FOSTER HOME NEEDED
SMUDGE, male cockapoo
Location: Norfolk
PLEASE READ SMUDGE’S BIO CAREFULLY AND ONLY APPLY IF YOU MEET THE NON-NEGOTIABLE CRITERIA
This is a FOSTER placement, meaning Smudge will be placed on a foster basis to enable us to assess him and for neutering. If all goes well, his fosterers may then be considered to adopt Smudge (an adoption fee will be payable) We provide full support and cover all costs in relation to the care of our foster dogs. A home check and references are required.
Smudge is an adorable, very much loved boy who loves nothing more than a good, sniffy walk and cuddling up with his mum and human sister. He is not neutered and will be neutered whilst in foster (vet advisory) He is up to date with vaccinations and treatments and is in good health. This has been a very difficult decision for his owner, whose change of circumstances has meant that Smudge has not been getting the walks, socialisation and attention he has been used to, and this is making everyone unhappy.
Smudge goes out with a dog walker and an established pack of dogs several times a week, and he gets on well with the other dogs and dogs he meets on walks. He is quite desperate to play with the family cat, but his eager attentions are not reciprocated and the cat avoids him. He can live with children provided they are respectful and sensible around dogs (children should always be supervised around dogs) and provided he is placed firmly at the centre of the family and is able to join in with family activities and adventures. Smudge is an excited barker, and the change in his family’s circumstances has meant he only has contact with his owner, her daughter and the dog walker, and as a result he will bark excitedly and persistently whenever there are visitors or when he meets people outside of the home. If this is an issue for you, please don’t apply to foster him. If he is to be neutered whilst in foster, once he has had sufficient time to settle we can begin to work on gradually increasing and managing his excitable reactions, however, he will need a relatively calm foster home with few visitors and understanding neighbours!
(We ask that fosterers avoid leaving our foster dogs until they have had time to settle, and only then for very brief periods) Smudge will need someone at home much of the time, with ample time throughout the day to engage in his favourite activities, fulfilling walks, training and play. If you work from home, Smudge will need to be in the same room with you whilst you work and not shut away in another part of the house. Smudge is a very good boy and, provided his needs have been met, he will settle. Given the reasons for Smudge’s surrender, it is important to understand that he is not a dog who will be happy being left for long hours or regularly – he needs and deserves an owner who has the time and enthusiasm to give him the best life, with lots of wonderful walkies and adventures. Smudge is not yet neutered. Any resident dogs will need to be neutered/spayed and veterinary evidence will be required. Although he means the family cat no harm, he can be persistent in his attentions, so a cat free foster home is required.
Note that we do not permit the use of aversive, punitive “training techniques” and this includes shouting, shutting away or rough handling. Doodles are highly sensitive dogs who respond incredibly well to calm, confident, positive direction and handling.
TO BE CONSIDERED TO FOSTER (AND POTENTIALLY ADOPT) SMUDGE
(PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE CRITERIA ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE):
* There will need to be someone at home at all times initially unless you can take Smudge with you. Should you hope to be considered to adopt Smudge, he will not suit a family where he will be left until he feels settled, and then only for short periods of time and infrequently. Smudge is never going to be happy being left frequently or for more than a few hours.
- Work from home is fine provided you have ample time throughout the day to ensure Smudge continues to enjoy the walks he loves, as well as for play, training and other stimulating activities. Smudge cannot be shut away in another room or a crate whilst you work, he will want to remain close by and if this is an issue for you, please do not apply.
* Direct access to a fully secure private garden
* Children are fine, provided they are sensible and respectful around dogs (children must be supervised around dogs) and provided Smudge is placed firmly at the centre of family life, and will be very much included in family activities and adventures
* Smudge gets on well with other dogs, and we would consider a foster home with another well matched, non-aggressive/non-guarding dog (neutered/spayed – veterinary evidence will be required)Note that a pre-foster meet up and walk will be required to ensure the dogs get on, so please consider this before submitting an application for Smudge. Smudge would also be fine as an only dog provided he is given ample opportunity to socialise with other dogs (foster dogs must be kept on lead/a long lead unless in a fully secure area such as a dog safe field)
* Smudge has had very little socialisation and he will bark persistently when there are visitors or sometimes with people he meets outside of the home. This can be addressed with appropriate training once he has had sufficient time to become accustomed to his foster and/or adoptive home.
* Smudge is fascinated by the family cat and is persistent in trying to persuade it to play. A cat free foster home is required.
- Smudge responds well to positive training techniques. Doodles are sensitive dogs and we do not permit the use of harsh/punitive/aversive training techniques on our dogs. You should be experienced dog owners with a calm, kind, positive approach to training/dog ownership.
* You will need to be fit and active. If you hope that fostering Smudge may lead to *adoption, please consider that he is a young, very active dog and he could live to around 15 years of age
* You should have no holidays planned for the foster period (which could be 2 months if he is neutered whilst in foster) unless you can take Smudge with you.
* All family members must be in agreement with fostering Smudge. You must be in a position to foster him without delay. All resident family members (and any dog(s)) will be required to travel to meet him prior to foster.
Should fostering lead to adoption, an adoption fee of £300 will apply
Those who know these dogs will know that doodles are highly sensitive dogs which can easily be sent into a “tail spin” if subtle signs of anxiety are missed and if resultant “behaviours” are mishandled. We expect our fosterers and adopters to employ positive, reward based training techniques which these dogs respond well to. We categorically do not support and will not tolerate the use of aversive, punitive “training techniques”.
Doodle Rescue is run by a small team of volunteers. We typically receive in excess of 100 applications for available dogs and we regret that we are unable to respond to unsuccessful applicants individually. If your application has been shortlisted to the next stage of our vetting process, or if we require additional information to enable us to fully consider your application, one of our volunteer admin will contact you via Facebook Messenger, by email or by phone/SMS within 3 days of your adoption application form submission. If you do not hear from us within this time frame, regrettably your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. We endeavour to provide sufficient information in each dog’s adoption bio to give an overview of our assessment of the dog and the required criteria to be considered to adopt the dog, to enable interested parties to assess suitability before submitting an adoption application. We regret that at this early stage of our vetting processes it is not possible for our volunteer admins to respond to requests for further information on a dog available for adoption since – with limited resources and time - we must prioritise finding the right home for the dog and we are grateful for your understanding in this matter. We regret that we are unable to enter into any correspondence with unsuccessful applicants or with those who are considering submitting an application but who have not yet done so. Note: due to GDPR we do not retain unsuccessful applications on our system and a new application will need to be submitted for any other available dogs
Dogs are carefully assessed whilst in foster and the stated criteria are based on the assessment and are non-negotiable. DUE TO GDPR WE DO NOT RETAIN APPLICATIONS ON OUR SYSTEM AND A NEW APPLICATION WILL NEED TO BE SUBMITTED FOR ANY DOG YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FOSTERING OR ADOPTING. WE ARE UNABLE TO ENTER INTO ANY DISCUSSIONS OR CORRESPONDENCE WITH UNSUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS OR WITH THOSE WHO ARE CONSIDERING SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION BUT WHO HAVE NOT YET DONE SO
Please be aware that our vetting processes are thorough to ensure the welfare of the dogs and by submitting an application you are agreeing to cooperate with our processes.