Provide temporary care for an animal while looking for a forever home.
Fostering can be as short as a week. Our partnering organizations can work with your schedule, even if it's really tight. But while you're here, share the love!
Adopting an animal is a big commitment, and not everyone is ready for that step. Fostering is a great way to temporarily care for an animal and test the waters.
Some of the best foster families are those who already have animals. They know the ropes, and their furry friends enjoy having a houseguest around.
Most organizations have training sessions or one-on-ones with new foster caregivers. If this is a specific concern of yours, make sure to mention it when you first speak with your foster organization.
Depending on the organization, financial cost varies. Almost all organizations provide vaccinations and vet checks before fostering, and some can provide you with donated food and accessories. With most organizations, you need to provide food, a collar and leash for dogs, and a litter box and litter for cats. Food and litter will cost under $20 a week. Be sure to ask your foster organization what they can provide when you speak with them.
We can't promise that you won't. But if you've fallen in love with your foster animal, that means someone else could too! Helping your foster animal find a forever home will help make your separation a sweet one.
Yes! Your organization will be looking for a good match, but you get to play a big role in finding your foster animal their perfect home. Along with screening potential adopters, you might be asked to bring the foster animal out to adoption events. You can share your cute photos with the organization to use on their website, and help the organization find the right fit for your foster.
There are a lot of animal foster resources online. Here are just a few to get you started:
20 Questions to Ask Before You Foster
Pet Fostering 101
Tips for Being a Good Dog Foster Parent
Tips for Being a Good Cat Foster Parent
A foster home is a short-term living situation for animals while helping the animal get adopted. It can be as short as a few days, or as long as it takes for them to be adopted. The organization can work around your time constraints.
Foster families provide animals with love, attention and shelter. Every animal fostered is an animal saved.
Kittens, puppies, and special care animals need to be fostered until they are old enough for adoption.
Some animals get stressed or upset in a shelter environment, and need human companionship until they are adopted.
Apply to foster through one of many organizations.
The organization will contact you and then place you with a foster animal.
Help your foster animal find its forever home. Congrats!
