Foster

Fostering is temporary guardianship of an animal– as a foster parent, you take care of your foster animal as though they were your own until we find them a loving, stable, long-term forever home. The more foster homes we have, the more lives we can save!

When we cannot find enough foster homes, we can’t take in as many animals, and as such, they are often euthanized for space concerns in overcrowded shelters or left behind in dangerous situations to an uncertain fate. Available foster homes allow us to save more animal lives, more quickly!

When a dog or cat is in a foster home, we have the opportunity to learn much more about their personality and long-term needs. Animals often behave differently in a home than they do in a shelter setting, so a foster-based approach helps us to know more realistically how an animal would fit into an adoptive home. The individualized attention provided in foster homes not only helps to make pets more adoptable, but makes it much easier to find the best match when we are looking for a forever family.

By using foster homes, we can also rescue many more animals than we would be able to than if we had a shelter. The amount of foster homes is infinite– we can always expand our foster network, but in a physical shelter, there’s only so much space available for animals in need.

Complete the Northeast Foster Application (NY/NJ/CT)  or the Midwest Foster Application (OH, KY) so our team of foster screeners can be in touch and help you decide if fostering is right for you!

If you want to foster with us, you should generally be located in the New York City Metro area or New Jersey to foster for our Northeast Branch, and the Greater Cincinnati area for our Midwest Branch. Though our parameters for adoption are larger than this, our foster pets need to be close to our vet partners so that they can complete any routine vetting they need. Additionally, we strongly encourage our foster parents to attend regular adoption events with their animals, which is much easier if they are closer.

In general, most of our foster animals are adopted within 2-8 weeks. Sometimes animals get adopted much more quickly, and sometimes it takes longer. There are several factors that go into an animal’s length of stay in foster care: breed, species, age, size, overall temperament, level of training, and regular attendance at adoption events are just a few of the things that may determine how long your foster pet stays with you.

Our general expectation is that foster parents see their animal through to adoption. The more consistent an environment that an animal has, the better, as a consistent environment can reduce stress and prevent the development of unwanted behavioral issues. Plus, you get the joy of seeing your foster pet go to the best home possible!

Once you’re approved as a foster, you’ll be added to our private Facebook groups and to our email list, where we send out notifications of animals in need! We may also reach out to you directly if we feel that we have an animal that matches your preferences.

Yes! When we have animals in need of a foster home, you are welcome to express interest in any animal that is still in need. However, we do our best to set our animals up for success by making sure their foster parents are as suited to their needs as possible. Based on your application, lifestyle, and preferences, we may recommend a different animal or present you with another option if we feel that it’s not the best fit.

In short, no — as a foster parent, you are responsible for your animal’s transportation while it’s with you. This goes for picking up your foster pet, bringing your foster pet to vet appointments and adoption events, attending photo sessions, and more. Though we occasionally have volunteers to help transport, fostering may not be a good match if you are not able to bring your animal to necessary engagements at least some of the time.

Though our general expectation is that foster parents see their pet through to adoption, we understand that sometimes that isn’t possible. If you are going out of town, moving, or anticipating some other sort of schedule change that would affect your foster commitment, let us know as far in advance as you can. We may be able to place the animal with a different foster who does not have a scheduling conflict, work with you to find a temporary foster for your animal while you are gone, or come up with some other sort of solution.

If you are experiencing a specific challenge with your foster dog, we have a large network of supportive teams to help ensure that the foster experience goes well for both the human and the animal. Please reach out to your foster team coordinator right away so we can offer suggestions, put you in touch with our behavior team, or authorize a training session. We try our best to exhaust all options before bouncing an animal from home to home.

We ask our fosters to keep in mind that finding a new foster home takes time, as there is not an excess of immediately open, available foster homes. We understand that emergencies happen and have procedures in place for finding replacement foster homes; however, it is usually not an immediate process and generally takes at minimum a few days to secure a new home for your foster pet. Please be patient with us while we work with you to find your foster pet a new home.

