Helping Shepherds of Every Color Rescue
Montgomery, AL
Foster FAQ's
1. What is a foster parent?
Foster parents are the backbone of rescue. The number of foster homes directly affects the number of dogs we can help. A foster parent provides temporary, in-home care for the dogs until they are adopted. In addition to affection, the foster parent provides basic care for the animals such as nutritious food, water, and shelter.
2. How long is the foster period?
The length of fostering can vary from a couple of weeks to several months. Volunteers are needed for short-term emergency fostering that may even last for a weekend while other volunteers may choose to foster special needs dogs or other dogs that may take longer to find a special home.
3. What does it cost to foster a pet?
All veterinary expenses are paid by the rescue. Pet food is provided by the foster home. Foster homes are responsible for supplying their own toys, beddings, crates, flea prevention and transportation to vet appointments or any adoption events. The rescue will provide monthly heartworm prevention.
4. What kind of support do foster parents receive?
In addition to the vet care and heartworm prevention, foster parents will always be a phone call or email away from experienced foster parents who can give advice and support as needed.
5. Where do the dogs come from? Are they sick?
Most of the rescue dogs come from local humane shelters, others from owner surrenders. All dogs are taken first to our vet who checks each dog, updates routine vaccinations and treats any routine issues such as intestinal worms or kennel cough, etc. This may require several days of quarantine to reduce the chance of bringing home a sick dog.
6. What if the foster parent wants to adopt the dog?
Often the foster parent and foster dog develop strong bonds. We have all experienced “foster failure”. Adoption is certainly possible. If the dog has incurred considerable expenses (e.g. heartworm treatment or surgery, etc) the rescue may require payment of the adoption fee to help defray these expenses.
7. How does someone become a foster parent for the rescue?
Please complete the Foster application on this website. The approval process is the same as adoption: One of our volunteers will make the reference calls and a home visit will be conducted. When approved, we will help you find a dog that will be a good match for you to foster. Fostering involves a contract of obligations.
