We are always looking for fosters! When you foster, you are providing a warm and loving temporary home to an animal in need. We provide food, toys, and any other supplies needed, just ask! Fostering is a fulfilling and rewarding volunteer job that you can do in your own home.
The nice thing about fostering is that it can be on your own terms. Once a foster “term” ends, you can take a break. You also get to experience a lot of different pets, and personalities. Some will mesh better with your family than others. We always do our best to help foster families out. We will provide all food and supplies (crates, toys, litter boxes and litter, treats, etc.) as needed. If your foster pet has a vet appointment, we can also arrange to take them if you are unable to find transportation.
In many situations, we receive previously owned pets that have been relinquished to rescue for various reasons. In some of these cases, they are already house broken and socialized. Your role is to give them some love and attention while we find them a permanent home.
In other situations, animals come from abusive or neglectful situations. We also bring in many stray animals with unknown histories or animals where medical attention is required. In situations like these, extra work on the part of the foster is needed. Part of being a foster is to try and help train and socialize animals to make sure they are ready for their permanent homes. We have trainers and behaviouralists on hand, and our veterinarians will work closely with you to make sure caring for a higher needs foster is as easy as possible.
The fact you have other pets can be good. Sometimes animals will feel more comfortable if other animals are already in the home. If we have a dog that has a strong prey drive, or is aggressive towards other animals, we won’t place them with a family that has other pets. We just ask that your pets be up-to-date on their vaccinations… especially if you’re taking in puppies or kittens, or animals with weakened immune systems.
The duration of fostering varies. Sometimes a foster may be in your home for 2 days before being adopted and sometimes a few months. Rarely, a foster term can last over a year. We ask that our fosters be prepared for a commitment. While rewarding, fostering can be a challenge at times. And, while we always try and work with our foster families, and will never force a foster family to keep an animal that is not suited to a household, we ask that you be prepared to put in a little extra to try and make it work. Bouncing pets around often makes behavioural issues worse, making it harder to place them in foster, or adoptive homes. In other situations, pets may be adopted and returned, In these cases, it is ideal that the pet returns to their previous foster home, where they are comfortable and familiar with the routine. Updating followers with pictures and information helps us with advertising. However, there is no guarantee that your foster pet will be adopted right away. Love them like they are your own!
Sometimes Jenn’s Furry Friends Rescue puts on, or participates in, adoption and awareness events. When you’re able, we love to have our foster families come out and “show off” their fosters. Unlike animal shelters, Jenn’s Furry Friends Rescue does not have a facility to show our adoptables. We rely on you, the foster family, to make our adoption program successful. These events are a great way to “show” our pets!
When prospective adopters are interested in a pet, they are put through an initial screening process. An application is filled out, and reviewed by the rescue representatives. If approved, we have them contact you to set up a time for them to meet your foster pet. In some cases, they may want to bring their pets to your home for introductions. This is at the foster home’s discretion. We do however ask that you confirm their pets be up to date on vaccines.
Once a prospective adopter has met your foster pet, and would like to proceed with adoption, they will get in touch with the rescue, and we will finalize the process. If approved, we will let you know that they are free to pick up their new family members at your convenience. All of our adoptions are subject to a 2 week adoption trial, whereby if things do not work out with the new adoptive home, a pet is returned to rescue and placed back up for adoption. We ask that you be prepared to take a foster pet back if their adoption trial does not work out.