FOSTER CARE
Thank you and congratulations on your interest in Valley Oak SPCA’s foster program! Fostering is one of the most rewarding activities you can be part of.
The Valley Oak SPCA Foster Care Program is a lifeline for underage, sick or injured animals which cannot immediately be adopted, in addition to providing a home for animals when our kennels are inundated. With the love and care of devoted foster parents, these helpless animals are given a second chance for life.
Foster care volunteers provide temporary care for kittens, puppies, dogs and cats. Some animals may only need a home for several days, while others may need several months of care. By offering your time, energy, and home to an animal in need, you prepare an animal for adoption into a permanent home, as well as prevent overcrowding in our adoption center. Valley Oak SPCA is always looking for foster families to help save more animal lives.
FOSTER CARE CHOICES
Foster candidates are carefully matched with foster homes according to the candidate’s special needs and the foster parent’s abilities.
Whether you work full time or you spend most of your time at home, we’ll help match you with a foster animal that fits your lifestyle.
Many foster parents have companion animals of their own. We recommend that foster parents keep their own companion animals isolated from their foster animals. A separate room or enclosed area with no carpet works best for a foster animal. For example, a warm spare bedroom or laundry room is an excellent place to foster a cat or kittens.
WHAT KIND OF ANIMALS NEED FOSTER CARE?
· Kittens or puppies that are too young to be adopted
· Nursing cats and dogs
· Animals awaiting adoption
· Ill or injured animals that may need regular medication or medical attention
· Animals susceptible to stress from a shelter environment- senior or un-socialized pets.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE A FOSTER PARENT?
· Foster parents must be at least 18 years of age
· Foster parents must fill out and sign a foster care application
· Foster parents must attend a foster parent training session
· Foster parents must have a secure, safe, pet friendly home and yard
· All pets in foster home must be spayed/neutered and up to date on all vaccinations.
ARE THERE ANY EXPENSES INCURRED BY FOSTER PARENTS?
There are kits available to help new foster parents get set up, but please realize that shelter resources are limited so anything that you can provide for your foster will help. When possible, Valley Oak SPCA will help the foster parent with:
· Food/formula
· Crates & blankets
· Puppy pens/kitten condos
· Puppy pads/newspapers
· Toys & treats
Valley Oak SPCA will always provide the following:
· Vaccinations, flea treatment, de-wormer
· Any medical care needed includingmedication
· Spay/neuter, microchip
· Adoption outlets and online exposure to help animals find permanent homes
· On staff veterinarians are able to help with emergency situations
WHY SHOULD I BECOME A FOSTER PARENT?
We believe that the abandoned and abused animals that enter our adoption center deserve to have the best possible chance at finding a loving, permanent home. A foster parent has one of the most important jobs at the adoption center. Foster parents allow our animals to receive the proper care and attention they deserve as they wait for adoption. As a foster parent you’ll not only save the lives of animals in your care, but you’ll give other animals coming into the adoption center, who may not need the same level of medical attention, a space on our adoption floor to find their own loving homes. If those aren’t enough reasons to become a foster parent, consider these:
· Foster animals are temporary companions offering their love freely
· You’ll be helping to socialize an animal so they become more adoptable and better companions
· You can put that spare bedroom to good use
· You’ll delight at the smiles on the faces of the family that adopts your foster animal, and possibly make new friends along the way
· Fostering helps you explore many different breeds of dogs and cats to help you decide which traits you’d like in your next companion animal
· If for some reason you can’t keep a fulltime companion animal, fostering for short time periods is an ideal solution
· Fostering an animal empties a kennel for us to save another pet from an overcrowded shelter