What is a Foster Home?

A foster home is a temporary living situation for pets in our program while they are awaiting placement in a permanent home. APA! is still developing its shelter facility, so most adoptable pets in our program are in foster homes.  Foster families provide shelter, food, care and love. The number of animals we can save depends entirely on the number of people who open their homes and hearts to foster them.

Why Foster?

Animal shelters can be stressful places for pets, particularly those displaced from a family home. Shelters may also be unsuitable for pets that are ill, very young or very old. Experience shows that a foster home environment is much easier on a pet mentally and physically during times of transition.

Ideally, each adoptable APA! pet will reside with one foster home prior to adoption. This allows us to better understand how a pet acts in a home environment, which helps match the pet to the permanent home.

Being a pet 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 animal companion without a lifetime commitment, or to try new companions for an existing pet. For others, it is the special challenge of helping an animal recover from an illness or injury, the trauma of losing a beloved owner or home, or to overcome a behavioral issue.  Occasionally, it’s the joy of giving extra TLC to kittens and puppies too young to be adopted.

What are the Responsibilities of a Foster Family for Dogs?

• Provide a safe, clean, caring environment
• Provide food, water, and shelter
• Provide exercise and socialization as appropriate
• Monitor any medical and/or behavioral problems
• Transport to/from any necessary vet appointments
• Transport to/from offsite adoption events*

How Long Can I Expect to Foster a Dog?

There are multiple adoption events each week, which allows us many opportunities to get dogs into permanent homes as quickly as possible.  The foster duration could be as short as 24 hours or as long as a few months.

What are the Responsibilities of a Foster Family for Cats?

• Provide a safe, clean, caring, indoor-only environment
• Provide food, water, shelter, and litter
• Provide playtime and socialization as appropriate
• Monitor any medical and/or behavioral problems
• Transport to/from any necessary vet appointments
• Attend adoption events at least 2x per month*

How Long Can I Expect to Foster a Cat?

Because cats become stressed more easily than dogs, we suggest bringing cats to adoption events no more than 1-2 a week, and that you stay with your cat/kitten at the adoption event.  Kittens tend to enjoy adoption events and can attend more often.  For this reason, Cats can take a little longer to find new homes, while kittens usually get adopted within 2-4 weeks.  We require a minimum foster commitment of 1 month.  For cats 5 months and older, we request that foster parents to make a commitment to their foster kitty until a forever home can be found.  This can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

* This is a request, not a requirement. Staying at the adoption event for the day is also not a requirement; however, additional help is greatly appreciated. When potential adopters have questions about the dog or cat, no one knows your foster pet better than you.