Foster a Pet - Save a Life!
Kerry's foster room - the Taj Mahal of foster rooms! Emily's foster bedroom - a little kitty sanctuary!
It's this simple: fostering saves lives.
We are a network of foster-care homes in the Fox Cities. Each home offers care, shelter and love
to homeless pets who may not have otherwise had a second chance at life.
If you are interested in providing a spare room to help homeless pets, please contact Emily at
orphananimalrescue@yahoo.com. Please note that all new foster homes require an in-person
visit by one of our core volunteers. This way, we will talk you through the fostering and adoption
processes and provide you with all the supplies that you need.
How do I start?
To begin, read through our Foster Care Overview and Guidelines below. Then, you will need to
complete a Foster Care Application (download as a Word doc or PDF) and sign a Foster Care
Agreement (download
as a Word doc or PDF). After we receive both of these documents from you,
we will contact you to set up a time to meet. Thank you for your interest in helping homeless pets!
Foster Care Overview & Guidelines
Foster Care is a critical component of the OARS plan to save lives. When you decide to open
your home to a foster pet you embrace “rescue.” Foster care is intended to be a temporary
situation – as little as a few weeks or for some special needs pets it could stretch to 6 months.
- All foster homes will be assigned a lead foster home contact, and receive their intake and supplies
through their lead foster home. This lead foster home will also be their back-up for vacations and
situations where the foster may need to be transferred.
Intake
- All intake will be handled by the Co-Directors. Foster homes will be contacted after new pets
have undergone an initial exam and assessment.
Supplies
- Each Lead Foster Home will be provided with cat litter, kitten food (if applicable), adult cat food
(if applicable), puppy or dog food as needed, 2 large litterboxes, bleach, one black wire cage (if
needed), one OARS carrier (if needed) and special diet foods (if needed).
Quarantine
- Cats: In order to foster kittens or cats you will need to quarantine them from your own pets.
This may mean keeping them in a separate room (a basement room, spare bedroom, laundry
room) and possibly in a large cage in that room. This will allow you to monitor their litter
boxes, food, and water. It is expected that the litterboxes will be cleaned daily and food/water
refreshed daily.
- You will be provided with a cage card that contains updated information on your foster pet.
You will also receive any relevant copies of their medical records and instructions on follow-up
care and/or medications. Occasionally you might need to provide daily medications—please let
us know if you are not comfortable with this so that we arrange that you foster kitties without
ailments or have a back-up lined up in case they need to be transferred.
- Dogs: Dogs shouldn’t feed with your own pets or interact with them until their medical status
is confirmed. This may mean a simple exam, vaccinations and/or behavioral assessment. Dogs’
needs will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
- Any medical/behavioral concerns should be reported to one of the Co-Directors immediately.
(Examples: Diarrhea, vomiting, aggression)
Vet Care
- All veterinary care should be coordinated through one of our veterinary partners. Most veterinary
procedures and costs need to be pre-approved by one of the Co-Directors.
Emergencies
Both Co-Directors are available 24/7 if you have a foster care emergency and need assistance.
Meetings with Prospective Adopters
- We encourage you to have prospective adopters come to your home to meet the animal.
You can choose to have the prospective adopter complete the adoption application in
advance of the meeting, or they can meet the pet and then decide if they want to complete
the application.
- If you prefer, we can pre-screen the Adoption Application prior to them coming to your home.
Generally, it takes approximately 1-2 business days to process the background/ vet reference
checks, so it may delay the meeting, but it also provides the potential adopter time to reflect on
the commitment that caring for a pet entails. It is up to you and the prospective adopter as to
which option you choose.
- If you prefer, you may bring the pet to a neutral location for a meeting (we would prefer a
core OARS volunteer's home for kitties, but for dogs you could meet at a public location, like the
dog park, Petco or PetSmart or Clever K9s). We’ve experienced more ‘natural’ behavior when the
pet is kept in the foster home for the visit, since it’s in a familiar environment, but we’re happy to
accommodate you to make you as comfortable as possible!
- We prefer that at least one family member is at your home with you when prospective
adopters come to visit, preferably your spouse, as a safety precaution (please note however that
we have never had a problem).
Adoption Application Process
- The adopter may download the Adoption Application from the OARS Web site by clicking on
the “How to Adopt” page. It is available as a Word doc, PDF or “Tabbed” Word doc, which is
the easiest to complete. They can then e-mail their completed application to Emily at
orphananimalrescue@yahoo.com and she and/or Nicole will process it. Lead foster homes
are also approved to process
Adoption Applications.
- The foster care home’s opinion on whether the adopter is the best fit is a critical component to
the process. You’ve developed a relationship with the pet, and we value your input. Please note
that as the foster home, you have the final say on whether your foster pet goes home with a
prospective adopter. We can pre-approve the application and give you the go-ahead, but intuition
plays a role in the adoption process, and if you are not comfortable with the adopter for any
reason, we reserve the right to deny adoption for any reason (and this is stated on our application).
- There is a 24-hour wait period after that adopter meets the pet(s). We trust your judgment in
evaluating prospective adopters after meeting them, and we want to discuss this with you before
final approval of the new adoptive home.
Questions/Concerns
Core OARS volunteers are always available to discuss any concerns you may have, at any time.
If at any time you have a question, concern, feedback, or the foster arrangement isn’t working,
please do NOT hesitate to let us know. We are appreciative of you opening your heart and home
to this pet, and we want to make sure it’s best for you and the adoptable pet. Without our foster
homes, we aren’t able to help these pets!
Foster Contact Information
Cats:
Nicole Boesken, Operations Director
Dogs:
Amy King, Canine Adoptions Director
Return to Orphan Animal Rescue Home Page
