Be a Foster Hero

Learn more about the different opportunities to make a pet's day, week, or month!

Thank you for opening up your home and heart to animals in need!

We know you’re here because you want to help animals find loving families. As a foster caregiver, you can help our animals learn all about the safety, comfort, and love that comes with living in a stable environment. Our Foster team will provide you with any supplies, resources, and support you may need- all we ask is that you provide a loving home and some TLC!

Returning foster? click here.

Ready to become a foster hero?

Fill out a questionnaire below to begin your foster journey.

Dog Questionnaire

cat Questionnaire

How can I get involved?

See all of the different ways you can make a difference in a pet's life.

Field Trips

Heading out for a walk? Bring one of our dogs with you! Field Trips help our pups get some time out of their kennels and help them decompress. This type of fostering can last between one hour and a weekend.

Kitten & Puppy Foster

Foster Caregivers provide a safe, clean environment to weaned kittens and puppies who are too young to be housed in the building. This type of fostering can last between 1 and 4+ weeks.

Adult Cat & Dog Foster

Some cats and dogs just need a break from the kennels due to stress or illness, and this is exactly what these Foster Caregivers provide! This type of fostering can last up to 3 weeks.

Bottle Baby Foster

Dedicated Foster Caregivers care for puppies and kittens who have been separated from their mother. Care includes bottle feeding, help with elimination, and socialization. This type of fostering can last up to 12 weeks.

Safe Pet Foster

Safe Pet Foster Caregivers house animals whose families have been displaced due to domestic violence, homelessness, hospitalization, and natural disasters. Contracts can last between 30-90+ days.

Behavior & Specialty Foster

dog on a walk with tongue hanging out while looking at the camera

Foster Caregivers help these dogs and cats with more advanced medical or behavioral needs with the help of our Behavior Team. Transport to and from external vet clinics or training centers may be necessary.

Foster Feature

Karen

Karen went on a picnic with the Foster Team! Here’s what they had to say about this pleasantly plump lady: "Karen was awesome! She let me pick her up and put her in/out of the car without a fight, sat nicely on a blanket while we were in the car, and watched all of the squirrels run around and play. She never once tried to steal our food and when she settled down (there were 100 squirrels she had to keep track of), she let the breeze blow through her fur. 10/10 would take Karen out again!"

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Frequent Q&A

How often you foster will be entirely up to you. We always check in with you before scheduling you to foster an animal, and you are always in the position to say no. The commitment to foster will depend on the age and health of the foster animal in your care. Foster volunteers who prefer neonatal kittens or puppies, those under the age of six weeks, will have a longer commitment time than someone fostering a weaned kitten that is just waiting on vaccines. Your preference and availability may change over time, and that is okay, just keep us informed!

While saying goodbye can be the most difficult part of fostering, it can also be the most rewarding. Thanks to your love and commitment, these animals are now ready for their very own fur-ever home! Our adoption staff works diligently to find great homes for every animal here at SICSA, and they are in our care until adopted. After dropping off your foster animal for adoption, we request that you fill out a foster interview to give us more information about the personality of your foster animal and what type of home may be best for them. We share this information with potential adopters to make sure we are finding a good match. Saying goodbye means opening your home to other animals that need to be fostered!

Within the first hour:

Seek help if the pet is sick or injured
If you find a pet who is extremely sick or injured, please contact your county animal shelter and/or take them to the nearest veterinarian.
Check for ID
Check for a collar with a phone number or tag. If there is a dog license, the county animal shelter should have the owner’s contact information.
Alert your neighbors
Take a photo and share it with your neighbors using the methods your community uses most often to communicate. This could include going door-to-door, using sites like Facebook or Nextdoor, or a neighborhood email list.
Take a walk
Lost pets are often within one mile of their home. Take a walk around and see if anyone recognizes the pet.
Check for a microchip
Bring the pet to the nearest veterinarian or animal shelter for a free microchip scan.

More Info Here

Yes! For everyone’s safety, we ask that resident pets be spayed or neutered and up-to-date on their vaccinations. Many of the animals we get have unknown medical histories, and could potentially expose your pets to illness. Vaccinations for your own pets is one of the best ways to keep them protected. Unaltered pets can have an increased likelihood of showing unwanted behaviors, in addition to risk of unwanted reproduction. If your pets are not current on their vaccinations, we ask that they be kept separated from your foster pets. Need help getting your animals spayed/neutered and/or up-to-date on vaccines? We can help! Visit https://www.sicsa.org/wellness-clinic/ to get started.