A local organization is giving dogs from high euthanasia, high-capacity shelters in parts of California a purpose, saving them from euthanasia and training them as service dogs.
Once taken in, the dogs become a part of the shelter foster program. Liberty Dogs has community members foster the dogs while they go through training to become a service animal and then they are adopted by veterans suffering from PTSD. Crystal Swan, the Shelter Foster Program Manager says their team has to find dogs with specific personalities to be successful.
“We have a full assessment team that goes in and does a multi-day assessment. And what they're doing is they're looking for dogs based on temperament more so than breed,” said Swan. “They're looking for a dog social and people social dogs. And we're specifically targeting one of the most at risk populations in these shelters, which are large breed adult dogs.”
The dogs live with foster families and are brought to the campus to be trained. The training is very specific and if a dog doesn't end up being a good fit as a service dog, they have other career opportunities like becoming a hearing service, a facility, a therapy or a comfort dog.
Melissa Fathers, the Shelter Program Manager, says there is still another option for a dog to live outside of a shelter.
“If the dog, doesn't qualify for any of those training opportunities, then yes, of course, our fosters have the first right of refusal to adopt the dog, and Liberty Dogs really encourages foster families to be able to adopt,” said Fathers.
There are several different foster options within the program that folks may sign up for.
The first is a long-term foster, which is a six-to-nine-month commitment. Dogs live with the foster family’s full time and are dropped off in the morning and picked up in the evenings Monday through Friday.
Next is a weekend foster. In this case, dogs are picked up on Friday evenings and dropped off the following Monday morning. The ideal commitment would also be six to nine months.
The final option is a short-term foster and is for dogs who need immediate support. The commitment is only up to three days and helps dogs decompress outside the kennel environment.
“All of our fosters receive everything that you need to have to foster,” said Swan. “You receive all supplies as well as any behavioral support that you need. You get matched with a trainer for your dog.”
To explore fostering opportunities, visit this link: Shelter Foster Program — Liberty Dogs
