Questions & Answers on Pet Fostering
Why foster a cat or dog?
The purpose of fostering is to provide a temporary safe and healthy environment for pets until they are adopted into a forever loving home. Also, this gives the pet time to recover, be trained, rehabilitated and be loved. No cages and no chains. Because Heart of Michigan does not have a shelter facility, we depend totally on residential pet fostering of our rescued pet.
As a foster caregiver, am I expected to pay for all the expenses (food, litter) of fostering pets?
HOMAR does not expect the foster caregivers to pay any medical expenses associated with fostered pets including medications. As for pet necessities such as food, litter, and toys, if supplies are needed, HOMAR will provide it through donations. Many caregivers chose not to have HOMAR provide the supplies but rather save the receipts for tax write-off or send in receipts to HOMAR for an official tax deduction donation receipt.
Do I need to find the home for the pet?
The driving force of finding a good home for the pet is through help by the person who does the fostering because they know the character of the pet more than anyone. Ultimately, the foster caregiver may do most of the screening and have the main decision as to what would be the best home for the fostered pet. HOMAR has several resources to help find a pet a permanent loving home so the foster caregiver is not alone. Also, HOMAR has a weekly Pet Adoption Day at Midland's Tractor Supply Company where people can come and physically see, hold and bond with some of our pets up for adoption.
I don’t like the idea of bringing in animals that are from the streets. They may carry diseases and be a danger to my pets or children.
The last thing we want is to endanger your own pets. Before any animal is brought into a foster home, the pet is tested for diseases, treated for fleas or worms, given needed medical treatment, vaccinated, and of course, scheduled to be spayed or neutered. The costs are incurred by HOMAR.
I don’t like the idea of getting attached to a fostered pet only to give them away. Isn’t that the general feeling about not fostering?
Yes, but what people don’t realize is that once you hand over that pet to its new owner, the contact with that pet does not end. Many of our foster care givers receive cards, pictures, email and updates from the pet’s new owners. New friends are made and visits are common. Also, as part of the agreement signed by the adoptive family, if for any reason they cannot continue to provide a home for the pet, the pet is returned to HOMAR for re-adoption. It takes a very special person to become a foster caregiver. That is why we need people to at least try foster care to see if you can be one of those special people.
What is the average length of time a pet is fostered before it is adopted?
It varies of course, but on average, the pet is usually adopted within a month. This timeline can be considerably shortened because we utilize our Adoptable Pets page and www.petfinder.com listing to showcase pets that need homes. Using the internet allows us to reach potential adopter’s outside of our local communities.
What if I don’t feel that a potential adopter is right for the pet or I don’t feel that the pet will be happy?
This is not uncommon. As a foster caregiver you may be asked to screen a potential adopter to see if it will be a good match. There may be reasons why HOMAR would possibly decline a potential adopter. For example, the potential adopter’s home appears unsafe or their pets appear unhealthy. Experienced Pet Foster Caregivers will help you with the screening process and what will and will not make a good pet owner. We want the BEST home for the animals!
What if I take in a pet to foster and it doesn’t get along with my own pets or children.
HOMAR will find another foster caregiver who will take the pet in. But we need to expand our family of caring people like yourself so that we can save as many lives as possible. Unfortunately, we are limited to how many pets we can save by the number of foster caregivers we have and the donations we receive. Without the two, HOMAR would not be able to continue. We need your help!
How do I start fostering?
Please complete a HOMAR Volunteer Form and HOMAR Representative will call to answer any questions you have and to schedule a time to come over to meet you and view your home to be sure it is safe and secure for fostering.
Once I become a pet foster caregiver, how do I receive animals for fostering?
The way it works is that a homeless cat or dog is rescued by HOMAR. The pet is evaluated and then goes through the health screening and given any medical attention it may need. Then foster caregivers are called to see if they are able to take in a pet for future adoption. Of course, as a volunteer for HOMAR, you have the say on what type of pet and how many pets you want to foster.
