CRUSA: Foster a Cairn

Become a Foster Home

Foster Homes are temporary homes for rescue Cairns. They are the backbone of our rescue program. It is at the Foster Homes that rescue Cairns are housed, fed, provided necessary veterinary care, evaluated and rehabilitated from the time they enter rescue until the time they are adopted into a loving forever home. No experience is necessary to become a Foster Home, just general common sense, the desire to save a Cairn's life, some general pet knowledge, an hour or two a day, a crate for the foster Cairn to be fed and sleep in, and the room to keep your foster Cairn separate from your house dogs at least until they get acquainted with each other. We'll guide you every step of the way and the experience of helping a rescue dog can be very rewarding:

A Foster Mom's Reward
by Eileen Czablewski

The night my foster dog, Alvin, arrived was hot and humid. No rain yet, just loud, crackling lightning. Alvin had gone from the puppy mill, to a vet, and then on the road for almost a week. Fred and I went out to Scott's van, and he opened the back and handed me a dirty, shaking, little bit of shaved Cairn. While talking to Scott holding this stinky little guy, I could feel how much he was shaking, so I walked back into the house and right up the stairs to the bathroom. I had my own Cairns in the kitchen so as not to scare him any more then he already was. I filled the tub with warm water with a little scent. I had to wash him, let water out, and wash again. There was eleven years of filth on him. I took him out and wrapped him in a big beach towel and took him into the TV room to dry on my lap, and then it happened. This little guy looked up at me with a face shinning with love. I have never seen such a look, not from all of my Cairns, and I was hooked. I held this little fellow close to me and I cried, I think for all the years he had missed. To this day, I am thankful that I am with people that make it possible for me to help the little Alvins who cannot help themselves.

Because we'll be entrusting you with our rescue dogs, we require that all Foster Homes complete a Foster Home Application and provide 3 references. Upon your being notified that you have been approved as a CRUSA Foster Home, you will be required to sign and return by mail a copy of our Foster Home Agreement. Please read this document carefully, as it tells you our terms and conditions for fostering and obtaining reimbursement of your expenses. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the Foster Home Agreement. To download Acrobat Reader, click the button below:

The time that you have a foster dog in your home will vary with the dog but you can tell us at the time we contact you to foster what you can or are willing to handle. Younger, healthier dogs tend to be short-term fosters, seniors or dogs with special needs can take longer to place. Puppy mill survivors vary depending on how much damage done at the puppy mill needs to be undone with love and care by the foster home. These dogs tend to be very shy at first and must be taught by the foster home that humans can be kind and need not be feared.

On behalf of our rescue dogs, Thank You for your willingness to volunteer and save a life!

Foster Home Application

Thank you for your willingness to become a foster home and help save a Cairn’s life! The information you provide in this application will greatly aid us in determining what your experience and limitations are, how much guidance we should provide you, and what kind of rescue Cairn you can handle comfortably.


A. Personal Information *Required Field
*Name:
*Address:
*City:
*State:
*Zip:
*E-mail:
Home Phone:
Work Phone:
Best hours to call:
FAX:
B. Household Information
1. Applicant's Age:
2. Applicant's Occupation:
3. Number of adults in the household:
Men:
Women:
4. Number of children under 18 years of age in the household:
5. Ages of children in the home:
Age of child # 1:
Age of child # 2:
Age of child # 3:
Age of child # 4:
Age of child # 5:
6. If there are no children in the household, how often will the dog come in contact with children?
7. Are there children under 18 years of age who frequently visit the household (i.e., grandchildren, stepchildren, frequent houseguests, neighbors, babysitters)? Yes No
8. If Yes, please list by name, age, relationship, and frequency of visitation:

9. Please list your current pets by name, breed/type/species, age, gender, spay/neuter condition, and current health:

10. If you currently have more than one dog, please describe how they get along:

11. When alone, where are your pets kept?
12. Where do your pets stay at night?
13. Are all members of your household aware that you will be fostering? Yes No
14. Do they support your desire to aid Cairn rescue and foster a rescue dog? Yes No
C. Foster Home Facilities
1. What type of home do you live in?
2. Do you own or rent your home? Own Rent
3. If you rent, does your landlord allow pets? Yes No Not Applicable
4. Do you have a yard or patio? Yes No
5. If Yes, is it fenced? Yes No
6. If fenced, of what material is the fence made?
7. Height of fence in feet:
8. Have you inspected the fence for holes that a Cairn could crawl or dig through? Yes No
9. When your dogs are outside (check all that apply):
	My dogs are kept in a fenced yard
	My dogs are kept on a leash if there is no fence
	I teach my dogs to heel and stay with me off-leash in unfenced areas and plan to do the same with my foster dogs
	I use an electronic fence
	I let my dogs run loose in unfenced areas; I know they will come when called
	I do not have a fence and use a tie up and leave the dog alone to do its business
	I do not have a fence and use a tie up, but I stay outside supervising the dog
	I take my dogs to the local dog park
10. Are you able to provide leashed walks? Yes No
11. If needed, how would you isolate a rescue? (i.e. do you have babygates? crate? Other?)

