Animal Welfare Professionals

Does your shelter have a "finder-to-foster" program? That is, when a citizen brings in a stray pet, do you ask them to lend a hand by fostering the pet (after posting photos properly etc, of course!). If so, would you be willing to share any written documentation you have associated with your program? I have a few shelters looking for a protocol to get started with this program.

Thanks in advance!!

We ALWAYS ask if the finder will foster, but 99% of the time the answer is "no, we can't".   In our rural area, anyone who finds a dog feels they can keep it if they want to, so the folks who bring the strays in to us have already answered the question of whether they can keep the dog for themselves.  If they can foster, we simply put them into our Foster Family program.  I don't see the need for any new protocols or "programs" for this activity.  If they want to adopt the dog, then we put them in our Foster-to-Adopt program, where they take care of the dog until it is spayed or neutered, and then get to adopt it.  Again, no new program needed. 

We just recently had absolutely no space and asked a finder to foster for two weeks and she did.  I like this idea.  In the past, the problem we have, also being rural, is that when they foster a dog they found, they feel they've done all the work and often place the dog outside our system.  Any ideas on how to deal with this?  We do have them sign foster agreement but it doesn't seem to really reach them that we need to have some ownership of the adoption process.  

We have a program where we do ask people in the community to be part of the helping to find the owners of a stray cat to avoid the cat coming to the shelter at least for the stray hold period.  I've attached the information we distribute to the community.  

Attachment(s)

What to do with found cat_Placer County Animal Services.pdf   33 KB 1 version

I liked the typed up plan. It would help our volunteers know what to say when we get the call! Thanks for the example.

How do you distribute this information?

Our volunteers use it and we also distribute via social medial.  

This is a great idea of information to have handy on our website or social media. Thanks for sharing! 

We  don't have that, but it it is a good idea.  I am going to suggest it.

Hi Mike,

Contact Stray Cat Alliance in Los Angeles.  They have a successful program for kittens.

Sheila