WHAT IS FOSTERING?

What's so great about fostering a pet? EVERYTHING! It is an extremely rewarding experience. Fostering gives a dog or cat a second chance at life. It can mean the difference between life in a caring home or death by euthanasia. It allows care for animals that would be difficult to care for in a shelter environment – pregnant sweeties or mommas with puppies or kittens, those recovering from major surgery, cats or kittens that are shy and need a nurturing home environment, dogs needing one-on-one behavior rehabilitation and those that would not do well in a shelter environment.  

Fostering is not always easy. It requires a commitment. But it is WORTH it! These precious lives need patience, understanding, and LOVE - something they might never have felt before. What a gift it is to see their transformation and be part of their life-changing journey!

What is Involved in Fostering an Animal?

Foster caregiver responsibilities typically involve providing a home, feeding and socializing the animal – helping him or her learn appropriate behavior, a first-time opportunity for many pets whose original owners didn't spend much time or effort on the animal. Foster care providers give valuable insight into the animals' temperament and needs. They help us make a better adoption for those animals. Fostering provides the priceless service of nurturing and preparing homeless animals for their Forever Families.

Foster animals that fit your lifestyle:

• If you are more of a "couch potato", we will match you with an older animal, one who has a lower energy level, or a dog / cat in medical recovery who needs to be kept in a quiet environment.

• If you are an active family, we will match you with a dog who needs lots of walks and plenty of exercise or with a litter of playful kittens. You can help your foster dog by reinforcing some basic obedience commands or teaching him some fun tricks.  We work with wonderful trainers and offer willing foster homes the chance to take their foster dog through training classes or agility classes.   

In most cases, it's fine if you already have a dog or cat, as long as your companion and the foster dog or cat are both healthy and get along with each other.

Fosters Help Pets Gain Life Skills

The animals you foster may not be perfect. Some may need to be housetrained. Some dogs may be un-schooled in other ways. For example, they may be rambunctious or shy, or they may be inclined to jump up on people or on furniture. To some degree, these things will depend on the dog's age and breed or the cat's level of human socialization, but problem behaviors may be what landed them in the shelter in the first place. Fostering will require patience, love and TLC.  Another important factor in fostering is commitment.  We cannot stress this enough!  Taking on a foster dog or cat is a commitment that you are making to this living, breathing life.  They have already been abandoned or dumped.  Through no fault of their own they feel unwanted.  Fostering is not always easy - don't give up!  It might take 2 weeks to housetrain your new foster dog.  That might seem like an eternity while you are going through it, but it is ultimately ONLY 2 weeks of your entire life.  If you give up on your foster dog for whatever reason, the poor baby will be bounced to another foster home and your lack of commitment will aggravate your foster dog's issues making them worse and possibly creating more.  They need stability and structure.  Please be serious about your commitment.  It will be worth it for you and for the precious life you are helping to save. 

The Rewards of Fostering are Plentiful

The addition of a dog or cat brings immeasurable richness and joy to the household. Foster animals will repay you for your patience and love by giving back ten times more love of their own. And when your foster dog or cat goes off to a loving new home for life, your heart will swell with joy. And, your eyes will probably fill with tears, but they will be wonderful tears of happiness!  What could possibly be more gratifying than to save a life and create a "happily ever after" ending?  Because of YOU, a life was saved and a difference was made in the lives of a Forever Family. 

Ready to save a life?