Fostering a Pet: Frequently Asked Questions

Do you want to welcome a pet into your home but are unsure if you are ready to make a long-term commitment? Fostering could be the perfect solution. We’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to providing foster care to animals that need it most.

1. What’s the difference between fostering and adopting, and how should I choose?

While adopting a dog or a cat is a full-time commitment that should last throughout the animal’s lifetime, fostering is an opportunity to provide temporary care for a pet when he needs it most. According to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, living in a shelter with constant barking can cause stress to many animals. For their health, it is better to be raised in foster homes as it can easily improve an animal’s disposition. If you have the time and energy to care for a pet, but are not ready to make a lifetime commitment, fostering may be a wonderful way to bring a furry friend into your life for a short period of time.

2. How long does fostering last?

A fostering period can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Foster length varies depending on the age and breed of an animal. Some pets take longer to be adopted than others and some have special needs that require additional consideration on the part of potential adopters. Thus, be prepared to foster your pet for at least six months, although in most cases it will be much shorter, and in rare cases longer. You should also speak with your shelter or rescue organization about any time restrictions you may have.

3. What’s the financial commitment for fostering a pet?

In most cases, nothing! Nearly all shelters or rescue organizations will pay for the main necessities of pet fostering, i.e. food, bedding, collars, crates, vet visits, etc. Some even offer free training courses for pets and foster parents. Before becoming a foster parent be sure to ask your shelter or rescue organization what your specific financial responsibilities will be, as each organization varies slightly.

4. Can I give my foster pet a new name?

Almost all shelter animals will come with some kind of a name picked by their previous owners or by staff at the shelter or rescue organization. If a pet has had his name for many years but you’re set on changing it to something you like, try choosing a name that starts with the same letter and has the same number of syllables. Another trick is adding your chosen name at the end of his, so “Buddy” could become “Buddy Copper” for a while until finally you drop off the first half and he starts answering to your chosen name.

5. Can I just play with my pet or do I have to teach him things too?

While fostering can be immensely enjoyable, it does require work.
Becoming a foster parent means you may be asked to encourage your foster pet to improve basic training or behavioral issues he may have picked up previously. Some animals will need to be housetrained. Similar to adoption, the specific training responsibilities of foster parents will vary depending on the pet’s age and previous living environments.

6. I work full-time. Can I still foster?

Yes. Many pet owners work full-time and are fully able to care for their pets. Be sure to tell the shelter or rescue organization staff what kind of schedule and supervision you can afford to give your foster pet and they will do their best to find you the best match. In general, animals need more sleep than humans. So while you are at work, your foster pet will be able to catch up on some much needed rest after spending time in an over-stimulating shelter.

44 thoughts on “Fostering a Pet: Frequently Asked Questions”

  8. hello there and thank you for your info – I have certainly picked
    up something new from right here. I did however expertise
    several technical points using this site, since I experienced to reload
    the site lots of times previous to I could get it to
    load properly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?
    Not that I am complaining, but slow loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and can damage your high-quality
    score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding
    this RSS to my email and can look out for a lot more of your respective exciting content.

    Ensure that you update this again soon.. Escape roomy lista

    Reply

  14. I would like to show my passion for your kindness in support of folks that really need assistance with this theme. Your very own dedication to getting the message throughout has been amazingly powerful and has usually permitted ladies like me to achieve their targets. Your interesting recommendations indicates this much a person like me and extremely more to my colleagues. Best wishes; from all of us.

    Reply

  15. Несомненно важные события индустрии.
    Исчерпывающие новости всемирных подуимов.
    Модные дома, лейблы, гедонизм.
    Лучшее место для модных людей.
    https://modastars.ru/

    Reply

  16. Thanks for any other magnificent article. The place else may anybody get that kind of information in such a perfect method of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the search for such info.

    Reply

  20. I like what you guys are up also. Such smart work and reporting! Keep up the excellent works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my site 🙂

    Reply

  24. Несомненно трендовые новинки индустрии.
    Исчерпывающие события лучших подуимов.
    Модные дома, торговые марки, haute couture.
    Лучшее место для модных хайпбистов.
    https://donnafashion.ru/

    Reply

  27. Your style is very unique in comparison to other people I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this page.

    Reply

  28. The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won’t disappoint me just as much as this particular one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, however I really believed you’d have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you can fix if you were not too busy seeking attention.

    Reply

  30. I was excited to find this website. I wanted to thank you for ones time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every part of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to check out new things on your web site.

    Reply

  31. I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this site. I really hope to view the same high-grade content from you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my very own website now 😉

    Reply

  33. I’m more than happy to uncover this site. I want to to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely really liked every little bit of it and i also have you book marked to see new information on your site.

    Reply

  34. This is the right web site for anyone who would like to understand this topic. You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a topic that’s been discussed for decades. Excellent stuff, just great.

    Reply

  37. I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something which not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy I stumbled across this during my hunt for something regarding this.

    Reply

  38. The very next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won’t disappoint me as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I truly thought you would have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.

    Reply

  39. I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that too few people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I came across this during my search for something concerning this.

    Reply

  40. I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something which not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my hunt for something concerning this.

    Reply

  42. Quite than focus solely on Ferrari’s highway cars, the sport covers a number of race series too, including
    System One, rally and sports activities automotive racing.
    Ferrari Racing Legends focuses on Ferrari’s history across nearly all the
    racing disciplines, including System One, rallying and sports activities automobile racing.
    Additionally, the single-participant mode, also known because the marketing campaign mode, guides the
    participant by the history of Ferrari vehicles, simply as Electronic Arts did with the
    Porsche brand within the fifth installment in the necessity for Pace racing games, Porsche Unleashed.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *