Thank You for Considering the Lifesaving Act of Becoming a Foster
Fosters truly are the FRONT LINE for these dogs & a critical step in saving more lives! A foster home is a temporary living situation for dogs while they are awaiting placement in a permanent home. Foster families provide shelter, food, care, love, and guidance. The number of dogs we can save depends entirely on the number of people who will open their homes and hearts to foster them. For some of these dogs, this will be their first experience being treated as a family pet. You are their salvation and you should never underestimate the important role you are playing in their lives!
Why Foster?
The only way that we can save dogs is with the help of foster homes. Being a 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 dog companion without making a lifetime commitment, or to try new companions for an existing pet. Foster Care is critical to our rescue efforts, the more homes we have, the more dogs we can save. Becoming a foster family is a very rewarding experience, and can be a lot of fun. There are often tears shed when a foster finally finds a home of their own, but knowing you have saved a life and opened up space to save another is truly rewarding. Working together, one match at a time, we have placed over 17,592 dogs since 2011.
How Long Can I Expect to Foster a Pet?
Fosters (or “perm fosters”) will keep a dog until adoption. The timeline can vary greatly but is a minimum of 1 week and an average of 4-8 weeks. Some dogs need more time because of age, illness, injury, or behavior issues. You always choose the dogs that you foster. Home At Last tries to share any and all known information before they arrive in your home, though surprises do happen and flexibility is key as a foster. In order for Home At Last to operate, since we have no central facility, we need perm fosters to commit to fostering a dog through their adoption.
What are the Responsibilities of a Foster Family?
Provide a safe, clean, and caring environment for the dog until placed with adopters.
Provide food, water, exercise and socialization as appropriate.
Allow for proper decompression time and slow introductions to other pets.
Get to know the dog and update their bio and photos/video to showcase their personality.
Monitor any medical and/or behavioral needs (If needed, vet care and medication are provided by Home At Last vet partners).
Bring your foster dog to meet & greet events - attendance is optional but encouraged and will improve your foster’s chances at finding their family!
Participate in helping Home At Last Dog Rescue find a family for the animal.
Communicate with interested adopters via phone and email. Process adoption applications and work with potential families to find the right match, conduct a home visit, and finalize the adoption.