Foster a Pet
You’d love to rescue a pet, but you’re not quite ready to adopt one. Or you love being around pets, but just don’t want the commitment of owning one. Why not consider becoming a foster parent?
When you foster a pet, you play a huge part in saving a pet’s life. You instantly take them out of the shelter, off the euthanasia list and into the safety of your home.
Why we need Foster Homes
A foster home is a temporary living situation for pets while they wait to be placed in our Adoption Center or in their forever home (whichever comes first).
As much as we’d like to take in ALL the animals, there are instances when we absolutely need support from Foster Homes, such as:
- No room at the Adoption Center. We can only accommodate around 50 cats and dogs at a time. However, if we can find people to foster animals, we can accept the animal into our system and keep them from being surrendered to the city shelter (and risk being euthanized!) or abandoned elsewhere.
- The pet isn't ready. Sometimes we can’t bring pets directly into the Adoption Center because of their age, health, or anxiety issues. Kittens and puppies need to be old enough, fully vaccinated and spayed/neutered before they’re ready to enter the center.
- The pet needs special care. Older pets who are injured or sick need a place to stay where they can receive special care before being placed at the center. Sometimes pets simply get stressed out being with all the other pets and need a temporary home away from it all.
Responsibilities of Foster Parents
When you agree to foster a pet, you agree to do the following:
- Provide a safe, clean, caring environment
- Provide food, water, litter, toys/enrichment, and shelter
- Provide exercise and socialization as appropriate
- Monitor any medical and/or behavioral problems
- Schedule and transport to/from any necessary vet appointments
- Transport to/from offsite adoption events
- If the foster pet is sick, isolation from other animals in the home is required for a minimum of 10-14 days. This isolation is especially important for cats and bottle baby kittens.
How Long Can You Expect to Foster?
Most animals remain in foster for 4-6 weeks; however, length of time is always on a case by case basis depending on the pet's situation.
Interested in becoming a Foster Parent?
Please visit the Enhanced Adoption Center or Email [email protected]