Foster Care Program
The Headwaters Animal Shelter Foster Care Program primarily provides care for those animals who are sick and recovering from an illness or injury or are too young to be adopted (i.e. mothers and litters who are still nursing). Due to their conditions, these animals would not fair well in a shelter environment. Once rehabilitated and/or mature enough, these animals are ready for adoption to a loving home!
Foster care also enables us to care for more animals than our facility can accommodate, and allows us to measure a pet’s personality and behavior in a true home environment. Fostering is not limited to sick or very young pets, although they tend to have the greatest need. We seek foster homes for healthy, mature pets who would benefit from additional socialization or have other special needs, too!
The Foster Care Program IS NOT an opportunity for people to ‘try pets out’ and see if they would like to adopt them. Foster families put the needs of the animal first and open their homes to give the pet the best chance for a happy and loving future.
Become a Foster Parent
Quite candidly, fostering is rewarding, but it is also demanding and can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Some people with the best of intentions are not suitable candidates for fostering. You must be willing to open your hearts, homes and wallets to a pet in need, care for and nurture that pet, then return the pet to the Shelter for adoption. The right person has the appropriate home environment, financial resources, understanding of proper pet care and puts the needs of the animal first and foremost.
If you have what it takes, and are interested in becoming a foster parent, please print and complete the Foster Family Application, (opens in new window), and mail or bring it to the Shelter. You will be contacted and an interview scheduled. We encourage you to take advantage of the interview time – it is an excellent forum for you to ask all of your questions about fostering a shelter animal.
