WANTED: FOSTER HOMES! (Warning: Long post ahead.) Because we are a rescue and not a shelter, all of our Westies are housed and cared for in loving foster homes. Our ability to take in homeless Westies, rehabilitate them and adopt them to new families directly correlates to a successful foster home program. Unfortunately we occasionally have to turn away deserving dogs because we have nowhere to house them, and that means fewer dogs find new homes and fewer humans get to experience the love and joy that a Westie brings! We need: ~DFW area homes (preferably in the far North Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Frisco area) with secure backyards for a dog to play in. A home visit will be required. ~The time and energy to care for dogs who may not be housetrained, who may have emotional and/or behavioral issues and who need time to decompress and heal in a loving environment. ~Experience with Westies and their unique physical needs: skin issues, allergies, behavioral tendencies, etc. Not every dog we get in has these issues, but many do need special care. ~A desire to see a dog thrive in your care, and an interest in ensuring that they go to the best home for them. ~Homes with no children younger than 8 years old. ~If you have another animals, they must be able to accept and get along with a new dog in their space. ~WRNT will provide all vet care and assume the cost for food/medicines for our dogs; you may be occasionally asked to transport the dog to/from vet appointments at your convenience. ~Loving foster families who can invest themselves in a long-term arrangement with our rescue AND who understand that they will be asked to give the dog up when an adopter is found. (We have a long waitlist of potential adopters. Fostering should not be considered a one-and-done, quick ticket to the top of our adoption waitlist. It's a deliberate investment of time and resources to help us find the right homes for our dogs. Although you may fall in love with your foster Westie, you will be tasked with giving them up! :) ) We appreciate our foster families SO MUCH. They are the backbone of our rescue and directly responsible for our successful adoption program. It's tremendously rewarding (and fun!) to see a scared, homeless Westie go from trembling in fear at a new situation to the confident and happy dog we know they can be, and to see the joy that a new owner has at finding their new friend. We are not just in the dog rescue business; we are committed to happy owners as well! If you've been thinking of a way to give back and are a Westie lover, this may be the opportunity for you. Please give it some careful thought, and if you're ready to explore this with us, go to www.wrnt.org, click on Volunteer and fill out an application. Please share this post to reach your network! Thank you for making it aaaallll the way to the bottom of this post. We look forward to hearing from you! (fb)

AVAILABLE: Winston Oliver! We bring you a wonderful Westie boy who will be ready to go to his new home soon following his big-boy surgery/recovery this week. His foster dad says: "He is only about 18 months old, so he is a PLAYFUL pup! He's super sweet and smart! He quickly learned what all the fuss at breakfast time was all about with his foster sisters, and he now joins them every morning for some blueberries and apples. He is not food aggressive and waits patiently for his turn. He also is so gentle when taking treats from you. After just a few days, he knows to go to his "feeding spot" and wait patiently for his turn to be fed! He enjoys walks and plays with toys. His hair got a bit too long and tangly, and the groomer had to shave him pretty short, but you can see he has a beautiful coat, and it will grow back nicely!" Winston Oliver has the typical skin itchies that many Westies have, so we will be looking for an adopter in the DFW area who can work with his vet to control/treat those itchies and ensure that his skin is healthy. It is recommended that his adopter see a dermatologist for further testing to determine his allergy origination. We are reviewing submitted applications now. If you would like to be considered for Winston Oliver, please click on "Adopt" at www.wrnt.org (fb)