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Fostering a rescue pup is one of the most rewarding things a dog person can do. When you foster, you offer a temporary home to a dog in need, providing shelter and care for a predetermined amount of time or until they’re adopted. Because there are often more adoptable dogs than space to house them, dog fosters are invaluable.
Volunteer fosters do a lot of good. They allow rescue organizations to work beyond the capacity of their buildings. They give prospective pet parents a chance to try out dog ownership. And, most importantly, they allow dogs to spend time in a cozier, less stressful environment as they transition from the streets to their forever home. A foster environment is often the first time dogs can relax and really let their personality shine, helping them be adopted much more quickly than in a kennel.
Fostering rescue dogs is a big commitment, and it’s not always easy, but it’s incredibly worthwhile. Our guide on how to foster a dog covers everything from what to expect, how to prepare your home, and how to connect with a rescue or shelter to foster.
We’ve included the first-hand insight of Sara Miles, an experienced dog foster mom and the current Dog Foster and Adoption Support Manager at Austin Pets Alive! in Austin, Texas.
How Does Fostering a Dog Work?
If you’re not familiar with how dog fostering works, you probably have some questions and concerns. You might be a little worried about the time commitment of caring for a rescue pup. Or maybe you’re concerned about the emotional strain of taking in an unfamiliar dog and then letting it go. Plus, there’s the question of whether you and the pup will get along, even for a short time.
“It’s like moving in with a college roommate,” says Sara Miles. “You want to be friends with them, and you know that they want to be friends with you, but you aren’t quite comfortable enough with each other to just be yourselves.”
Once you get used to each other, Sara says, both you and the dog will get more comfortable. Whether you’re fostering to adopt or as a bridge between the shelter and the pup’s forever home, she recommends that you give it time—at least a couple of months, if it’s a long-term foster placement.
What kind of dogs get fostered?
Shelters typically foster out dogs who are too stressed out by the shelter environment or need more individual attention than the shelter can provide. This can include older dogs as well as puppies who are too young to be adopted.
The most common reasons foster homes are needed are:
- The shelter is overcrowded, and placing dogs in foster care frees up space to save more dogs.
- The rescue group wants to learn more about a dog’s personality and behavior in a home setting.
- A young, energetic dog needs to learn some basic manners before being made available for adoption.
- A shy or timid dog needs a safe place to come out of their shell.
- A dog is recovering from illness or injury.
- A senior or sick dog needs loving hospice care.
- The rescue or shelter is being affected by a natural disaster, and a foster home is safer.
Some rescue organizations don’t work out of a facility at all. Instead, these foster-based rescue groups rely exclusively on volunteers to shelter and care for dogs. For these groups, foster homes provide all the necessary caregiving, training, and assessment to help dogs find forever homes.
The Responsibilities of a Dog Foster Parent
The main function of a dog foster is to provide a safe, loving home environment for a rescue pup. For the most part, this entails caring for your foster as you would your own dog: offering food, affection, socialization, and exercise to keep the dog happy and healthy.
Your foster pup will need to go outside at least a couple of times a day. Fosters with an enclosed yard will find that piece a bit easier, while others do it through daily walks. If your foster dog comes with medical conditions, you’ll need to oversee their care and get them to and from veterinary appointments.
As a dog foster parent, you may also be asked to:
- Transport the dog to and from adoption events.
- Participate in obedience training at home and/or in classes.
- Report back to the shelter/rescue workers with information about the dog’s personality and behavior.
- Speak with potential adopters, schedule meet-and-greets, and help determine if they’re a good match for your foster pup.
Sara with APA! describes fostering as a full time job. “I’m always on,” she says. “But at the same time, it’s so rewarding that I didn’t see it as that much work. Cuddling on the couch isn’t work.”
Depending on your schedule and the rescue group’s needs, your time and commitment level can vary. Sometimes, just getting a dog out of the shelter for a weekend can be incredibly helpful to their well-being.
When you start fostering, the rescue will help match you with a dog that suits your lifestyle and home. “Easier” dogs are a good match for first-time fosters. The more invested and experienced in fostering you become, the more willing and able you may be to take on challenges such as multiple dogs or medical and behavioral issues.
No matter what kind of dogs you foster, all foster homes provide the valuable service of socializing a dog and getting to know its personality. Your relationship with the dog is key information in helping find its forever home. In some cases, this can even be lifesaving.
“You are giving this dog a chance to become themselves, because they’re not going to here at the shelter,” says Sara. “We’ve had dogs that have been at the shelter for 800-plus days, and then they get adopted within two months of being in foster. It’s because of the work that the fosters are doing with these dogs, and it’s incredible to see.”
