Foster A Pet

A man kneels on grass, hugging a brown dog in a gray sweater. The background’s leafless trees suggest late fall or winter—a touching moment highlighting the bonds formed through pet adoption.

Fostering Saves Lives...Twice!

Our foster care program is an important and necessary part of AHAS. Fostering a dog or cat is the most direct way that you can help save a life. It is through foster care that we are able to provide pets with a safe home, far away from the streets, abusive homes, or high kill shelters. Every foster home directly saves a dog, which in turn provides an opening at the shelter....in essence, fostering saves the lives of two pets, while it enriches ours tremendously. Fostering is one of the most rewarding experiences in which one can participate, teaching valuable lessons and providing the opportunity to be a part of the solution.

About Fostering

What is fostering?

AHAS utilizes foster homes exclusively for our adoptable dogs. Fostering involves bringing an adoptable pet into your home and providing for the daily needs of that animal, until the pet is ready for their forever home. Every dog is integrated into a real life home situation, that allows us to better assess the dog, as well as prepare a dog for it's forever home. Foster homes are asked to care for the daily needs of a dog, typically providing toys, food, and basic supplies. AHAS is able to subsidize food and supplies if a foster home requires our help to be able to participate in the program. AHAS provides training to foster homes, asking prospective individuals to participate in our training program.

How do I become a foster parent?

Foster homes are approved using the same process as that of adopters. We ask interested persons to fill out our online application, which can be found here. We will review your application and complete a home visit. We also mandate that all interested families participate in and graduate from our training program in order to take part in our foster program. Once the process is complete and a home has been approved, we will work with each individual family to find the proper fitting foster dog. We are happy to consider the specific needs and expectations of each home, placing a congruent foster dog. Whether you are interested in fostering big or small, male or female, young or old, we will match you with the right foster dog. We will prepare you to handle any behavioral issues and impart manners, confidence, and stability to your foster dog. AHAS will provide constant feedback and support throughout the process.

Where can I learn more about becoming a foster parent?

AHAS is thrilled to expand our foster network and would love to add qualified homes to our program. We find foster care an enriching and gratifying experience for all. Fosterships are an amazing opportunity to directly participate in saving an animal's life and contribute to forming a new vision of responsible pet ownership. We look forward to working together to make this program a beneficial stewardship for the animals in our care. Please contact us to further discuss the details.

Fostering Responsibilities

What are the daily requirements of a foster home?

The daily needs of a foster dog are the responsibility of the foster home. We expect that the foster home will provide the exercise, attention, discipline, food, and water required by each dog. We are happy to provide guidelines of our expectations in the beginning of the foster experience.

We do ask that you attend adoption events with your foster dogs. We also encourage foster homes to socialize their foster dog by taking them to public places, such as pet stores, which also serves to spread the word about rescue and AHAS.

Are foster homes responsible for finding the dog a home? What role do foster homes play in the adoption?

AHAS is responsible for finding each dog the best suited, qualified, responsible forever home, however, we enjoy the cooperative process with foster homes. We ask for foster home's observations and experience with each dog when creating a listing for the adoptable dog. We may ask a foster home to provide pictures of their dog for our website. We handle emails, phone calls, and application reviews throughout the process. We ask that foster homes be open to scheduled appointments on the phone or in person with potential adopters. Approving homes and finalizing adoptions are ultimately the responsibility of AHAS.

How long does it take for a foster dog to get adopted?

There is great variation in how long it takes a dog to get adopted, depending on health, age, breed, and behavior. Given our extensive experience, we can usually give an approximation of how long an individual dog will take to get adopted, however, the confluence of many factors prevent us from predicting with certainty. We are glad to discuss your expectations and the factors involved prior to placing a foster dog in your home. We enjoy working with each foster home to make the program as rewarding as possible for all involved.

Who is responsible for veterinary care?

Apply To Foster

Foster A Pet

Fostering Saves Lives...Twice!

About Fostering

What is fostering?

How do I become a foster parent?

Where can I learn more about becoming a foster parent?

Fostering Responsibilities

What are the daily requirements of a foster home?

Are foster homes responsible for finding the dog a home? What role do foster homes play in the adoption?

How long does it take for a foster dog to get adopted?

Who is responsible for veterinary care?

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