Foster

Fostering Saves Lives

Cats Fostered in 2023
Dogs Fostered in 2023

Fosters Needed

As a foster-based organization, we do not have a physical shelter. We can only save animals when we have a foster home to place them in. Are you ready to save a life? Apply Here!

What is fostering?

Fostering means you are bringing a companion animal into your home to love and care for until he/she finds a permanent home. Fosters learn about the animal’s behavior and help to socialize the animal in a loving home. Some animals come nearly ready for adoption. Others may be scared, timid, or sick; they may need extra help and socialization to get them ready for adoption. Fostering is the bridge between what the animal’s life was before (stray, abused, kill shelter) to their new life in a furever home.

Why FOster?

Foster families provide a healthy and safe environment for the animal. Fostering increases the animal’s chances of being adopted and helps them overcome the stress of being abandoned in a shelter. When you open your heart and home to an animal in need, you are giving them a second chance at life. Fostering lets you enjoy the companionship of a dog or cat without the long term commitment. Fostering animals is a wonderful and personal way to contribute to saving homeless animals. Fostering saves lives.

Types of Fostering

Foster an animal until he/she is adopted. This could mean anywhere from a few days to a few months in some extreme cases.

Foster an animal while the regular foster is out of town. This is usually a short term foster situation.

Foster an animal temporarily because of an emergency situation, providing temporary shelter until a regular foster is found. These are occasions when an animal needs to be moved out of a dangerous situation immediately. This type of fostering requires the foster to be able to provide their own transportation. It also requires a separate room in the foster home, to keep the animal separated from personal pets until medical intake can be completed, which may take a day or two.

Foster an animal for one to two weeks. Generally this type of foster is needed until a regular foster is found. For cats or kittens, this could be until they are moved to one of our offsite adoption sites.

Foster an animal with a special need. This could include:

  • Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Ringworm
  • Behavioral issues
  • Injuries
  • FIV+ or Felv+ cats or kittens
  • Mange
  • Animals that are sick or near the end of life

Questions?

For more information on fostering, contact us at foster@humaneloudoun.org.