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Fostering Dogs with Emotional or Behavioral Issues
There are many reasons a dog may end up at a rescue shelter, including behavioral issues. These concerns could stem from trauma, such as living in an abusive environment, or simply the need for additional training. Some issues also emerge just from the stress of living in a shelter. A foster home can be especially helpful in giving these dogs a loving, comfortable environment to learn and grow.
Common misbehaviors displayed by rescue dogs include:
- A lack of house training
- Resource guarding or territorial behavior with food
- Snapping or biting when feeling cornered
If you have other dogs in your home, you may need to keep them separate, and you’ll likely need to spend more time and energy helping your foster pup to learn good behaviors.
Your rescue dog may need to learn to trust humans again, and that is why your role is so important. You may be the pup’s first consistent source of love and understanding, and it can make a huge difference.
The Rewards of Becoming a Dog Foster
For those who are able to offer their home to a pet in need, fostering a dog is one of the most direct things you can do to save lives. It can:
- Make room for other pets in the shelter.
- Build your canine expertise.
- Give you those warm, fuzzy feelings only volunteering can provide.
- Bring the fun and companionship of a dog into your life.
“The shelter environment is just so insanely stressful, and any time they can be out of the shelter, whether that is a week in your spare bedroom, completely separated from other animals, or fully integrating into your home and you eventually adopting them, it doesn’t matter,” Sara explains. “Just getting them out of here is the heroic work out of all of it.”
Sara’s comment touches on one of the biggest hazards of fostering that can also be one of its biggest rewards: you just might fall in love!
There’s nothing like seeing a shelter dog blossom into a loving companion and sending them off to a happy family. But “foster failures” also abound in the dog rescue world. There’s always a chance that you’ll decide that the best forever home for your foster pup is right where they are.
What You Need To Become a Foster Dog Parent
With the number of unhoused pets growing around the country, many rescue organizations are desperate for fosters. Fosters must be willing to act in a dog’s best interest and able to meet their basic needs. Beyond that, your situation might be negotiable, depending on the rescue organization.
“We don’t need people to live in a house and not have any other animals or anything like that,” says Sara, explaining the qualifications at Austin Pets Alive! “People can live in just about any setup as long as they are willing to follow and abide by our foster guidelines and rules.”
At APA! all you need to be a regular dog foster is a home address and to be over the age of 18. The rescue also offers a teen foster program to get high schoolers involved. Of course, the minimum requirements vary by organization, and so do the expectations on fosters to pay for things like food and medical care.
The cost of fostering
Most animal rescue organizations are working within a tight budget. Fostering is one of the most helpful volunteer positions you can provide. The emphasis is, of course, on the word volunteer—you won’t make any money fostering dogs. As a foster, you are donating your time, space, and expertise to save dogs in need.
You may also need to cover at least part of the cost of your foster pup’s living expenses.
Some rescues help foster homes by providing the resources they need to be successful, from food to leashes and a crate to veterinary care and training. Others may rely on their fosters to supply some of these needs themselves.
“At APA!, we have a foster shed with supplies in it that fosters can come in and borrow,” says Sara. “Everything is in there except for food. They also have access to our medical clinic, so any care like vaccines, preventatives, and medications are done completely through the clinic.”
While food is typically the responsibility of an APA! foster, the organization has resources to help dog foster parents feed the pup in their care if needed. “We’re trying to break all the barriers and get people as much as we can,” Sara explains. “We have some fosters where all they pay is the transportation to come pick up the food and supplies.”
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Preparing Your Home to Foster
Taking in a foster dog requires some preparation, even (and sometimes especially) if you already have dogs in your home. Foster dogs often come with very little to their name. They’ll need their own toys and other supplies to help them settle in.
While many shelters and rescues receive donations of toys and other supplies, sometimes the needs are greater than the supply. Some good things to ask about or purchase as you prepare for your furry guest include:
- A baby gate (for keeping your foster dog contained in a room or section of your home)
- A dog bed (a comfortable spot to lounge, in or outside of a crate)
- A dog brush (especially important for dogs with frequent grooming needs)
- Enzymatic cleaners (to address accidents resulting from a strange place and strange people)
- Bitter apple spray (o discourage inappropriate chewing)
- Dog toys (for the foster to keep, to avoid resource guarding with any existing dogs in your home)
- Training treats (to reward good behavior and encourage learning)
A proper foster home will also go through a certain level of dog-proofing. This helps to create a safe environment for your foster pup. Dog-proofing also reduces stress by keeping important items out of reach of your pup. Here are some of the steps to dog-proof your home:
- Clear out small and sharp objects like paper clips, nails, staples, needles, and rubber bands from low tables and floors.
- Move curtains or drapes out of reach so they can’t be chewed or pulled off the wall.
- Move electrical cords out of reach, or even cover them with PVC pipe, to prevent chewing.
- Keep washer and dryer units closed (and always check that they’re empty before using).
