Foster Program Qualifications
Dog fosters require you to have a fenced yard adequate for the size dog you want to foster and you need to be able to offer a place in the house to the foster dog. A crate is recommended to keep the foster dog in while you are away from the house. All your own pets need to be spayed or neutered and up-to-date on their shots. You must be 18 years of age or older. We do not often have a need for foster homes for small dogs as they tend to get adopted so quickly from the shelter.
Our Foster Parents Are Asked To...
Give your foster animal lots of attention and affection. The animal may have lived a difficult life before coming to your home. Your love and attention will help heal the animal's psychological wounds.
Learn as much as you can about pet care. Before you bring your foster animal home, learn as much as you can about caring for that particular animal. Read about feeding, grooming, and training. Read our guidelines carefully. Study warning signs that may indicate the animal needs veterinary attention.
Make your home pet friendly. Before you bring your foster animal home, make sure you "pet proof" your home. For example, remove poisonous plants and protect furnishings. Keep the animal's room warm and comfortable. Also, take steps to prevent the animal from escaping.
Keep your pets up to date on their vaccinations. All animals should be current on vaccinations that protect them from diseases. Before you bring home a foster animal, consult your veterinarian to make sure your own animals have received the preventive treatment they need to keep them safe.
Keep foster animals away from your own pets, at least initially. A foster pet may come into your home harboring contagious diseases. Even though your pets are vaccinated against many diseases, it's a good idea to keep the foster animal away from your pets for at least a week as an added precaution.
Recognize your limits. Fostering requires a great deal of time and energy - both emotional and physical. Don't overextend yourself by fostering animals too frequently or you may burn yourself out.
Return the animal to the Shelter on time. The Shelter depends on you to make its program work. If you have a Special Needs animal that must be returned to the shelter, be sure to return the animal to the Shelter at the scheduled time. If you decide to adopt an animal you foster, you must go through the Shelter's normal adoption process. If a friend or relative wants to adopt the animal you are fostering, that person must go through the Shelter's adoption process also.
Foster animals must be at the shelter during adoption hours. Foster animals that do not have special needs are required to be at the Shelter during all adoption hours to give the animal a better chance of being adopted. They can’t be seen if they are not at the Shelter during regular business hours.
Understand that some foster animals will not survive. Many animals arrive at the Shelter from unknown backgrounds. Despite your best efforts, the animal you foster may develop a severe illness that cannot be treated. Do the best you can to help the animal, but accept the fact that you cannot save them all.
Understand the requirements to become a foster parent.
- Have the support of all individuals living in your home.
- Have the consent of your landlord.
- Read the Guidelines.
- Have your own pets current on all their vaccinations.
- The Meridian Animal Shelter nor the Meridian Valley Humane Society shall be responsible for any damage or injury done by a foster animal in your care.
- Understand that all animals remain the property of the City of Meridian.
- The Meridian Animal Shelter and Meridian Valley Humane Society reserves the right to do a home visit at anytime to insure the health of the animal and see how the animal is fitting into the foster home environment.
Enjoy being a foster parent. Although fostering takes a great deal of time and commitment, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
Special Needs
The Special Needs foster program allows special needs animals to be sheltered in an individual's home rather than the animal shelter. The goal of the Special Needs program is to rehabilitate as many animals as the shelter can reasonably handle and ultimately place. Animals with special needs include mothers with litters, injured animals, and animals with treatable illnesses.
We would love to have you join the many people experiencing the rewards of caring for homeless animals in our community.
