We call them fosters. They might be a single person with a single pet. They might be married with children and a bunch of pets.
They have one thing in common: a willingness to take in a dog or cat in need.
Kind animal lovers sometimes see animals in dangerous situations or out in the elements. Others see animals in a bad situation but are unsure of what to do and reach out to us. That is where our foster families come in — and play a lifesaving role.
Volunteer foster families make their homes available on an on-call basis. They often accept animals into their homes during evening and weekend hours — whenever the need arises. Our rescued animals stay in their loving foster homes, acclimating to homelife overnight, for a few days or weeks, to several months, depending on the severity of the situation.
Our foster families will love their animal, help socialize them and oftentimes transport them to their veterinarian appointments, and if needed, to the groomer. Our animals will live with their foster family until an approved adopter comes along; the perfect new family chosen just for them!
When the time comes we take our animals to social media and help find that perfect family for every animal in our care. We also tap into our growing circle of supporters to help us reach out to other animal lovers, and help us find loving, permanent homes.
Our fosters tell us whether they are willing to help us on very short notice. Some can; some can’t. Some fosters wait quite some time before we call on them.
We know which volunteer fosters will step up during an urgent situation because they have completed an application with us.
If you decide to join our foster team, a day in the life might look like this:
Your phone rings with the news of a dog found by the road. She was eating roadkill. She should weigh closer to 50 pounds for her breed, not 25. Can you take her?
If you do, Blanche will be warm and fed, not scared or starving. She needs immediate veterinary care. It doesn’t cost you anything except your time and gas for the trip to and from one of our local clinics.
Blanche needs medication. You don’t pay for it; we do. Her vet visit revealed tiny issues. She needs special care.
You provided a safe, warm place for her overnight or for a few days before she transitions to her long-term foster home.
You report back to us that she’s already gaining a little weight — and she wags her tail so much you’d never know she was sick. Everybody tells you Blanche would have died had she not been rescued. You helped her feel safe during a critical time of transition. It’s a time for celebration.
We think our solution is perfect for a lot of animal lovers. If you can’t stand the idea of an animal being picked up, frightened and placed in a cage, please consider joining our homebased foster team.
Fosters help an animal decompress in a safe home environment and live (or relearn) in a family atmosphere. Fosters also allow animals to trust again.
There is a lot of evidence that shy and fearful dogs and cats don’t “show well” in a shelter. Having a potential “forever family” visit an animal in a home allows everyone to be more relaxed — and lets the animal’s true personality shine.
Will you help us help animals be themselves around their potential forever families who want to meet them? Fill out our online foster application form or download, print and complete our paper foster application.