Being a Foster Family

With FastDogs-FastFriends the requirements to be a foster family are easy to meet. We are looking for a safe, loving home where these animals can learn the basics (about dog doors, potty training, walks, routine feeding, what "NO" means, etc.). To us, the most important qualities you can possess are patience and genuine love for these special dogs.

Like all groups, we have paperwork that is essential to complete that will need to be signed prior to us placing any dog into your home. Our Foster coordinator will meet with you and your family to explain the entire process and get all of the paperwork completed accurately.

The Rewards of Fostering

You have helped save a life.

You have given this dog a chance to become a treasured part of a family that will love them forever.

You have taught an animal how to play with toys and chewies.

You have received absolute and unconditional love from this sweet tempered pet.

Pets enrich our lives. You will receive many special memories and have many humorous stories to share with others while providing a safe shelter for these retired athletes.

Lots of cuddle time punctuated with brief bursts of activity that will make you laugh.

A good feeling in your heart for doing something that makes a difference.

A charitable donation that you can write off of your taxes.

You will meet and become friends with a bunch of like-minded and compassionate people.

You’ll get to know a pet that is great with kids, senior adults, other dogs and some are good with cats, too.

You will grow to understand why these animals have sparked such a passion in us to want to continue rescuing them.

The Realities of Fostering

You have a large dog in your home.

This dog will most likely get into the trash once or twice. (Every time they have smelled food in their past, it has been THEIR food!)

Greyhounds are VERY curious and will inadvertently get into things you’d rather they didn’t disturb.

You will most likely clean up some "accidents" in the first couple of days as they make the adjustment into your home.

Greyhounds will always look for the softest spot in the house to sleep.

Scooping the yard and regular walks will become a part of your routine.

Feeding time will become an event rather than just food bowls left out.

You will become an ambassador for greyhound adoption. Everywhere you go with your dog, people will stop you and ask questions about the breed and about your experiences with them. Take full advantage of this. It will help us place more dogs in loving homes!

You will find lots of love and companionship returned from these amazing dogs.

About Our Foster Dogs

Most of our dogs are retired racers. They will usually be between two and five years old when they retire from the track. Some of these dogs have been retired due to a racing injury and will need some extra love and care (nothing that will require a medical degree or anything like that). In some cases, these dogs may be older or younger or may have been returned from a previous adoptive family due to a change in their living conditions (i.e. a death in the family, a military move to a location where they will have to be quarantined for several months, etc.). Each dog that has not been immediately retired from the track will go through a screening process to determine the extent of time he or she may need to adapt into a new home.

Our goal is to save as many of these graceful athletes as is humanly possible. We are all firmly committed to that goal and welcome your help and input to make us more effective!

You are the Heart of Our Program

Very honestly, we cannot succeed without you! The gift of hope that you give to these dogs makes the greatest difference in being able to place them into a good family home.

From YOU, they have learned manners and trust in people that they have never met.

From YOU, they have seen the outside, gone for walks, had friends and neighbors pet and admire them and become very social creatures.

From YOU, they understand the word "NO" and realize that they have some limitations to what they can get away with in the home.

From YOU, we learn so much more about these individual dogs; their likes and dislikes, their personalities, their habits and patterns and this makes it easier for our Adoption Coordinators to make the best possible match to a family for these dogs. In most cases, we have only had to match each dog to a family one time; it’s a forever home!

From YOU, we learn better ways to make our system work; ways to make the website more user friendly, which information is helpful and which is a waste of resources, and much more!

From YOU, we get some of best referrals for adoptions. These people are generally your family or friends or neighbors and your input is always appreciated.

From YOU, we gain the most valuable gift for these dogs; the gift of TIME. Without time, many of these dogs would be destroyed as we simply do not have the networking resources to place them as fast as they are retired. You buy them the needed time to find the right home and for that, we owe you our most sincere thanks!

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