Hi Jennifer
we have started our dog foster program this year. It started out pretty slow but it has started picking up more. We provide food, medical, and a create for our foster dogs.
We also use our social media (Facebook, instagram, and TikTok) to post for foster needs. That has help us get a lot of dogs in need of foster to into a foster home.
We use Shelterluv to create our foster application /contract. Once they have been approved, there's an email that they get to instruct them to email us their ID with proof of their address (piece of mail). We will attach that to their account.
In our contract it states we are not liable for their pets at home.
We have not lost any contact of the dogs going into foster because we have them text us pictures/video updates weekly so that we also promote them on our website for adoption.
Since the dogs are fosters, we have a strict rule that the foster is not allowed the dog to be off leash in dog parks/beaches. If they violate that, they have to bring the dog back to us.
I hope this helps a little
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Amelia Pham
Assistant Manager
WAGS Pet Adoption
Westminster
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-02-2023 10:56 AM
From: Jennifer Nemec
Subject: Foster to Adopt Programs
Our shelter recently began discussing the possibility of implementing a foster to adopt program, specifically to get some of our dogs with kennel cough out of the shelter and into homes to recover. We already have a good traditional foster program for cats, but fewer traditional fosters are willing to take in kennel cough dogs for a few weeks while they recover. So, we are exploring other programs that might help get these dogs out of the shelter and get them adopted quicker. But we do have a few concerns about how such a program would function and would love to know how other shelters with similar programs handle different situations.
- How do you handle liability concerns? Such as if the animal were to cause damage in the home or bite someone in the home during the trial period. (We behavior test all of our animals before placing them for adoption, but of course surprises still arise.)
- Do you ever have issues with potential adopters taking a dog home and then lose contact with them? If yes, how do you handle that situation?
- Do the adopted animals ever spread any illness to other animals in the home? If so, do you pay for the treatment of those animals as well, or is it the adopter/foster's responsibility?
- What do you do if the adopted/fostered animal becomes ill or injured in the home? Who is responsible for the animal's medication/care, you or the foster/adopter?
Thank you for taking the time answer.
#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
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Jennifer Nemec
Animal Behavior Specilist
Sioux Falls Area Humane Society
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