- Cover trash cans to keep out curious noses (or purchase a “dog-proof” trashcan).
- Install childproof latches for cabinets where toxic cleaning supplies and medications are kept.
- Keep toilet lids closed (safety latches optional).
- Keep all houseplants out of reach.
It’s vital to get down to a dog’s eye-level to look for safety hazards you may have missed. Look for small holes, tight spaces between furniture, and escape opportunities in your backyard fence (if you have one).
You’ll also want to check with the rescue or shelter about their rules for foster dogs. Some rescues don’t allow you to let the dog free in your yard unsupervised, due to the flight risk foster dogs represent.
Other considerations for prospective fosters
As our expert Sara noted, fostering a dog is a full time job. Some foster pets do well on their own, while others may have constant needs requiring round-the-clock care. It’s important to be realistic with yourself and with the rescue organization about what you can offer.
Other things that prospective foster parents might consider include their experience with dogs and the number of other animals in the home. Both are important in determining if fostering is right for you, and what pets would work best in your home.
If your current pup thrives as an only child, keeping a foster pup separate might be the key to success. If you don’t have a lot of experience with dogs, the organization might start you with an easy, short-term case. Or they may even be able to provide you with resources to get you up to speed quickly.
What To Do When a Foster Dog Isn’t Working Out in Your Home
Not every dog is a great fit for you and your home, even for a short time. If you’re struggling with a foster pup, your situation has changed, or your foster pup isn’t finding the right forever home, contacting your rescue organization is the first step.
Rescue organizations have the dog’s best interests at heart. They’re working to put dogs in the right home long-term, and they won’t want to keep a pup in a situation that isn’t working. Your rescue group can help you identify the best next steps. That might be providing you with additional resources to be successful, or it might be finding a new placement for the dog.
At the end of the day, dog fosters are volunteers, with their own lives and responsibilities outside of fostering. Some dog fosters see hundreds of pups come into and out of their homes. Others may foster a dog or two before hanging up their leash. Being transparent with the rescue about your abilities and situations is key, and even fostering one dog for a short while can be a big help.
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How To Get Involved
If you have the space, time, and desire to help transform a shelter dog into a pet, there is a place for you in dog fostering.
“As long as animals are in shelters and on the streets and at risk in other shelters, the need for fosters is always going to be there,” says Sara.
The easiest way to get started fostering is to connect with a reputable rescue group. Petfinder and the ASPCA both have extensive lists of rescues and shelters looking for foster parents.
You’ll also find a list of shelters and rescue groups in your area with a simple web search. Many rescues publish their foster requirements online, and you may even be able to apply online as well. But do your research before you commit. Reach out to the facility, either through a video call or the phone, and try to talk to other foster parents that have worked with the organization before.
As a foster parent, you want to know that you have the support you need. Facebook groups and other social media can be a big help determining if the group you’re considering is the right match for you. The best way to figure out if fostering right for you is to talk to people who have experience.
How to help when fostering isn’t right for you
If you’re not able to meet your local rescue organization’s foster criteria, or if you decide that it’s not the right time to foster a pup, there are many other ways to help shelter dogs.
Volunteering at a shelter is an important, lower-commitment way to help dogs in need. Rescue groups regularly need volunteers to help with everything from stuffing envelopes to cleaning out kennels. These volunteer activities are a great way to get experience around dogs, build a relationship with the organization, and provide mundane-but-critical services to help out. That allows staff to focus on the most important thing: finding homes for the pups in their care.
One volunteer job that’s particularly popular with canine-loving volunteers is walking shelter dogs. Many rescues have programs that invite community members to spend time with their adoptable pups, walking them around the shelter grounds or even on public trails.
Some rescues even allow a “doggy day out,” which is a one-day, short-term fostering experience to get a pup out of their kennel for a while. You could take the pup on a hike or to your local coffee shop for a puppuccino, returning them to the shelter at the end of the day.
As previously noted, many shelters and rescue groups are non-profit organizations. As such, they rely on donations to keep the lights on and continue their work. If time is an issue, but you have the resources to donate supplies or money to help fund their efforts, it’s a valuable way to help pups in need.
Fostering To Adopt
While most dog fosters do so with the intention of preparing a dog for their next home, some organizations employ a foster-to-adopt method of placing their pups. With this version of fostering, you take in a dog with the option or intention of adopting them. The “foster” period is usually determined by the rescue.
Fostering to adopt is a great way to see if a dog will fit into your home and lifestyle before committing to adoption. Often, the rescue organization will also provide support and resources to the prospective adopters, to help them through the foster period. This makes it especially good for new dog parents. If you decide that the dog isn’t the right fit long-term, you still get to play a part in helping prepare them for their forever home.
And that, says Sara, is what it’s all about. “The dogs are worth it,” she says. “Giving them a safe place to land is everything.”
