Foster Care Guidelines

Foster Care Guidelines

NORTHCENTRAL MALTESE RESCUE, INC.
Foster Care Guidelines

Foster dogs are those that are in a temporary home while Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Inc. seeks a new, permanent home for them. When a Maltese comes into foster care, their owner has already given up all rights to the dog. NMR foster homes are required to provide a safe, comfortable, and loving home for the Maltese as long as it is in foster care. Maltese are a very special, and often fragile, breed of dog, and they require special people to provide a temporary loving home for them. We require all Foster Care applicants to be approved by our organization either by home check, interview or some other method. We thank you for offering to foster for us.

Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Inc. will pay for pre-approved veterinary expenses while the dog is in foster care. The foster dog’s medical needs must be discussed with a NMR Board member and all veterinary expenses must be pre-approved, except in the case of a life-threatening emergency. The Board member MUST be notified before the canine goes to the vet with the Veterinarian’s name, address, and phone number unless it is an emergency. This information must be provided immediately following the care in an emergency situation. NMR will pay expenses for veterinary care directly to the veterinary clinic providing the service. Have them telephone your contact by phone and approval can be given at that time along with the credit card information. If the contact cannot be reached, and the vet requires the foster parent to pay upon treatment, NMR, will reimburse the foster parent for these expenses upon receiving the original vet bill. The original bill must be sent in the mail to your contact person at the address below.

Mary Palmer – President
Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Inc.
5311 Douglas Ave, # 120
Racine, WI 53402

malteserescue@hotmail.com
262-800-3323

Please keep all paperwork from the vet to be passed on to the adopting family. Send a copy of all records to your contact person.

If a foster care provider must travel to pull a Maltese from a shelter or private home, or if they must pick up a dog from a transporter, Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Inc. will pay for the expense of gasoline and/or tolls incurred for this trip. But, the following procedure must be followed:
1.Once you are on the road to pick up the Maltese, immediately fill your gas tank. This is the foster provider’s expense.
2.You must get a paper receipt for all tolls paid on the trip. 
3.Keep any bills for gas fill up while on the trip.
4.Just before you arrive home, fill up the gas tank and keep the receipt for reimbursement.
Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Inc. will not pay for food or other expenses unless it is a full day trip.

It is very important to remain in constant communication with your contact person, especially if there are special needs that need to be addressed for your foster dog. Updates on the progress of such things as house training or socialization of the dog is necessary as long as the dog is with you. You will be asked to provide information about the dog when the time comes for the dog to be listed for adoption. You will also be asked to provide pictures of your foster. 

A Note from Mary Palmer, President, Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Inc:
Foster families should be especially aware of what is and what is not provided for by our rescue. 

As we seem to be getting more and more dogs with special needs, we have to take a close look at how we are spending our funds. We do, and always want to, provide the very best possible care for our dogs, but I would like to go over some of the expenses we cover and some we do not. If there is a dog with extenuating health issues we need to talk over how much care we are willing to provide, what is viable and what is not. 

First, once the dog is in your care examine it carefully and thoroughly from head to toe. Check the medical records that come with the dog and then consult with your contact person about the needs and treatments for it. If veterinary care is necessary get an appointment with a reasonably priced vet as soon as possible. Check with local shelters or humane societies for recommendations for vets that serve their practices and will give a discount for rescued dogs. ALWAYS ask for a discount for a rescue. 

In almost all cases we want to do a thorough general health check: eyes, ears, teeth, heart, lungs, joints, anal glands, nails, etc. If tests that go with the general exam are necessary, (i.e. for ear problems), they will be covered by NMR. 

We provide rabies, and 4- or 5-way Distemper but no lepto. Intranasal bordetella is appropriate if a dog comes from a shelter or other situation where there might be infected dogs with kennel cough. All dogs in the south other than dogs from obviously good homes using heartworm medication should get a heartworm test. We will provide 1 or 2 months of meds for heartworm preventive, only as long as the dog is in rescue care. 

All dogs must be spayed or neutered before leaving our Rescue. A spayed female cannot be adopted for 10 days after the surgery in order to give the female adequate time to recover and have the stitches removed. Males can be adopted almost immediately after neutering if it was a normal procedure, there are no complications, and there is someone to monitor the dog for a couple days.

We will do dentals on dogs who NEED them only. Consult with your contact person if you are not sure. If a dental and a spay/neuter are necessary, they can be scheduled together.

We will only do blood work on dogs we feel have some health issue, or are over the age of 8 years before any surgeries are done.

We do not do worm testing. Instead, if a dog is from a shelter or mill or some suspect situation then we will just give the dog a pill without the test. A complete wormer should be used and we recommend Drontal Plus

We will not provide Frontline or any of the other flea or tick preventatives. If this is a problem in your area, you are responsible for the treatment.

We do not provide grooming unless the dog is in really bad condition, and the foster can not provide those services. The dog must be severely matted to qualify. A bath with touch up is not considered something we should be covering. We do expect our fosters to provide grooming for the dog and to have the dog clean and in good condition when it is adopted . 

Part of the foster’s responsibility is to treat the dog with antibiotics or medicines that are warranted by the dog’s condition. Our dogs have to be as healthy as possible before we adopt them.

Please make a effort to ask for donations from families who ask us to take their dogs into rescue. Even if it is $25, that is $25 more than what we have. If a dog is not current on shots or altered, perhaps just asking them to take care of that would be enough. Of course we would not turn a dog away if the owner refuses or just can’t afford a donation, you will have to determine that when you talk to them, but we need to at least make an effort.
Mary 

Mary Palmer, President & Rescue Director
Northcentral Maltese Rescue, Inc.
5311 Douglas Ave. #120
Racine, WI 53402
262-800-3323
malteserescue@hotmail.com