Fostering Dogs

In rescuing animals, I lost my mind but found my soul

What is a Foster Home?

A foster home is a temporary living situation for pets in our program while they are awaiting placement in a permanent home. In some cases, a foster home is needed to help an animal transition from the stress of having been abandoned at a shelter. Foster families provide shelter, food, care and love. The number of animals we can save depends entirely on the number of people who open their homes and hearts to foster them.

Why Foster?

Because all of our dogs come from high kill southern shelters… sometimes we pull the dog for transport literally minutes from them being euthanized… without fosters we wouldn’t be able to save these dogs. It’s really that simple. No foster home to take the dogs until they are adopted and to love and care for them until a new forever home is found, no dogs saved.

Being a pet foster family has rewards beyond the essential value of helping a pet in need find a new home. For some, it is a chance to have an animal companion without a lifetime commitment, or to try new companions for an existing pet. For others, it is the special challenge of helping an animal recover from an illness or injury, the trauma of losing a beloved owner or home, or to overcome a behavioral issue. Occasionally, it’s the joy of giving extra TLC to puppies too young to be adopted.

Fur Ever Paws Dog Rescue strongly believe in foster homes. Every dog we rescue is placed immediately into a foster home until we find that perfect match between human and dog. We feel strongly that foster homes provides the dog with a loving, safe environment and allows for behavioral observations & modifications, and training. Fostering creates the opportunity to see how the dog interacts with human and furry family members thus allowing us to “fit” the dog to the human and vica-versa.

Sometimes, a foster will only have a dog for a couple of days… sometimes longer. On average, most pups are fostered for less than two weeks.

Of course, fostering is not without challenges, but Fur Ever Paws will be there to help you through any bumps in the road you encounter. We are available to our fosters 24 hours a day!

In addition to needing “full time” foster parents, we also need temporary fosters. These fosters take a dog or puppy for the weekend while their regular foster is out of town. Or, they take a dog for the night between when he or she arrives from the shelter and when she gets adopted. Our short term and temporary fosters fill a critical need for our adorable dogs!

If you’re interested in fostering (and you’re in the Newark DE or Elkton, MD area) either full time or temporary, visit our Dog Foster questionnaire and fill out the application. Someone will get back to you right away. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Our Foster Application Process

• Step 1: Fill out the New Foster Online Questionnaire here.
• Step 2: Have a phone screening interview with the adoption coordinator.
• Step 3: Sometimes, a home visit will be conducted to ensure the location is suitable for the care of your foster dogs.
• Step 4: Once everything is approved, you’ll be notified when you will begin fostering and the scheduled times the transport vans will arrive.

What we do for you & your foster dog

• We provide routine and emergency medical care at one of our fantastic partner vets…at no cost to you.
• We provide essential supplies, including collars, leashes, crates, and identification tags.
• We let the world know that your dog is looking for a permanent home by posting him or her on multiple websites.
• Our volunteers are here to answer questions, screen potential adopters, help transport your dog when you are unable, and do anything we can to make fostering a great experience!

Your Commitment to Your Foster Dog

• Provide a safe, clean, caring environment.
• Provide food, water, litter, toys, enrichment, and shelter.
• Provide exercise and socialization as appropriate.
• Monitor any medical and or behavioral problems.
• Transport to from any necessary vet appointments.
• Transport to from offsite adoption events.
• If the foster pet is sick, isolation from other animals in the home is required for a minimum of 10-14 days.
• And, most importantly, you let us know if you need help.

Interested in becoming a foster but want to know more? Ready to apply? Paw Here!

Please contact foster@fur-everpaws.com with questions