Is Fostering a Pet the Right Fit for You?

At PAWS Rescue, Inc., we equip our foster parents with the tools and knowledge they need to care for their foster pets. This includes guidance on a pet’s medical, behavioral, and other specific needs. We also provide essential supplies, like food, and ensure access to veterinary care. It’s important for fosters to remember that their role, while temporary, is critical. They serve as caring guardians, giving dogs and cats in need a safe and loving environment.

 

When to Consider Becoming a Pet Foster?

Becoming a foster parent for a shelter dog or cat at PAWS Rescue, Inc. is an incredibly rewarding experience for multiple reasons:

 

  • Provide a safe haven: You offer animals a secure and supportive environment while they wait for their forever homes.
  • Offer critical help in emergencies: Support pets and their owners affected by emergencies, natural disasters, or military obligations.
  • Increase adoption chances: Help animals thrive through socialization and teaching them to adapt to home life, improving their adoptability.
  • Reduce stress: Ease animals’ anxiety, which significantly boosts their likelihood of finding a permanent family.
  • Enjoy pet companionship: Experience the joys of pet guardianship even if your lifestyle doesn’t allow for full-time pet ownership.

 

While it’s common for foster families to grow attached, most fosterers joyfully transition their animals to adoptive homes, knowing it’s the best long-term option for their beloved friends.

What It Takes to Be a Pet Foster

Each adoption organization has its own specific policies and criteria for pet fostering, and PAWS Rescue, Inc is no exception. 


At a minimum, volunteer fosters need their family’s support and cooperation. They should also possess qualities like flexibility, patience, compassion, and a basic understanding of animal behavior. Ideally, fosters will have prior experience with the type of animal they intend to care for—whether that’s a dog or a cat.


To get started, individuals must apply through PAWS Rescue, Inc. A home visit may also be conducted before first-time fosters are approved to receive an animal. PAWS, requires that the foster’s own pets are up-to-date on vaccinations and are spayed or neutered. If there are resident pets in the home, they should be friendly and adaptable to new animals.


Foster applicants need to be at least 18 years old and should either own their home or have explicit permission from their landlords to accommodate pets. By meeting these criteria, fosters can provide a safe and loving temporary home to animals in need.

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What Does "Foster Failure" Mean?

Sometimes, volunteer fosters grow so attached to the animals they care for that they decide to adopt them—an outcome lovingly referred to as a “foster failure” While it’s a heartwarming decision, it means the foster may no longer be able to care for future temporary pets, especially if they can only accommodate one animal at home.

 

Developing a deep bond with the cats and dogs they’ve looked after for an extended period is completely natural. And for some fosters, this connection becomes so strong that saying goodbye simply isn’t an option. Enter the foster failure—not a failure at all, but a testament to the love and commitment these animals inspire.

Giving Animals A
Helping Hand