Foster

Our Foster Policy

Foster parent must have a signed insurance waiver on file for every member of the household, including children.
All personal pets in foster household must be spayed/neutered.
All personal pets in foster household must be up-to-date on core vaccinations. Monthly heartworm, intestinal parasites, and flea/tick prevention is highly recommended.
Foster shall accept and consider the pet as a household companion, not as an outside pet. Foster will provide the pet with a safe environment, humane treatment, and will provide proper food, fresh water, shelter, and exercise. Foster agrees the pet will not be abused in any manner. The pet will not be chained at any time, nor will it be permitted off the property of the foster unless accompanied by a mature individual. Appropriate affectionate attention should be provided to each pet in the household.
The pet should be provided sufficient daily exercise to maintain canine (and human) sanity. Extracurricular dog activities are encouraged when appropriate.
Foster should be able to provide transportation to vet appointments and rescue transports or be able to provide notice and allow reasonable time for transportation to be arranged.
All vet appointments must be approved. Foster shall immediately notify Courtney or Emily in the event of medical concern (e.g., pet injury, illness, or death) during the foster care period.
All dogs must wear a properly fitted nylon collar and HCWACS tag at all times. Foster shall immediately notify Courtney or Emily if the pet is lost or stolen, and shall make every reasonable effort to recover the pet.
Foster shall not give up or sell the pet to another person, relative, friend, or any other individual, or any rescue group, humane association, shelter, or adoption center unless pre-approved by HCWACS.
Foster should notify their foster coordinator about supplies or food needs. Such supplies will be provided to the foster at no cost. If foster voluntarily chooses to purchase something with his or her own money, foster should save the receipt as such expenses are tax deductible. Purchases made voluntarily by foster may not be reimbursed by HCWACS without prior approval.

Companion animals must trust that you can take care of their physical needs in order to FULLY trust you, so this forms the basis of that trust. This is especially important for feral/timid/fearful dogs and cats. Each pet should have a place to retreat (ideally a crate in a quiet, low traffic area) when feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

Whenever possible, all pets should get along. No one should have to live with permanent barriers between pets who get along so badly that that there are safety concerns. Mistakes WILL happen. When adding foster dogs to a household, introductions outside the home are required to make sure the new dog will be a good fit. If behavioral concerns exist, foster animals should be limited to 1 per household.

Multiple foster animals mean more work such as laundry, vacuuming, poop scooping, training, walking. There needs to be time to provide daily care for every pet and to maintain a clean environment without feeling irritable or overwhelmed. Risk of contagious illness increases within multi-pet households. For this reason, foster pets will be limited to 3 per household or one litter of mother and babies.

Foster care is important to maintain the best possible physical and emotional health for each pet. It is vital to provide close monitoring for signs of illness including diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, lethargy, and incontinence. Report these signs to us as soon as possible. Medications should be given exactly as prescribed. Post surgical instructions should be followed closely. If at any point you feel unable to adequately meet these needs please notify us so that other arrangements can be made.