Each foster experience is different! Fostering an animal is incredibly rewarding, but can also be difficult or frustrating at times.There are a lot of variables in fostering, so your experience as a foster parent will depend on your lifestyle, your level of experience with animals, and your willingness to learn new things.

Your foster experience will also depend on the animal you’re fostering — each animal is different! Almost all animals in new environments exhibit signs of stress at first, so no matter the animal you take home, it’s very important that you be patient with things like accidents, barking, scratching, hiding, chewing stuff up, restless nights, and so on for at least the first few days.

Though you may experience behavioral or medical issues with your pet, we have teams to help you out every step of the way! All new fosters receive a foster mentor, a veteran foster with us well-versed in fostering the type of animal placed with you. They are a great resource for questions! Additionally, we have foster and medical teams to help troubleshoot any issues and a supportive community of fellow fosters and volunteers who can offer advice as well.

Our animals come in at various stages of vetting. Some arrive completely vetted (altered, up to date on vaccines and preventatives, and overall healthy), some may arrive already altered but not up to date on vaccines, and some may arrive with little to no vetting. If our animals are not up to date on vaccines or are not altered yet, we work as quickly as possible to get them up to date. This is why proximity to our vet partners is important!

This is all dependent on your puppy’s age! It’s safe to let your foster puppy on public ground as long as they have had their final round of vaccines, which usually happens between 12 and 16 weeks. If you are fostering a puppy younger than this, they are what we call “Paws Off the Ground,” which means that they should not be on the ground in public spaces. It’s okay to have your foster puppy on the floor of your home or in your private yard, and they can interact with other dogs who you know are up to date on their vaccines, but for their safety and health, public walks and playtime can wait until they are fully vaccinated.

Generally speaking, we know the vaccine status of our puppies ahead of time. If you want to double check your puppy’s status before committing to foster, just ask us!

If we have an approved applicant for your foster pet, one of our adoption counselors will reach out to you to coordinate a time for the meeting/adoption. Our meet and greets usually happen at our weekend adoption events, so please anticipate transporting your foster pet and attending.

Fosters with us get first priority in adopting their foster pet! If you want to adopt your foster pet, we need to know ASAP, but absolutely no later than your animal’s bio deadline (this can vary by species, age, medical clearance status, and region, but is usually a period of 4-10 days). Remember, though the majority of our fosters are approved to adopt, it’s not a guarantee. All fosters are subject to the same screening process as any of our regular adoption applicants, and we prioritize the long-term well being of the animal.

No. We will cover all veterinary expenses as long as you alert our medical team and they authorize a vet visit, but please note that all veterinary care is provided through our already-established veterinary partners.

Depending on your foster pet’s temperament and their ability to tolerate new situations, you are welcome to take them to places like public parks or other dog-friendly spaces. However, for safety and liability reasons, our foster dogs should not be off-leash in public areas, and places like dog parks or dog runs are strictly prohibited.

As a foster parent, you are responsible for providing your foster pet with the care they need to thrive– food, water, shelter, exercise, and medication when required.

It is also a general expectation that you communicate with us, and are available via email, text, or phone call so we can check in if needed and so we can coordinate meet and greets with potential adopters. You’ll also need to be able to transport your foster pet to vet appointments, adoption events, and other necessary obligations. Finally, you should be willing to answer any questions that we have about your foster animal so that we can provide them with the best home possible.

All of our adoptable pets are listed on our website, in addition to multiple pet search websites such as Petfinder and Adopt-A-Pet. We regularly share updates on our animals in foster care via Instagram and Facebook and we often have adoption events (click here for the Northeast calendar and here for the Midwest Calendar) you can attend with your foster animal.

Weekly events are not mandatory but they are STRONGLY encouraged– they are a great way to get exposure for your foster animal so that they can find a forever home faster. Additionally, our meet and greets with approved adopters happen at adoption events, so as a foster parent, you are expected to attend an event if your animal is pending adoption. Otherwise, we recommend our foster pets be available at least once a month to attend an event. Events are a wonderful way not only to help your pet get adopted, but also to gain a sense of community, because you get the opportunity to meet other fosters and volunteers!