12. Do you have a crate of suitable size for a Cairn? (e.g. Varikennel 200 or similar size) Yes No
D. Caring For Your Foster
1. Where do you plan to keep your foster when it first arrives?

2. Where will you keep your foster once it has settled in?

3. Will anyone be home during the day? Yes No
4. If so, who will be home and what will their responsibilities be?

5. If you have child(ren) in the household, how much responsibility will your child(ren) have in the care of the foster?

6. If you have child(ren) in the household, how much supervision will the foster and child(ren) have?

7. Have you owned a Cairn before? Yes No
8. How would you encourage or reinforce the foster Cairn’s appropriate ("good") behavior?

9. How would you deal with behavior problems in a rescue? (i.e. aggression, urination)?

10. Please describe your experiences with obedience classes:

11. If needed, would you be willing to take a rescue dog to obedience training (at CRUSA’s cost) or provide behavior modification? Yes No
12. Please check all that apply, if any:
	I have adopted a rescue dog before
	I have fostered a rescue dog before
	I have worked/volunteered with my local animal shelter
	I have volunteered with a dog rescue group before
	I have taken a dog I owned to obedience classes before
	I show dogs in conformation/performance events
	This is my first time doing dog rescue
	I belong to an online Cairn terrier/terrier list
	None of the above
13. If you checked any of the above, please specify:

E. Foster Preferences
1. How long can you foster?
2. What gender of Cairn can you foster? Males only Females only Either gender
3. What ages are you willing to foster? (check all that apply)
	Puppy under 6 mos
	Puppy 6-12 mos
	Young Adult (1-6 yrs)
	Mature Adult (7-10 yrs)
	Senior (11+ yrs)
4. Are you willing to foster a dog that is not housebroken yet? Yes No
5. In an emergency, would you be willing to take a dog that does not fit these criteria? Yes No
6. How many dogs are you willing to foster at once?

7. Would you be willing to foster any of the following special needs dogs? (check any that apply)
	Senior dog (11+ yrs)
	Diabetic dog (insulin controlled)
	Sight-impaired/blind dog
	Hearing-impaired/deaf dog
	Dog requiring special vet diet
	Dog with allergies
	Dog being treated for heartworm
8. Would you be willing to travel to pick up a rescue dog? Yes No
9. If Yes, how many miles one way?
F. References Because we will be entrusting you with our rescue dogs, we require a minimum of two references in addition to your veterinarian. Only one of these references should be a family member. All addresses and phone numbers must be complete in order for us to verify your references. PLEASE alert your references that one of our volunteers will be contacting them soon. *Required Field
1. Please provide the information for the vet you will be using when you foster a Cairn:
Name of Practice:
*Doctor's Name:
*Address:
*City:
*State:
*Zip:
*Phone:
E-mail:
2. Does this vet offer rescue discounts? Yes No Don't know
3. If so, please provide details:
4. Have you fostered a Cairn for a rescue organization before? Yes No
5. If Yes, how many Cairns have you fostered and for which organization?

6. Personal Reference #1:
*Name:
*Address:
*City:
*State:
*Zip:
*Home Phone:
Work Phone: (with permission)
E-mail:
*Relationship:
*Best time(s) to call:
7. Personal Reference #2:
*Name:
*Address:
*City:
*State:
*Zip:
*Home Phone:
Work Phone: (with permission)
E-mail:
*Relationship:
*Best time(s) to call:
8. Personal Reference #3:
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Home Phone:
Work Phone: (with permission)
E-mail:
Relationship:
Best time(s) to call:
9. Would you be willing to have your home visited by a CRUSA representative? Yes No
By submitting this form, I certify that I have never been convicted of animal cruelty, neglect or abandonment by a court of law or other appropriate governmental authority.
Please make sure the application is complete (including required fields) before pressing the "Send" button below. Incomplete applications may be rejected or delayed. Failure to complete required fields may cause you to have to RE-ENTER the ENTIRE application depending on your browser. Thank You!

Foster Home Agreement

Please print the Foster Home Agreement document. This document must be completed and mailed. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. To download Acrobat Reader, click the button below: