What is a Foster Home?

A foster home is a temporary living situation for pets in our rescue while they await for their forever home.  Foster families provide shelter, food, care, socialization, and love to their foster dog. The number of animals we can save depends entirely on the number of people who open their homes and hearts to foster them. If you would like to become a foster parent or find out more information about our foster program, please fill out a foster application.

Why Foster?

The only way that we can save animals from high kill shelters is with the help of foster homes.  Fostering a dog can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Here are the top 10 reasons to foster a dog:

  1. Fostering saves lives!
  2. You will increase the dog’s chance of being adopted by teaching the dog good house manners and social skills while in your home.
  3. You will provide valuable information regarding the dog’s temperament, which will allow us to better match the dog with the perfect adoptive home.
  4. A foster dog can become a companion and playmate of the resident dog(s) and may even help your own dog with his or her social skills.
  5. Fostering is a great way to learn more about dogs and dog behavior. You just might learn new training techniques with our informative training classes provided to all of our foster families.
  6. Fostering is fun for children and can teach them about compassion and generosity.
  7. It’s a good way to see if your family is ready for a dog (or an additional dog).
  8. Fostering provides canine companionship without the lifelong or financial commitment.
  9. Fostering a dog is a very rewarding experience.
  10. As a foster you will instantly become a part of a large network of other people who share your commitment to helping animals.

What are the Responsibilities of a Foster Parent?

  • Provide a safe, clean, and caring environment
  • Provide food, water, toys, and shelter
  • Provide exercise and socialization
  • Teach good manners
  • Monitor any medical or behavioral problems
  • Transport to vet appointments
  • Transport to offsite dog adoption events and meet and greets

How long is the foster care commitment?

The length of foster care for each animal varies depending on its needs (medical, behavioral, etc.). Fostering may last from two weeks to several months. Our goal is to provide the dog with a stable, consistent environment until adoption.

What are the expenses for a foster parent?

The Rescued Dog furnishes most of the supplies needed to care for our foster dogs. This includes veterinary care, training classes, donated food, and supplies (collar, leash, crate, etc.) when possible. Foster parents are requested to travel with their foster dog to our dog adoption events when scheduled.

Fill out a Foster Application