Help us save more lives! Become a foster!
If you are unable to adopt or donate but still want to get involved and save the lives of animals, fostering is a great way to start! Fosters are volunteers who provide temporary living arrangements for pets in need. By opening up your home, you are giving us the space we need to take in more animals. Our greatest need for fosters is with our feline friends. However, we do need fosters for dogs and puppies. Still interested? You can find all of the information you will need about fostering below!
Steps to becoming a foster:
- Fill out our foster application (located at the bottom of this page)
- Wait for your approval email to schedule a quick chat to answer any questions you have.
- Start saving lives!
What do I need to become a foster?
Typically, we provide all supplies needed, you just need to have a home and some love! We cover all veterinary care and will always do our best to make sure you are fully stocked on any supplies or materials you might need. Please note, however that we run solely on donations and supplies are subject to availability. We greatly appreciate foster parents who help us out tremendously by purchasing some of the needed supplies! For the safety and health of your foster babies and your own furbabies, we may ask that you keep your fosters separated from your personal pets. This could be a spare bedroom or even a spare bathroom!
What do you need the most?
Our biggest need is always for neonatal kitten fosters. These kittens have been abandoned by their mom and need full time care, including bottle feeding every 2-3 hours. If this interests you click here! We also need homes to temporarily house cats and kittens before they can be transported, homes to house sick or injured cats who cannot be in our building, and the occasional dog or puppy who needs a place to crash before they can be transported. The breeding season in Valdosta is 10 months out of the year! And despite all of our spay and neuter efforts, we see hundreds of kittens enter the shelter each year! We can’t pull animals in need from the shelter unless we have a place for them to go!
What if I get too attached and want to keep my foster?
“Foster fails” happen and we love them! But ultimately, goodbye is the goal of fostering. It can be really hard to say goodbye, but if you adopt, it could prevent you from saving more lives by fostering. Don’t let the fear of falling in love prevent you from saving lives! Remember, when you foster, you are opening up a space for another animal to be saved!
Okay, I’m in. How do I start fostering?
If you are ready to start fostering, we are doing the happy dance! Thank you so much for being willing to open your home to these vulnerable babies who wouldn’t have a chance at life without you! Please scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find our foster application. Fill this out, and wait for an approval email from us. We will contact you to chat and answer any questions or concerns you may have! All of your personal pets will need to be up to date on vaccines. Once this process is over, we will set you up with some foster babies!
Some tips for being the best foster you can be!
- Take this time to introduce your foster to new things and help them prepare for life in a furever home. Things like crate training, car rides, leash walking, and basic manners (of course depending on what animal you foster) will make them more suitable for a home and less likely to be returned
- Don’t forget to advertise! You have the unique opportunity to see what your foster is really like. Take lots of pictures and videos for us to share and be sure to tell everyone you know that the foster animal you have in your home is available for adoption and where they can go to adopt!
- Never be afraid to ask questions or ask us for help! We are here to make sure you have the best possible experience fostering, and we never want you to feel alone or unsure!
