We always need foster homes. We do not have a shelter and are strictly foster home run. Foster parents are a very treasured resource for us. Fostering is a hard job but it is also very rewarding to know that you gave a deaf dog that might otherwise have been euthanized a second chance at finding a family to love them. Many deaf dogs need lots of extra work before they can go to a permanent home. They need training, socialization and guidance before they can be placed. We need you! Please fill out a foster application now. We are here to support and guide you along the way and it gets easier the more you do it!


Why are foster homes needed?
Foster homes provide an appropriate environment for learning and growth for a deaf and/or blind dog. In a foster home, a deaf dog is exposed to all of the same experiences they would likely get in a real home and have a chance to properly learn, socialize and interact with people and sometimes other animals as well as situations and their environment. In short, foster homes better prepare deaf dogs for their real home and in turn, make for a smoother transition when that time comes.

Deaf Dogs of Oregon Foster Family Guidelines
Foster families need to know what is expected of them and adhere to these expectations. If a foster family does not follow guidelines it can be more problematic than having no foster family at all. We run entirely on volunteer time and donations, therefore we rely on our foster families to follow our foster guidelines and practices to help us help more dogs.

• You may need to plan to keep the dog for a long period. We cannot guarantee how long you will be asked to foster a dog. Sometimes it takes many, many months to adopt out a deaf and/or blind dog. Foster families should not enter into fostering with an expectation that a dog will be gone in a certain period of time. Our group is actively involved in educating the public about deaf dogs and indeed all handicapped dogs. But people can still see these dogs as being hard to train and manage (not true!). The length of time it takes a foster dog to be adopted is often directly related to the amount of energy the foster family puts into training the dog, socializing the dog and attending events to promote adoption of the dog.

• Foster families are expected to provide a safe, comfortable and healthy environment for their foster dog. Our deaf foster dogs have to be indoor dogs, and be fed healthy food. They need appropriate access to water and have to be exercised and socialized in such a way as to create a positive, well-tempered dog.

• Deaf Dogs of Oregon will pay for the medical care of the dog during the time it is being fostered to include routine check-ups, spaying/neutering, vaccinations, microchip insertion, treatment of routine illnesses and treatment of emergencies should they arise. In order to control our expenses, however, the foster family must utilize a veterinarian provided by Deaf Dogs of Oregon and will notify appropriate Deaf Dogs of Oregon personnel prior to any medical treatment for the dog to ensure finances and treatment options are appropriately aligned.

• Deaf Dogs of Oregon will supply the foster family with dog food during the period of fostering as long as we have it available. We get donations of dog food periodically and are happy to help our foster families. Foster families should work with Deaf Dogs of Oregon personnel to secure dog food, which means traveling to meet a Deaf Dogs of Oregon volunteer to pick up food and/or asking pet food retailers for donations.

• The foster family is expected to be able to handle routine care and situations with the dog without having to involve other Deaf Dogs of Oregon personnel. This means we do not have the resources to take dogs for walks, stop by and check on them or other mundane tasks that should be expected of a foster family. As a foster family, you should operate within the fostering guidelines set forth by Deaf Dogs of Oregon, but essentially, this is your dog during the fostering period and you should care for it as such.

• From time to time, Deaf Dogs of Oregon will have events and other activities that promote the adoption of your foster dog which include adoption days where dogs are brought out for public viewing at such facilities as PetsMart, websites and local dog-related events such as The Northwest Companion Animal Fair, Doggie Palooza, etc. Foster families are expected to be available and work with Deaf Dogs of Oregon to have the dog at such events, provide the appropriate information for websites, including pictures and descriptions/bios or any other activities designed to promote the adoption of the dog.

• Deaf Dogs of Oregon regularly receives applications on dogs in our foster homes and we have a centralized process whereby these are screened. If an applicant is interested in a foster dog and has passed the initial screening, the foster family may be expected to contact the applicant to discuss their dog, providing details and other information to help make a suitable adoption. The foster family will be expected to bring the dog to the appropriate meet and greets with the potential applicant. This may entail driving some distance and/or allowing the potential applicant to visit the dog in your home.

• Foster families are expected to provide updates on the status and progress of any contact with potential applicants to Deaf Dogs of Oregon adoption coordinators and/or foster coordinator so that we can ensure their application is progressing and being handled appropriately. Also, foster families are required to update the foster coordinator weekly or every other week to keep us posted on the progress or any updates on the foster dog by email.

• Foster families should NEVER turn over their foster dog to a potential applicant without the prior consent of Deaf Dogs of Oregon’s adoption coordinator, Deaf Dogs of Oregon President or Deaf Dogs of Oregon Vice President.

• It is important for everyone in the foster family to read the foster agreement and foster guidelines.

• Our deaf foster dogs will get adopted more quickly and will stay in their new home once adopted if they know some basic commands such as sit, heel, come, down, leave it and stay. It is also important that they are crate/kennel trained and have basic house manners such as teaching them to not jump on visitors, not counter surf, and sleep on a dog bed. We expect all our foster families to work with their foster dogs on these basic skills with Deaf Dogs of Oregon personnel. We will train you to use a consistent set of signs.

[Foster Guidelines adapted from New Hope Cattle Dogs Rescue and Rehoming courtesy of Shannon Stevens.]