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In my personal experience, I have seen certain personality traits in cat owners that are different than dog owners. Cats are pretty self sufficient, groom and clean themselves, don't need walking and usually stay indoors. Just put down the food and water, scoop out the liter box and off you go. It's funny to me how someone that loves cats sometimes has to work to get a cat to pay attention to them and are so thrilled when the cat doesn't scratch, hiss or bite them when picked up, yet they don't appreciate when a friendly little dog wants to sit in their lap when visiting at a doggie house.
Dogs take a lot more care and energy and are not the right animal for those that are out of the house alot and want an independent animal
My cats follow me around just like my dogs do. They want to sit next to me (or on top of me) and they come watch me take a bath. It is not true that all cats are aloof although some certainly are. OTOH, my dogs also follow me around and want to be where I am. So like a previous poster, I guess I feel superior to myself!
That's not entirely true. I've worked with fearful cats that will bite, scratch and attack. It took me about 6 weeks with one cat before it would let me pet it. Dogs may be different but cats have some of the same issues. Dogs are just bigger and can do more harm if afraid or provoked unintentionally.
Yes, cats can have the same issues. But, just because you've had success with a cat that does not translate into success with a dog.
I have a dog. I know what to feed him, what vet care and shots he needs, how often he needs to be walked, what he likes to play with, when he needs a haircut, what his different barks mean.
Just because I know these things about a dog doesn't mean I'm ready to care for a horse. They are different animals with differing needs and behaviors. Kinda like dogs and cats.
That's not entirely true. I've worked with fearful cats that will bite, scratch and attack. It took me about 6 weeks with one cat before it would let me pet it. Dogs may be different but cats have some of the same issues. Dogs are just bigger and can do more harm if afraid or provoked unintentionally.
The person you talked to is an idiot. I guess s/he was never a first time dog owner huh? So stupid!
That said, if you'd come to me to foster I'd probably have started you with a small, mellow dog breed that had been in the rescue long enough to already be house trained so as to not hit you with a crazy, hyper, untrained monster and freak you out and make you run away and never come back. Id' also send you home with a book of info on different dog breeds, their general behavior / temperaments, and instructions on the most common dog issues that you could start reading to help educate you some. But to laugh at someone and give them an attitude when they want to help?? Gimme a break.
In my personal experience, I have seen certain personality traits in cat owners that are different than dog owners. Cats are pretty self sufficient, groom and clean themselves, don't need walking and usually stay indoors. Just put down the food and water, scoop out the liter box and off you go. It's funny to me how someone that loves cats sometimes has to work to get a cat to pay attention to them and are so thrilled when the cat doesn't scratch, hiss or bite them when picked up, yet they don't appreciate when a friendly little dog wants to sit in their lap when visiting at a doggie house.
Dogs take a lot more care and energy and are not the right animal for those that are out of the house alot and want an independent animal
It's a common misconception among dog owners that cats need no attention and can be ignored. Certainly some cats prefer to be left alone. In my experience most cats need human contact and most want to be held, petted or played with.... just like most other animals. I'm sure you could find some dogs that prefer to be left alone and many that want attention.
It's never even occured to me that dog or cat people might feel "superior" - what an odd notion!
I consider myself more of a "dog person" (I do think there's more to owning a dog than a cat) but I've also had cats coexisting with dogs pretty much my entire life.
I've been involved with various aspects of dog and cat rescue for over 20 years, and I agree with mrs1885. I wouldn't NOT let someone foster a dog if they've never owned one, but I'd start that person out with an "easy" dog and encourage a bunch of learning, offer support, etc. If the dog was suitable, I'd either mandate or strongly encourage taking the foster dog to basic, motivational, fun obedience classes. You as a novice dog owner would learn heaps, and so would the dog.
Dogs and cats are very different creatures, and interact differently with humans as a general rule. The methods and tools you might use to deal with a fearful dog are often quite different to those you'd use on a fearful cat. Many of the things I'd suggest for dealing with a fear-aggressive dog simply wouldn't apply to a cat.
But, not a one of us was born knowing how to care for dogs or cats, we all have to start somewhere! Flat-out refusing to let someone foster a dog - especially knowing how rare foster homes are - doesn't make a lick of sense if that person is willing to learn.
Perhaps the person you talked to was just a really poor communicator. Fostering dogs for someone who doesn't have dog experience could potentially lead to issues. I'm a cat and dog owner. I had three cats before I adopted my dog. They are very different animals. One is not "better" or "worse" than the other, they are just different. Their needs are different. Their behaviors different. How you need to deal with them is different.
Perhaps that rescue or shelter or whatever it was doesn't have dogs that don't have issues that would require a more experienced person. Or maybe she was just an idiot. If you are interested in helping, I'm sure there is some rescue or shelter that would be happy to have you help. I agree with folks above that there are so many animals in need that there should be some rescue that would be able to work with you to get you "doggy experience," and have you foster some "easy" dogs. If you are really interested in fostering a dog, keep looking for a rescue or shelter that is a good fit for you.
Working with a dog is different than working with a cat, but not it's not like you can't learn if you want to. It's not a matter of harder or easier necessary, it's just different. Trust me, a week after adopting my dog, I was terrified that I was too much of a cat person to ever adapt. But, I did. I learned how to work with my dog. How to communicate with him. Luckily he was easy. I still don't know if I'd be any good at dealing with a truly difficult case. Good luck!
Thanks for all the advice. You all have given me some things to think about before approaching a group about fostering. I appreciate the nice responses which are nicer than the rather abrupt response I got from the person I was speaking with originally.
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