You've probably heard the phrase "fostering saves lives." Fostering is taking a pet into your home for a temporary time. By fostering for any organization, you are allowing that organization to help another pet in need. You are also providing the organization valuable information about the pet you are housing. You could also be preventing a pet from entering the shelter altogether.
There are three main ways you can foster. You could foster for the Humane Society of Central Texas (HSCTx). By fostering for HSCTx you are freeing up a precious kennel space for another stray dog in need. The Humane Society of Central Texas will provide you with any supplies you may need to help you foster. They also will make sure the pet you have gets all of the vetting it needs. You can find more information about fostering for HSCTx at this website: https://www.humanesocietycentraltexas.org/foster
You could also foster for a rescue. A rescue is an organization that will take in pets from either the shelter or the community. Rescues could have a kennel location or they could be entirely foster based. Rescues often have specific requirements for the types of animals they take in (e.g., just cats, a specific breed, small dogs only, animals with complex medical needs, etc.). Each rescue will have their own process for signing up and vetting you as a foster. Like HSCTx, rescues will often provide you with supplies and will ensure the pet you are fostering gets all of their veterinary needs met.
Another way to foster is called community fostering. Community fostering involves fostering animals, such as animals found as strays, to prevent them from entering the shelter system. Community fostering could also involve fostering a dog for someone who is moving or deploying so that person can get their dog back after a certain period of time. This is often the least structured way to foster, but it directly prevents an animal from going to the shelter.
There are at least two community fostering programs in the Waco area that are more structured. The Humane Society of Central Texas has a program called Safety Net in Foster Friends, or SNIFF for short. This is a program for found animals. You take the found animal to the shelter to begin the process. The pet is scanned for a microchip and if none is found, the pet is given vaccines and a microchip the HSCTx. You agree to house the animal you found for at least 72 hours so the vaccines can begin to work. During that 72 hours you will look for the owner of that pet so the pet can hopefully be reunited. If no owner is found in 72 hours, you may bring the pet back to the shelter after three days to surrender it or you may continue to foster it. Full details about the SNIFF program can be found at this website: https://www.humanesocietycentraltexas.org/sniff
Central Texas Lost and Found Pets (CTLAFP) also offers a way for the community to foster. Similar to the SNIFF program, CTLAFP's foster program has the primary goal of getting found pets home. If you find a pet and can't find the owner, the CTLAFP team will work with you to get the pet they found vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and microchipped. They will also help you get the pet adopted by listing them for adoption of various webpages and hosting adoption events.
Beyond providing a loving home for a foster, there are a few other things you need to consider. If the animal you are fostering needs vetting (shots or spay/neuter surgery) you may need to transport your foster to those appointments. Transport and time may also be needed to attend adoption events to make sure your foster has their best chance of finding a forever home. You may also be responsible for getting supplies for your foster depending on the organization or individual you are fostering for. Pets you foster may not have perfect manners yet. You may need to house train, litter box train, or crate train your foster. Organizations will often have resources to help with training and a network of fosters you can reach out to for help.
How long you foster an animal depends on the circumstances. If you are fostering for a community member, you can set up a contract with that person to ensure everyone is on the same page about the expectations. If you are fostering for the Humane Society of Central Texas you can also set an agreement with them about how long you can foster. For a rescue or a stray animal, you may be fostering until the pet you have finds a forever home. Fosters are very limited for these organizations so it may be hard to find a new foster for a pet you have. Be sure to communicate your needs with the organization you are fostering with.
Fostering is one of the most rewarding parts of helping animals in the community. I've fostered over thirty dogs in my home. Some were short term fosters and some were longer term fosters. My husband and I both work full time jobs. We also have dogs of our own. We do slow (sometimes over the course of a week or more) and careful introductions to ensure the safety and comfort of everyone. We have also become so attached to two fosters that we kept them. This is affectionately referred to as "foster failing." Anyone can foster and it usually doesn't involve a big shift in lifestyle. Hopefully now that you know a little more about fostering you will give it a try!
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