AAngelPAW Fostering
Many AAPAW pet rescue members do not have physical shelters. When shelters and rescue homes are full, homeless pets have no place else to go except for the City of San Antonio's Animal Care Services (ACS). Municipal shelters, like ACS, need the community's support to save more lives.
That's why foster homes are so important. Foster families care for homeless dogs and cats in their homes until they can be placed with their fur-ever families. However, these wonderful volunteers are limited in the number of pets they can care for, so foster homes are always needed to care for even more homeless pets. With little space in shelters and stray pets living short lives on the streets, foster families provide a vital resource for pets who need a temporary place before finding a permanent home.
If you can't give a homeless pet a fur-ever home, maybe you can help by becoming a foster family. Join our AAngelPAW Foster Program!
What is the AAngelPAW Foster Program?
The AAngelPAW Foster Program is an AAPAW initiative to provide a database of pet foster parents who would be available to member animal welfare organizations – shelters and rescue groups – to expand their capacity and networks, so that local animal welfare agencies can continue saving more lives.
What do AAngelPAW foster parents do?
Animal shelters can be extremely stressful for many dogs and cats. AAngelPAW foster parents provide shelter and care for a homeless dog or cat in their home until the pet is adopted. Foster homes provide a calming environment for pets that are too young to be adopted out or who need time to recover from an injury or health issue.
Pets in foster care often learn better social skills, making them more adoptable too. And because the pet foster parent often learns more about the pet's personality during their time together, this special, yet temporary, relationship helps shelters and rescue groups make better adoption matches. To help facilitate the pet's adoption into a permanent home, foster parents are asked to bring their foster dog or cat to various adoption events throughout city, whenever they are held.
The AAngelPAW Foster Program saves lives!
If you join the AAngelPAW Foster Program, your application will be placed in a database for AAPAW member animal welfare organizations – shelters and rescue groups – in need of foster homes. The requirements for every foster program will vary among organizations. To become a foster parent, you must meet an agency's guidelines and undergo their training and orientation program when applicable. Once accepted into their program, you will be contacted and matched with a suitable pet to foster. For example, if you have cats, you will not be asked to foster a dog that does not get along with cats; the shelter or rescue group will only ask you to foster dogs who have demonstrated an ability to get along with cats. If you work full-time and cannot care for young puppies or kittens, you will only be asked to foster adults.
Some member organizations may provide training for you to screen potential adopters to determine if they are a suitable match for your foster pet or they may ask you to bring your foster pet to adoption events around San Antonio. Veterinary care will likely be paid for by the shelter or rescue, but please make sure there is a clear understanding of these expenses first. Any trip to the vet must first be approved by the foster group. Sometimes they will direct you to a particular vet who works in the program. You would provide food (some shelters and rescues will provide food, so please ask first), water, shelter, training and transportation to and from vet appointments or to and from scheduled adoption events and of course, plenty of TLC!
Who can be an AAngelPAW Foster Program candidate?
- Someone who is not able to adopt a pet at the moment, but wants a pet in their life
- Someone who is not able to make a lifetime commitment to a pet at the moment, but who can commit to caring for a pet on a temporary basis
- Someone who is not sure how their pet would get along with a new cat or dog and wants to experience an additional pet in the home
- Someone who never had the chance to have a pet, but would like to experience being a pet caretaker
- Someone who loves pets and has the time and space to socialize and train a homeless pet while the pet waits for an adoptive home
- Someone who already has pets, but has room for one or more homeless pets on a temporary basis
- Someone with the time, patience, and compassion to care for special needs pets
Fostering Special Needs Pets, Ill or Injured Pets
Some pets are ill and need a quiet home to recover and receive special care. For example, a dog or a cat with a broken leg may need time for his or her leg to mend and to regain strength before he or she is ready to be adopted. Taking care of sick or injured pets is probably more suitable for homes without young children or other energetic pets around. The AAngelPAW Foster Program applicant should be experienced (or seek to be trained) in caring for sick pets, which sometimes includes changing dressings or administering medications.
In some cases, the pets may not be ill, but may simply need time to recover. For example, a dog that has had mange might scare away potential adopters because their fur is missing in some places, but living in a foster home gives the dog's skin and fur time to heal, giving the dog a better chance at finding a new home.
Nursing moms or orphaned puppies and kittens
There are young pets or nursing moms that need a foster home until the litter is old enough to be adopted and the mom is healthy and strong enough to be placed in a new home. Fostering litters of orphaned puppies and kittens is very demanding, as they need to be fed about every 2 hours, which is much like caring for a newborn baby.
Pets in need of socializing
Foster homes are also needed for pets that have been neglected or abused in the past and for pets who are fearful or timid and in need of socializing for whatever reason. Pets that haven't had a lot of contact with people (or only negative contact with people) sometimes don't trust people and need to learn that being with people can be a positive experience. A well-socialized and friendly pet is much more adoptable to the public when they're looking for a new companion.
Sometimes a pet just needs time to adjust after being in a shelter for a long period of time. Some pets that end up in shelters and rescue organizations are confused or stressed in the new environment. A foster home can give them the time to relax and enjoy themselves again before they're made available for adoption.
How long will I keep a pet?
It's impossible to predict how long a pet will remain in foster care. Some pets are adopted within 24 hours of becoming available. Others may need weeks or even longer to find that special home. If you find you can no longer provide foster care, please let your host organization know and another foster parent will be found. If you know you cannot commit to this unpredictable time frame, there may other ways you can help.
What if I get attached?
Getting attached to your foster pet is normal. The trick is to get attached with velcro and not glue. After all, we do this because we love pets and are trying to save lives. Your role as a foster parent is one of calm transition for the dog or cat in need. You are providing essential space because the local shelters are full and can not handle another pet. While it may be hard to say goodbye to a pet you've loved and care for, you will receive the satisfaction of knowing that a previously lost and unwanted pet has been loved and is now joining a new family and a permanent place to call home. Most foster parent say that joy makes it all worthwhile.
If you decide though, that you can't give up a foster pet, foster parents can go through the adoption process and pay the adoption fee just like any other adopter. This is the one test it's okay to "fail." We proudly recognize our big-hearted "foster failures." The important thing is to think about what's in the pet's best interest.
How do I become an AAngelPAW foster parent?
If you feel you can help, please submit an application for the type of pet you are interested in fostering. Your information will be made available to all AAPAW member animal welfare organizations. If you have specific questions about the AAngelPAW Foster Program, please contact us. If you see a particular pet on any member's website that you would like to foster, please contact that organization directly via email. The organization may or may not be able to accommodate a specific request, but they will certainly try or will find you another pet to foster!
All foster homes are usually screened in the same way as adoptive homes.
Foster Home Handbook – Best Friends Animal Society
The Kitten Care Handbook