Foster

Thank you for your interest in fostering a dog or cat for WSHS! We are always looking for compassionate volunteers to provide temporary care in their home for animals who are not yet available for adoption.

There are many reasons a dog or cat may need a foster home:

Underage: Puppies and kittens are not ready to be adopted until they are 12 weeks old. They need time to receive two sets of vaccines, for their immune systems to develop, and to learn early socialization skills. They also need to be big and healthy enough to be spayed/neutered.

Medical Recovery: Foster homes are a great place for a sick or injured animal to heal, whether they are recovering from something as routine as a spay/neuter surgery or something more complicated like an orthopedic surgery.

Behavior: Some animals come to us neglected, mistreated, or simply lacking the socialization they need to find the right home. Our foster homes provide the enrichment, training or behavior modification needed for these loving pets to attract the perfect family for them.

Socialization: The level of activity at our adoption center can be overwhelming for some animals or an animal just might need a break to get some one-on-one love and attention. Whatever the reason, foster families can provide much needed personal home time for a cat or dog.

Fostering can be a great way for you to enjoy an animal in your home without assuming full responsibility for their long-term care. The foster time commitment varies and is dependent upon the animal’s needs. Sometimes, we rescue dogs when we don’t have kennel space, and you may be asked to provide a home for a week or two until a run becomes available. An animal recovering from minor surgery may only need a week of home care until his wound heals or may need to stay for 4-6 weeks to recover from major surgery. Puppies and kittens are usually in foster care for 4-6 weeks. A pregnant mom will need at least a couple of months to give birth and wean her babies.

WSHS will provide the supplies you need to take care of your foster animal. We also provide all veterinary care through our network of veterinary hospitals. We are committed to providing the support you need for the duration of the foster period. Our goal is for you to have a positive and rewarding experience while helping an animal in need.

Because it is not uncommon for a foster family to adopt one of their foster animals, we review and approve our foster applications in the same way we approve adoption applications. To apply to foster, fill out the application for dogs or cats below:

Application to Foster WSHS Cats 

Application to Foster WSHS Dogs 

If you would like more information about our fostering program, email the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..