What is Fostering? Opening your home and heart to an animal in need!
Foster homes provide an alternative to the shelter’s kennel environment for animals in need of time, attention, care, socializing and recovery. Foster families provide the special attention and time that shelter staff cannot.
Why Foster?
Many dogs & cats cannot go directly into the shelter’s adoption program due to health, behavioral issues, or age. Young kittens & puppies need foster care until they are 8 weeks old, at which time they can be legally adopted. Sick or injured animals need foster care until they are well enough for adoption. In some cases, a foster home is needed to help an animal transition from the stress of having been abandoned at a shelter.
How Long Can I Expect to Foster a Pet?
The time is based on the individual needs of the specific animal. For most, foster care is provided on a very short term basis ranging from several days to a few weeks. Other cases can require a longer commitment. The foster family determines what they are able to do and the perfect candidate is selected.
What does a Foster Family Do?
• Provide a safe, clean, caring environment
• Provide food, water, litter, toys, play time, & lots of love (the shelter provides supplies to foster families, as needed!)
• Provide exercise & socialization as appropriate; as well as monitor medical and/or behavioral issues
• Transport to/from any necessary vet appointments and to/from offsite adoption events
Rewards?
Fostering an animal in need has rewards too numerous to list. Knowing you have helped save a live is often the best reward. Providing the TLC and time required to help an animal in need is a feeling like no other. Fostering is also a way to have an animal companion without a lifetime commitment.
What is expected of a Foster Family?
~ Foster families must have their current resident dogs and cats altered.
~ Foster families that reside within the city limits of Sacramento must have their current pets licensed.
~ Foster families must have their current pets fully vaccinated - including Bordetella (kennel cough). Shelter animals frequently get kennel cough and it is very important that your own pets be vaccinated so they do not get infected. We medically treat our shelter animals; we do not treat the resident animals.
~ We send dogs and cats out to foster who need medical care, socialization, and/or time away from the shelter. The time frame may vary depending on the needs of the foster animal.
~ We hope the foster animal does not come back to the shelter! Foster families are often the best adoption locaters. We know you will share with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. You are often the best way to find a new home for an animal in need. We have offsite adoption events for our foster animals and you will be asked to participate in these in order to find your foster a loving home. You will be notified when we hold these events and will receive training in adoption counseling.
~ We may also send foster dogs or cats to other rescue organizations or no-kill shelters. You will be expected to participate if asked.
~ We will supply food, medical treatment, and a crate if needed.
~ We expect you to bring your foster animal back to the shelter for photos, booster shots, or any other treatment that is needed.
~ As a foster volunteer, you are part of our volunteer team. You are expected to log your volunteer hours on your profile.
Adoption!
Finding a loving home for your foster animal is the goal! When your foster animal is ready for adoption, we will make him or her available on our website and potential adopters may call our dispatch office to arrange a meeting. We will forward you the adopter's information and you will be responsible for calling them and setting up a time and place to meet. You can meet at the shelter, the adopter's home, at your home, or any other place you feel safe and comfortable. If you decide the adopter is going to be the right fit for your foster, they must come to the shelter to complete the adoption. The adopter is NOT allowed to take the animal home until the paperwork is complete and the foster animal has been spayed or neutered. This means that you may have the animal for an additional time as they wait for their surgery.
Foster homes provide an alternative to the shelter’s kennel environment for animals in need of time, attention, care, socializing and recovery. Foster families provide the special attention and time that shelter staff cannot.
Why Foster?
Many dogs & cats cannot go directly into the shelter’s adoption program due to health, behavioral issues, or age. Young kittens & puppies need foster care until they are 8 weeks old, at which time they can be legally adopted. Sick or injured animals need foster care until they are well enough for adoption. In some cases, a foster home is needed to help an animal transition from the stress of having been abandoned at a shelter.
How Long Can I Expect to Foster a Pet?
The time is based on the individual needs of the specific animal. For most, foster care is provided on a very short term basis ranging from several days to a few weeks. Other cases can require a longer commitment. The foster family determines what they are able to do and the perfect candidate is selected.
What does a Foster Family Do?
• Provide a safe, clean, caring environment
• Provide food, water, litter, toys, play time, & lots of love (the shelter provides supplies to foster families, as needed!)
• Provide exercise & socialization as appropriate; as well as monitor medical and/or behavioral issues
• Transport to/from any necessary vet appointments and to/from offsite adoption events
Rewards?
Fostering an animal in need has rewards too numerous to list. Knowing you have helped save a live is often the best reward. Providing the TLC and time required to help an animal in need is a feeling like no other. Fostering is also a way to have an animal companion without a lifetime commitment.
What is expected of a Foster Family?
~ Foster families must have their current resident dogs and cats altered.
~ Foster families that reside within the city limits of Sacramento must have their current pets licensed.
~ Foster families must have their current pets fully vaccinated - including Bordetella (kennel cough). Shelter animals frequently get kennel cough and it is very important that your own pets be vaccinated so they do not get infected. We medically treat our shelter animals; we do not treat the resident animals.
~ We send dogs and cats out to foster who need medical care, socialization, and/or time away from the shelter. The time frame may vary depending on the needs of the foster animal.
~ We hope the foster animal does not come back to the shelter! Foster families are often the best adoption locaters. We know you will share with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. You are often the best way to find a new home for an animal in need. We have offsite adoption events for our foster animals and you will be asked to participate in these in order to find your foster a loving home. You will be notified when we hold these events and will receive training in adoption counseling.
~ We may also send foster dogs or cats to other rescue organizations or no-kill shelters. You will be expected to participate if asked.
~ We will supply food, medical treatment, and a crate if needed.
~ We expect you to bring your foster animal back to the shelter for photos, booster shots, or any other treatment that is needed.
~ As a foster volunteer, you are part of our volunteer team. You are expected to log your volunteer hours on your profile.
Adoption!
Finding a loving home for your foster animal is the goal! When your foster animal is ready for adoption, we will make him or her available on our website and potential adopters may call our dispatch office to arrange a meeting. We will forward you the adopter's information and you will be responsible for calling them and setting up a time and place to meet. You can meet at the shelter, the adopter's home, at your home, or any other place you feel safe and comfortable. If you decide the adopter is going to be the right fit for your foster, they must come to the shelter to complete the adoption. The adopter is NOT allowed to take the animal home until the paperwork is complete and the foster animal has been spayed or neutered. This means that you may have the animal for an additional time as they wait for their surgery.