fostering. I volunteer for a rescue group in Brisbane(NOT the one named!!) who do a fantastic job and it angers me that the actions of this particular 'rescue' group have turned people who would be fantastic carers off. I find it deeply upsetting as it is so hard to find dedicated foster carers for the dogs we save and our good work gets tarnished by some selfish acts of other groups.

To all of you who were considering fostering before this happened, please do not be turned off. There are simple methods to make sure that your own dogs are not put at risk. Talk to the rescue group you wish to foster for and make sure that the dog has been vaccinated before you receive it in your care, make sure that they have good procedures in place and make you feel comfortable.

Fostering is the best experience….given you do it with the right group 

Yes I agree that the fallout each time something like this happens is so sad.

Foster carers are the very best resource any rescue group can have .Even without the added risk factors of what has been demonstrated in this thread caused by in adequate operating policies its a major issue for people to consider taking another dog in their homes which will imapct on the life and dynamics of the household.

These people should be treated like gold - trained and nurtured and supported and nothing put as a priority over them and their own dog's welfare.

It seems that foster carers are seen as the lowest level of the chain and treated with appalling lack of understanding - just taken for granted to some rescue groups and its time this was rectified.

Absolutely!!!! Foster carers ARE gold...this group clearly didn't register the fact that without carers they simply would NOT exist! There are SO many good groups out there doing the right thing and do treat their foster carers well and I am PROUD to say I am a member of one of those groups!

Yes, Foster carers are gold. They really are.

I too am saddened by the thought that one group's unprofessionalism would put people off fostering.

The whole reason why this particular group is being slammed here is because they are not following industry 'best practice', which is the standard for most well-organised groups. There are better ways and better groups that take what they are doing extremely seriously. You won't hear much about those ethical groups, they are quietly working away, following welfare procedures and guidelines, supporting and retaining their volunteers, and keeping other dogs and other people in the community safe.

There are so many different things that a good rescue group has to be. They have to know about dog welfare, they have to know about dog behaviour, they have to know how to safely handle large numbers of dogs. They have to know how to find homes, they have to know how to screen homes, and they have to know how to recruit and deal with volunteers.

The better organisations follow procedures laid out by experts in the field and refine and adapt those procedures to minimise risk in their own organisation, and to be more effective at what they are doing.

It is sad to see people put off fostering when there are groups working towards making fostering a worthwhile and low risk experience.

But because of a lack of government regulation, we do have to watch out for people and organisations that want to help dogs but are not prepared to follow best practice, or expert advice. There are so many things that can go wrong, and when you are dealing with these beautiful dogs it can be heartbreaking.

[Katdogs]

This may be opening a whole new can of worms, but how does interstate rescue take from NSW pounds? Do they get a 16D (or equiv) or is someone else having the dogs chipped into their own rescue group's name and then transferring the paperwork? Or are they paying the full tender/sale price?

Just wondering.

[Guest Ams]

This may be opening a whole new can of worms, but how does interstate rescue take from NSW pounds? Do they get a 16D (or equiv) or is someone else having the dogs chipped into their own rescue group's name and then transferring the paperwork? Or are they paying the full tender/sale price?

Just wondering.

Any and all of the above. It will depend on what pound, who you know and who may be willing to help.

[Rebanne]

This may be opening a whole new can of worms, but how does interstate rescue take from NSW pounds? Do they get a 16D (or equiv) or is someone else having the dogs chipped into their own rescue group's name and then transferring the paperwork? Or are they paying the full tender/sale price?

Just wondering.

Any and all of the above. It will depend on what pound, who you know and who may be willing to help.

the question has to be asked, doesn't Queensland have enough stray animals of it's own?

[Crisovar]

This may be opening a whole new can of worms, but how does interstate rescue take from NSW pounds? Do they get a 16D (or equiv) or is someone else having the dogs chipped into their own rescue group's name and then transferring the paperwork? Or are they paying the full tender/sale price?

Just wondering.

Any and all of the above. It will depend on what pound, who you know and who may be willing to help.

the question has to be asked, doesn't Queensland have enough stray animals of it's own?

Of course it does, I cannot work out why they transport animals from another state.

[Guest Ams]

This may be opening a whole new can of worms, but how does interstate rescue take from NSW pounds? Do they get a 16D (or equiv) or is someone else having the dogs chipped into their own rescue group's name and then transferring the paperwork? Or are they paying the full tender/sale price?

Just wondering.

Any and all of the above. It will depend on what pound, who you know and who may be willing to help.

the question has to be asked, doesn't Queensland have enough stray animals of it's own?

Of course it does, I cannot work out why they transport animals from another state.

I tpt interstate as I am a breed specific rescue. Sadly though of late I am finding sufficient in Qld so that I am having to let NSW dogs be pts. Thank DoG for Miss Squish who also rescues the NSW dogs.

[Kissindra]

my comments and links supplied re: 16D were *shock* deleted by the group.

All that was said was that the issue of dogs in need in blacktown had been drawn to their attention, that dogs from this pound needed help and so they would try to provide that help - the call was for oppinions on if it was doable and suggestions for transport stuff - that kicked of myself and others bringing up disease prevention re. transport, some others did question if if it would make more sense to stick to QLD and so the first round of deletions/banning sprung out of it - no idea what the issue was with posts relating to 16D that caused them to be deleted also.

I vaguely recall (from the links I skimmed and posted) that groups from other states can take dogs from NSW pounds but that agreement would be come to in a slightly different manner to that of NSW rescues/individuals applying for 16D exemption. I did point out that dogs could not be gotten out under someone elses 16D as it was not allowed.

The impression is given that someone directly involved in the pound(vollunteer or staff presumably?) wants them involved - not sure who approached who, who suggested what or what agreements were or were not reached - none of the details have been made available publicly.

but there is this:

*poster1* To ARQ - is this true? Are your dogs that you foster out all vaccinated against this disease??

Animal Rescue Qld - I personally have any dog I have pulled from Blacktown Parvo Vacc'd prior to travel. (my own vet was surprised when I told him this as he didn't think you could still get it as an individual vaccination) It usually takes me up to a week to get transport organised and they do this for me for free, so they are essentially vacc'd prior to travel. *name* I know of no group that vacc's their dogs prior to travel as a rule though.

Oh and yes, that is a direct question and answer responce, posted fully and in context