Foster with KARE
Thank you for your interest in becoming a KARE Foster Parent volunteer. Without a facility to house animals, when KARE rescues animals, we rely on our wonderful and amazing Foster families and volunteers to ensure the animals rescued are provided the utmost care and socialization to prepare them for their forever homes. Foster parents provide temporary care for dogs and puppies in their own Kitsap County homes. Some animals need as little as two weeks of care, while others may need care for up to three months or longer.
Our greatest foster needs are:
- Adult/Senior Dogs
- Orphaned Puppies
- Pregnant Dogs, future puppies
Fostering is flexible enough for most lifestyles and KARE will custom-match the animals to each foster home. By offering your time, energy and home to an animal in need, you prepare the animal for adoption into a permanent home as well as help prevent overcrowding in shelters. KARE is always looking for more foster homes. Save a life, Foster.
Most common reasons animals require foster care:
- Puppies who are too young to be spayed or neutered and adopted out into permanent homes. When the animals are eight weeks old and weigh at least two pounds, they can be spayed or neutered and made available for adoption.
- Dogs who are nursing a litter of puppies.
- Dogs who are being treated for injuries or illnesses.
- Dogs that are in transition into being relinquished to KARE
KARE Provides or will reimburse for:
- All veterinary care and medicine, including vitamins, for foster animals
- Food and supplies, including crates, towels, puppy pads, pens/baby gates, etc.
- Plenty of support to foster parent volunteers.
Foster Parent volunteers provide:
Time, some non-typical supplies, a place in their home and lots of love.
How KARE Foster Care Works
- When KARE receives animals who are not ready to be put up for adoption, we contact Foster Parent Volunteers. If a foster volunteer is not available to foster at that time, we will reach out and request new fosters. There will be plenty of other opportunities to foster, so there is no pressure to take an animal.
- Foster Parents and an Adoption Coordinator, Foster Coordinator or a Board Member will schedule a meeting to pick up the foster animal to take home. At that time, Fosters receive information about the animal’s condition and needs.
- KARE may need to periodically bring the animal to to be examined by our veterinarian, receive vaccinations or other treatment. The Foster Coordinator will schedule all appointments and coordinate pickup and dropoff with Foster parents at their home. Ridgetop Animal Hospital in Silverdale, WA is the KARE veterinarian of choice. Emergency medical care is to be authorized by the Foster Coordinator. In the event the Foster Coordinator is unavailable, contact the Adoption Coordinator or a Board Member.
- Once an adopter has been found or a foster period is over, the Foster Coordinator or Adoption Coordinator will either bring the animal to a scheduled meet-and-greet or return the animal to KARE.
- Fosters will be responsible for responding to inquiries from the Foster Coordinator within a timely manner regarding animals in their care, as well as follow-up on adoptions, typically via phone call.
- Fosters are not allowed to give, transfer or adopt an animal without permission from KARE. Puppies should not be taken to public events without KARE approval.
- Fosters are required to turn dog over to KARE whenever requested.
- While in the Foster’s care, dogs must be walked on a leash or contained by fence/play yards.
- Puppies that have not completed full vaccination (typically those under 16 weeks of age) are not to be taken and placed on the ground in public places (tarps or play yard with flooring acceptable).
- All cautions are to be taken to ensure puppy is not put at risk for infection.