Foster Intendance Volunteers

OHS cares for thousands of pets each year, and many receive needed intendance in volunteer foster homes.

Foster Volunteers Provide Essential Assistance

Foster volunteers provide temporary care for one or more shelter pets in their own homes until the pets are ready for adoption. Frequently, these pets are too immature to be placed in the shelter or have special needs that require a nurturing dwelling environment. Foster parents provide a clean, safe, loving surroundings for these pets and help them set to find new homes. After spending fourth dimension in foster intendance, these pets are healthier and happier, which means they are well-prepared to exist adopted by a loving family unit.

Types of Animals Fostered

Animals who are non ready for adoption for any reason are candidates for foster care. Every bit a foster parent, y'all may give a mother cat and her kittens a place to live until the kittens are old plenty for the entire family to render to the shelter for adoption. You could care for a cat with an upper respiratory infection until he feels better, or help rehabilitate a dog with a broken leg that is healing. You might also foster animals that need socialization and are non thriving in the shelter surround.

Time Delivery

Foster stays may be anywhere from two weeks to three months or more. Foster animals are matched with foster parents based on the individual needs of the pet and the feel, preference and availability of foster parents. Once y'all get a foster parent, nosotros inquire that you try to foster at least in one case every half-dozen months. OHS fosters animals year-round, but the greatest need is May through October, during "kitten season."

Other Considerations

Because nearly foster animals take limited immunity, it is best to keep them physically separated from your ain pets (preferably in a different room), at to the lowest degree at showtime. When exterior, puppies and dogs must be supervised in an enclosed thousand or on a ternion. Kittens and cats must exist kept indoors at all times.

Bringing Fosters Dorsum to OHS

If you lot love animals, you lot volition naturally enjoy having a foster pet in your dwelling—and it's also natural to feel sad when information technology'southward fourth dimension for the pet to return to the shelter for adoption. Just our foster parents agree that helping save the lives of pets by preparing them to find forever homes is i of the about rewarding things they have ever done.

Current Foster Volunteers: Returning Foster Questionnaires

For electric current foster care volunteers who are returning a pet you've fostered to the shelter, please take a few minutes to fill up out the appropriate questionnaire here (dog or cat). The information you provide about the pet'due south behavior and habits volition help our adoption counselors make the best match for your foster pet and adopters.

View the foster care quesionnaires page hither »

Foster Volunteer Application

To become a foster parent y'all must be at least 18 years of historic period and laissez passer a standard criminal background check.

Application Button for Foster Volunteers

The first footstep to becoming a foster volunteer is to make full out our online foster application.* Once yous have filled out the application and passed a background check, you lot will receive an email invitation to our online Foster Care Orientation and quiz.

*If you would similar to too volunteer your time here at the shelter, please fill up out the general volunteer application instead, establish hither. The foster awarding is for volunteers who are merely interested in fostering, and practice non plan to volunteer at the shelter.

Questions?

Please contact us.