Thank you for your interest in joining our foster program! Fostering is a vital part of our mission, providing temporary homes for animals in need until they are ready for adoption. From tiny kittens needing bottle feeding, to playful puppies learning about the world, to adult dogs and cats recovering from surgery or decompressing from the shelter, fosters play a crucial role in every animal’s journey.
Whether you're helping a young kitten grow, giving a medical animal time to heal, offering a safe haven for a nervous dog, or simply providing a loving space for a cat to relax, your care makes a lasting impact on their future.
Why Foster?
Every foster home creates room for another animal in need. You’re not just giving an animal a temporary place to stay — you’re helping them feel safe, loved, and ready for a forever family. It’s one of the most rewarding ways to make a difference.
What We Provide
- Veterinary care
- Food, crates, and basic supplies
- Ongoing support from our team
You provide the love, time, and safe space — we’ll take care of the rest.
Who Can Foster?
If you’re 18 or older and have a little extra room in your home and heart, you can foster! No experience required — we’ll guide you every step of the way.
Ready to Get Started?
Ready to open your heart and home to an animal in need? Please complete our foster application to get started.
After you submit your application, you will be redirected to our booking page to schedule a required foster orientation. Once you have completed orientation, you will be ready to welcome a foster animal into your home.
Foster families play an important role in providing temporary care, comfort, and support for animals while they prepare for adoption or other placement. We are excited to welcome you to our lifesaving foster team!
Please note: Foster applicants must be 18 years of age or older to foster through West Valley Animal Shelter.
Apply To Be A Foster
Frequently Asked Questions
As a foster caregiver, you’ll provide everything the foster pet needs to have a healthy and happy life. In addition to a loving home environment, you’ll provide routine care, including:
- Socialization, exercise, and playtime
- Proper food, water, treats and toys, as approved by or recommended by WVC Animal Shelter
- Health care, including transportation or coordination of transportation for vet carea
It depends on the type of foster pet you have. Kittens and puppies need to be vaccinated every two to three weeks, while cats and dogs may only need to come in for a vet check or spay/neuter surgery. Talk with WVC Animal Shelter about your schedule and we will try to match you with a pet who fits your lifestyle.
Absolutely! We will work with you to find a foster animal who matches your lifestyle. Just be sure to check with your landlord if you rent.
That’s OK. We will actively communicate with you about foster opportunities whenever you are available to foster.
Ideally, until he or she gets adopted or until there is transport available to another community. Kittens and puppies are typically fostered until they are big enough to be spayed or neutered and adopted, which is around eight or nine weeks of age. WVC Animal Shelter (and you) will actively work to promote the foster pet for adoption.
WVC Animal Shelter strongly recommends that resident pets be kept separate from foster animals for the health and safety of all the animals. Keep in mind that if your pet becomes ill or is injured, WVC Animal Shelter will not provide medical care for your pet. To further minimize risk, we require that you not foster animals from another shelter or rescue group while caring for the foster animal, unless you’ve received approval from both WVC Animal Shelter and the other organization.
As much time as you can! With that said, the amount of time will vary depending on the energy level and needs of the foster animal. It is ideal to spend around two hours a day exercising and playing with foster pets to ensure that they receive enough socialization and stimulation.
We can’t guarantee that an animal is potty-trained, but we can help you prepare your home and provide tips to help potty-train the pet. If we have notes from the animal’s previous adoptions or foster placements, we may have some information about whether the foster pet is potty-trained or has any urinary issues. For dogs specifically, using a crate is a great way to help potty-train them.
You are responsible for the foster pet’s well-being and are not allowed to transfer care of the foster pet. However, it is acceptable to have assistance with a foster animal’s care from other members of your household (family members, roommates, etc.), professional pet sitters or another WVC Animal Shelter foster caregiver. If the animal is not going to be cared for in your home, even if it is temporary (e.g., by a pet sitter or another WVC Animal Shelter foster caregiver), please contact WVC Animal Shelter.
It is not uncommon for foster animals to require some type of medical care during their stay in a foster home. If a foster animal needs medication, we will show you how to administer it before you take the animal home.
We take bites and injuries seriously. If a foster animal bites and breaks skin, causing bleeding, please report the bite to WVC Animal Shelter immediately or within 24 hours of when the bite occurred. WVC policy and the laws of most states require that we record and report all bites.
You are not required to continue to foster a pet if you feel it’s not working out. However, we may not have an alternative foster home immediately for the pet. Many of our programs rely on foster homes. We will work on moving the foster animal out as soon as possible, but we ask for your understanding and patience. Please call WVC Animal Shelter during business hours if this situation arises.
Terrific! Please notify WVC Animal Shelter and we will get the adoption process started. A bonus of finding an adopter yourself is that you can receive direct updates about the pet you fostered.
Congratulations! We love celebrating foster wins! If you want to adopt a foster animal, all you need to do is reach out to WVC Animal Shelter and we will get the adoption process started.
WVC Animal Shelter cannot sign off on court-ordered community service hours for fostering.