Our dog died last September. She was almost 16 years old and, after a mostly healthy life, had deteriorated rapidly in the last year of life.

Friends kept saying we should get another dog, but we just weren't ready yet. However, for the last couple months, we have been thinking about it. We decided we still aren't ready to make a permanent commitment to a new dog, but we would like to have a dog in our home again. Fostering seems to be a good fit for us.

Does anyone have experience with fostering in the Toronto area? (Feel free to PM me if you wish.) One of my main concerns is whether the organizations have a "fully fenced yard" rule. We do not have a fully fenced yard. This has never been a problem for us, as I would no more let a dog wander unsupervised (or unleashed) than I would allow a child to do so. Still, I understand why this would be a requirement for some breeds/organizations.

I looked first at the Toronto Humane Society, but I have to track down the date of my last tetanus shot. (I know it's current, just not sure of the exact date.) Apparently, Toronto Animal Services does fostering as well. And, of course, there are other dog rescue groups that might need foster homes.

I don't have any experience with corgis. Our last dog was a Yorkie, but I grew up with medium to large working dogs - labs, setters, collies.

We are fairly open with regard to breed. My main concern is that the dog be able to handle living in our environment, even if it's only for a short time. It's a town house complex with lots of young children playing around. We have lots of parkland within a two minute walk for exercising, but it's important that the dog be able to handle the noise and activity of children and also the comings and goings of our neighbours. My quick check seems to indicate that corgis may be territorial and have some of the herding tendencies that can be a problem with children. (Not that the dog would be running around loose to chase children.) Of course, individual dogs are, well, individuals.

I'll discuss it with my husband. He has some ideas of what he wants, but I have to point out that (a) this is a foster dog and (b) some of the breeds he particularly likes would never be placed with us because of the "fenced yard" rule.