Hey Erin!
Our shelter is a municipal shelter located in Florida and yes, we have a "Finder to Foster" program. We offer our finders the ability to house the pet during the legal hold time, we'll post the photo on our website for possible owners to see, and they sign a foster contract. The end date of the foster contract is the date we'll schedule surgery for, and as the foster, the Finder has the first right of adoption if the owner doesn't come forward beforehand. We also waive our $10 adoption deposit for fosters since the animal isn't having to be kept at the shelter. As for requirements, they must not be on our Animal Abuser Registry, they must have a valid government issued photo ID and provide contact information for us to reach out in case the owner does come forward. Hope that helps!
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Sarah Sukhram
Vol. & Foster Coordinator
Pasco County Animal Services
Land O' Lakes, FL
https://www.pascocountyfl.net/408/Animal-Services------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2022 11:02 AM
From: ERIN ELLIS
Subject: Finders as Fosters
Hi Everyone,
This question was asked on another forum I belong to and thought I would share it here. I feel like there are lots of shelters that run into this, so it might be a helpful discussion.
Do any of you have programs that allow a finder of an animal to act as a foster parent until the guardian is found (instead of admitting the animal to the shelter)? If so, are they considered part of your regular foster and/or volunteer program? Do you require any onboarding steps such as a background check, orientation or training?
#FosterPrograms
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Erin Ellis
Community Engagement Director
Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe
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Foster Program & Volunteer Management Specialist
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