SSPCA Foster Care: How To Be A Foster Family For SSPCA

We need your Help!! Many of the animals that come into the SSPCA need a little extra care before finding their new forever home. Foster Parents provide a temporary home for these animals as they recover from surgery or illness.�

Why Should I Foster?�

While fostering requires time and patience, the rewards are immeasurable. You will have the joy of knowing you have helped save a cat/dog's life, and you free up resources within the shelter to help other homeless animals. Watching your foster dog/cat blossom in your care and eventually go to their forever home is truly an amazing experience.

Animals that need Foster Homes:

Kittens or puppies that are too young and/or immature to be adopted.Sick, injured or post-surgery animals, or animals with special medical needs.Cats/Dogs who are suffering from "shelter stress" in need of a calming home environment.Neglected or abused animals that need tender loving care.Abandoned mothers with litters of kittens/puppies

What Do You Provide as a Foster Family?
You provide the basics�a space at your home, food, exercise, socialization, basic training and love.�

*IMPORTANT: Requirements to be a Foster Family*

You would need to be interviewed in person by one of our Adoption Counsellors.�They�will need to ask you a few questions to understand your home environment & lifestyle a little to help ensure you do qualify to be a foster family. Those interested, please stop by our weekly Adoption Day events (time & location refer to SSPCA facebook timeline) to meet with our team of adoption counsellors.�Not traveling in 1-2 months' time.�We prefer that foster parents continue to foster until we find a permanent home for their foster animal. It's extremely stressful for the animal to go through a change in living environment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fostering (FAQs):

1. How Long do Foster Cases Last?
A:�It completely depends on the animal and the situation. However, most animals with great photos and stories on the web may stay only a few weeks. Others, recovering from an injury, senior cats and dogs, may stay much longer.

2. How much time Do I need to Allocate for Foster Animals?
A: Again, it depends on the animal and the situation, estimate between 1-3 hours per day . For kittens or puppies, you would need to allocate time to feed them and also play with them. For animals recovering from illness, they would be resting or sleeping most of the time, so you would just need to feed them and check on how they are doing now and then.�Commitment and responsibilities depend on the individual animal and situation. It's essential that foster parents understand that the animals may be stressed and moving the animal from the shelter to the foster home is also very stressful and emotional. Foster parents must be willing to be patient and commit to the animal because our goal is to keep them in a stable and consistent environment.

3. Can I Foster if I live in a Condo / Apartment?
A: �Most importantly, if your condo/ apartment is rented, seek approval from the owner of the property or the management to allow pets in the premises.�We have fostered animals that can be successful in a variety of living situations. The most important thing is that you select an appropriate animal for your lifestyle and are willing to commit to providing your foster animal with the needed physical and mental stimulation.

4. If I have my own pets, can I still Foster?
A:�Yes, but keep in mind that it's always a health risk to expose your animal to other animals. The health risk is minimal if your animals are current on their vaccinations, maintains a healthy diet and lifestyle. If you or someone in your household is immune-compromised, consult your doctor before fostering.

5. What if I have children at home? Can I still Foster?
A:�Fostering is a wonderful family experience and can build a foundation of philanthropy in your children. It's important to select an animal that is appropriate with your children. You must also be diligent about providing guidance, instructions and rules to your children about caring for the animal.

6. Can I adopt my Foster Cat/Dog for myself?
A: Yes!�As long as foster parents meet the shelter requirements necessary for adoption, foster parents have first choice to adopt their foster cat/dog.

7. How can I help my Foster Cat/Dog become more Adoptable?
A:�In addition to supplying great photos and a bio and updating these regularly to the SSPCA to be shared on SSPCA's Facebook, giving a foster animal additional exposure by telling friends and family about them will help create a "network effect" and will speed up the process of finding a forever home.

8. I am scared to Foster because I will get too attached to the animal!�
A:�Getting attached to an animal in your care is a normal part of volunteering. The best way�to handle this is to remind yourself that you are doing an important thing by giving this dog or cat�another chance at a happy life. People often say, �I couldn�t foster because I�d want to�adopt them all myself!� Just remember, our adoption team does an excellent job at finding�great homes for all of our shelter guests. You don�t need to adopt a them yourself it give it a�wonderful new home. By fostering you are an integral part of the process and that�s�something you can feel great about.�

Those who are interested to know more about being a Foster Family, do stop by to one of our weekly Adoption Day events and have a chat with our team of friendly adoption advisors, who are a foster family themselves. We are most happy to provide you more information on Fostering. We're more than happy to share with you our experiences in being a Foster Family for the SSPCA!