Foster a Dog
Do you want to help a dog in need but can only commit short-term? Foster a dog! It isn't the easiest thing you'll ever sign up to do and requires lots of time and patience, but it is a very rewarding process and you’ll give a dog a fresh start at life.
Foster parents need to have a lot of patience as the dogs are in a transition period from living in a shelter, rescue or other, often non-ideal, environment. Your home will be the FIRST time they’ve had full stability in their life. Be proud of your contribution and know your commitment is making a huge difference in their life. Over time, the dog will begin to trust you and settle in in your home.
A foster may also be going through that "bratty teenager” stage and test the boundaries. We rely on our foster parents to help get our rescue dogs ready for adoption by providing stability with training and being their rock, role model and best friend!
If you have questions, check out our Foster FAQ’s or reach out to our Foster Coordinator at foster@saveourscruff.org.
What we’re looking for
Save Our Scruff is in need of foster homes for the summer months of JUNE, JULY, AUG (with room to extend). For the safety and comfort of our dogs, we are looking for fosters who are not often travelling for cottage or camping weekends during these months. One weekend or week away can be accommodated, as well as emergencies of course. If this fits your availability, please check out the list below. If you check ALL, please fill out our foster application.
- Open to dogs medium to large dogs
- Open to puppies and adults
- Open to dogs that need daily structured exercise and play 2+ times per day
- Open to dogs that have minimal pet-life/in-home experience
- Open to learning how to properly manage a high energy/high drive dog on leash
- Open to learning and support on tools dependent on the particular dogs’ needs
A gentle reminder that as a foster, you are not looking for your perfect match. As a foster-human, you are a guide to comfort and stability for your foster-dog, playing such an important role as a step toward finding their forever. Working with dogs of different needs, abilities, energy levels etc. is such an incredible learning experience for those who are enthusiastic about dog advocacy and who want to better their handling skills.
How to Foster
STEP 1
If you meet all of the requirements we are looking for, please fill out our foster application.
STEP 2
You will be contacted by our Foster Coordinator who will send you our Foster Manual to read and a questionnaire to complete. Your references will also be contacted. Once these steps are done, you will be assigned to a Foster Counsellor who will contact you to set up a phone interview.
STEP 3
As new dogs are scheduled to arrive, we will contact you to see if you are available to foster. We can only save as many dogs as we have fosters for, so replying to these emails quickly allow us to save a life.
STEP 4
Once you have been paired with a foster dog, you will be contacted to arrange pick-up/drop-off time for the dog as well as supplies. We provide all basic supplies including crate, martingale collar, leash and food.
*Supplies (other than remaining bag of food, toys if used, and martingale collar) must be returned to Save Our Scruff when your dog is adopted so that we can continue to use them for future dogs we save. Please do not give them to the adopter.
Foster FAQs
FOSTER RESPONSIBILITIES
Fosters provide shelter, love, and care until the dog is adopted. This includes:
Basic training (house training, crate training, basic commands, structure and boundaries)
Being able to pick up the dog from airport or being available on arrival for a transport volunteer to drop off the dog and their supplies
Bringing the dog to vet appointments, as needed
Picking up any additional/refill supplies requested
Attending adoption events with your pup when requested
Providing updates, pictures and review bios of the foster dog
Meeting with potential adopters (meet & greets and informal meetings)
Tagging @saveourscruff and using #saveourscruff for any uploads on social media
KEY POINTS
Travel: If you have to go out of town for any reason (work/vacation/etc) please let us know as soon as possible. We require you advise us at least 10 days in advance if you need a sitter. Do not give your foster to anyone else unless you have permission from us - this includes friends, babysitters, other fosters, foster to adopt situations, etc. The dogs are our responsibility and we need to know where they are and under whose care at all times. This is very important!
Medical Issues: Please email robyncross@saveourscruff.org if any medical questions/issues arise to gain support or permission if medical attention is necessary. Save Our Scruff will contact you to schedule a vet appt for your foster at one of our approved vet clinics. If you take the dog to your own vet or even to one of our vets without our permission, we will not be able to reimburse the costs.
Supplies: Please contact our Supply Manager at supplies@saveourscruff.org. They will answer any questions and help resolve any issues that may arise.
Dogs Moving Foster Homes: We typically do not move dogs from fosters homes once they have been placed in care because it adds unnecessary stress to the dog in an already new and stressful situation. If you find yourself having issues and need advice, please reach out to your Foster Counsellor.
Dog Parks and Group Play Dates: We DO NOT allow you to bring your foster to a dog park. If you decide to ‘break the rules’ and use a dog park, we require you cover all costs if any incidents occur. Your foster dog may behave well at home but that doesn’t mean the rest of the rest of the dogs will or that your dog won’t jump in on a fight. We do not know the full background of our dogs and we want them to feel and be as safe as possible.
Other Dogs and Cats in the Home: All dogs and cats in the household must be fully up to date on vaccines (especially Rabies). They must also be on heartworm and tick + flea prevention before bringing an SOS dog into your home.
Adopting Your Foster: Occasionally, fosters decide they cannot part with their foster dog and would like to adopt. You have two-weeks from when you receive your foster to decide if you'd like to adopt your foster before we place them as available. We require all fosters go through the full adoption process which includes a phone interview with an Adoption Counsellor.
Meet and Greets: Please do not schedule meet and greets with potential applicants without our permission. We require all potential adopters to apply online and be pre-screened before we schedule a meet and greet. This process must be followed even if a friend, family member or co-worker wants to adopt your foster dog. If someone is interested in your foster, please have them fill out an application on our website and we will be in touch with them. Let us know if you would like to recommend someone so we can be on the lookout for their application! After a meet and greet with a potential adopter, please share your feedback with us - we will take your thoughts and insight into consideration in selecting the best home for your foster dog. After all, you know them best!
Handing a Dog Off to an Adopter: Do not transfer your dog to an adopter until you have approval to do so from Save our Scruff Once the dog is adopted, all Save Our Scruff supplies must be returned to us. Please do not give these supplies to the adopter, other than remaining food, toys if used, and martingale collar.