So you love animals, you’re interested in rescue, you think that people involved in rescue are saints, you are interested in fostering but you don’t understand how people can foster animals then adopt them out. Well here are some little known facts about fostering in our rescue group:

1. All dogs are pre-screened before they are accepted into LBR
2. Foster homes are part of the decision to accept a dog into our organization
3. When a dog is accepted, you have taken that dog from certain death and given them new hope
4. The foster home evaluates their dog; what does he/she like, dislike, do they resource guard, how are they with cats, birds, kids, on lead, on walks, etc.
5. It is the duty of the foster home to prepare a dog for their new life with a new forever family

• Think of yourself as a “crutch” for that dog

6. For every dog you foster; prepare and adopt out, you can save the life of another in need!
7. LBR has an application process – we do not adopt on site/site unseen. The app process consists of the following:

• Veterinary Reference Checks
• Personal Reference Checks
• Phone interview with primary applicant
• Home visit

Clearly by the time the app is completed we know the applicant and family pretty well! We do not perform these items to be obtrusive, quite the contrary. We do them so that we are sure to place the right dog with the right family. We want to understand the needs/wants of the family so we can best recommend a dog for them. It’s not about what color a dog is or if their ears are cropped or male vs. female – it’s about what is a good fit. We want to see everyone involved in the adoption set up for success, not failure!

8. The foster home has an opportunity to talk with the interested applicant
9. The interested applicant and all family members (animals included!) come to the foster’s home for a meeting
10. With the above information, the group can make an educated decision about what dog would best suite a family and that is discussed with that family
11. All of our volunteers work full time jobs have families, have personal lives – they’re human too! We take our extra time to volunteer because we are passionate about rescue and saving Boxer dogs
12. All of our foster homes (and non-foster volunteers) have their own animals; dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, etc. For some reason, people seem to think that they can not foster if they have their own animals


Ask any foster home and they will tell you that adopting your foster out is bitter sweet. You are so happy to see how they’ve grown both physically and mentally; you’ve nurtured them, cared for them while they were sick, trained them, fed them, and most importantly you’ve loved them. But now they are walking out of your house. Yes, you will most likely cry but just think; they are walking into their new life; their new forever home with a family that will love them and care for them just like you did! And now it’s time to pull another displaced dog that needs the same love and care that you just poured into your last foster.

Unfortunately, there is a never ending need for dogs to be placed in homes. We live in a material world – a throw away society and the animals always pay the price. But you can be a savior – it just takes time, patience, diligence, strength and love in your heart.

Now we’re not telling you that your heart will not, on occasion, be broken. This is rescue and it’s not always happy endings. You need to understand that before going into any type of rescue, shelters included. You might see dogs in horrific conditions, dogs that have suffered unbelievable neglect and abuse, some that have behavior problems that could not possibly be identified on the pre-screening. And yes, sometimes dogs need to be euthanized because it is the humane thing to do for them. But these are all part of rescue.

LBR strives itself on being a group “for the dogs”. This is not about people, it’s not about you – it’s about the dogs that wander the streets for days/weeks/months, starving for food and attention. Dogs that suffer abuse and/or neglect by humans on a daily basis. Dogs that find themselves in a shelter, picked up by a dog warden and thrown into a 3’x3’ cage – the lights and the barking from the other 150+ dogs that are in adjoining crates, no human attention - just a food bowl thrown in the cage, forced to urinate and defecate where they sit. Those are the souls that we do this for…..again and again and again……