Fostering For All Things Pups Rescue
Fostering a rescue dog means agreeing to take a dog into your home and caring for them until they can find a loving forever home through All Things Pups Rescue. We are always in need of more fosters in the Southern California area. Please continue to read below to see if fostering is right for you.
Ready to Foster?
What will be expected of me as a foster?
The most important part of your job will be to help reintroduce your foster dog to a home environment by giving them some basic training, socialization and lots of love. Foster dogs should also be kept on leash at all times outside of the home, unless they are in a privately enclosed backyard.
All Things Pups Rescue will provide all supplies (crate, food, toys, bowls, etc.) as well as any vet expenses to get them ready for their forever home to make it a completely cost-free experience!
Please review our fostering FAQ below and reach out to your Foster Coordinator with any other questions you about for your foster dog!
Become A Foster To Help Save A Life
How Our Foster Program Works
Step 1: Fill out a foster application online. All Things Pups Rescue will review your application and either invite you to a foster orientation or reach out to discuss your application further.
Step 2: After completing orientation, you will be added to the foster database and email group, which is the main way that our team communicates with fosters.
Step 3: There are a couple different ways that you will receive notifications about which dogs need fosters:
Once a week you will get a "general availability" email where our team asks that you let us know your availability for the following week in the event that we do rescue a dog who would be a good fit for you.
If you have a specific preference (you can foster pit bulls, puppies, dogs with special needs, etc.), our team might reach out individually to see if you're available to take a specific dog who needs a foster.
Our foster team often sends emails to the whole group with information about specific dogs that need fosters. If you're interested in fostering that dog, just respond to the email! If you're not available or it's not the right fit, you can simply ignore the email.
Step 4: After you and our team have agreed upon a dog for you to foster, we will let you know when to pick up the dog and all their supplies from our headquarters in San Diego or from one of our volunteer transports.
Step 5: You will be in constant communication with our foster team about next steps once you have your foster dog. There are various reasons why dogs might need a foster home, so that reason will determine how long you foster that individual dog for. It ranges anywhere from a couple of days to a couple months (dogs with severe behavioral issues may be in a foster home longer), depending on your schedule and your foster dogs needs. Generally speaking, our team will reach out to you and let you know when we want you to bring your foster dog back to our headquarters or in for a meet and greet with a potential adopter.
Fostering FAQs
How long does one typically foster a dog before they find a forever home?
It is very hard to give an average time an animal is in foster care. Many puppies are adopted within a month or two, while some adult dogs have been in foster care for years! Most of the time, our dogs are adopted relatively quickly, but we cannot make any guarantee as to how long they will be in your home. We ask that you commit to the animal you are fostering until a forever family is found.
Am I putting my pets in danger by agreeing to foster?
Because our dogs come from shelter situations, they have unknown histories and it’s quite possible they haven’t had their medical needs properly met. They sometimes have kennel cough (the equivalent of a human cold) and worms, among other possibilities. Before we bring the dogs/puppies into a foster situation, we de-worm them, vaccinate them, and give them flea/tick preventatives. We highly recommend your resident animals are on a flea/tick preventatives prior to fostering.
Can I choose which dog I want to foster?
Yes! Once a week you will get a "general availability" email where our team asks that you let us know your availability for the following week in the event that we do rescue a dog who would be a good fit for you. If you have a specific preference (you can foster pit bulls, puppies, dogs with special needs, etc.), our team might reach out individually to see if you're available to take a specific dog who needs a foster. If you find a dog who interests you, contact the Foster Coordinator and he/she will ensure the dog will be a good fit for your household. You can also give us criteria for the type of dog you want to foster. After you let us know your criteria (i.e. age, size, gender), we will do our best to match you with the perfect foster dog.
What happens if I can’t handle my foster dog?
Our foster coordinator will do her best to work with you and your schedule to move your foster to a new home, however, we do request 48 hours notice if your dog needs new placement (with certain emergencies as the exception).
Where do the dogs come from?
Our dogs are rescued from high-kill shelters all across Southern California. We have volunteers who regularly visit these facilities and look for animals that need our help. We have developed great relationships with shelter workers who contact us when they have animals in danger of being euthanized. If you are interested in more information about your specific foster, we will do our best to tell you where he/she comes from, and his/her background story, if possible. We also receive some of our animals from owner surrenders – owners who can no longer provide care for their animals, but who want to ensure the best possible new home is found for them.
What if I end up wanting to adopt my foster dog?
If you can't say goodbye to your foster dog, you are more than welcome to put in an application to adopt them! We just ask that you let us know as soon as you do so that we can put it on our adoption team's radar. If there are any meet and greets already set up, we do have to honor those.
Adoption Process
How are dogs adopted at All Things Pups Rescue?
Your foster dog will be posted on our website as available for adoption. Puppies will be put on website at 6 weeks, but they cannot go to their adoptive home until after their spay/neuter appointments, typically at 8 weeks of age. Fosters are welcome to adopt their foster animals, but once an applicant applies and meets the animal, the applicants have first right to adopt. We do not hold animals off the website, so please decide if you want to adopt in a timely manner!
Our adoption coordinators will forward you applications via email that meet our requirements. You, as the foster, must contact the applicant within 72 hours for a home visit! The sooner you can reply, the better – some people apply for multiple animals with multiple organizations! If you approve of the adopters, you let us know and we’ll get going on completing the other steps in the adoption process (meet and greet, landlord approval, reference checks, payment).
What if you get a lot of interest and applications? We encourage you to only meet with 1-2 applicants at a time, but you must contact the other applicants to let them know you are pursuing other applicants and will be in touch if anything changes. The applications are not first come first serve, it is about the best fit for the animal! We do ask that you respond to applicants in a timely manner and let us know if you are interested in adopting once an application is received. Your foster animal will need to be up to date on vaccines and spayed or neutered before they can go to their new home.
How can I help my foster dog find their forever home?
Write a bio for your foster animal. This information should be sent to your foster coordinator ASAP as the bio and photos are very important to prospective adopters. We will take great photos as intake, but love candid shots and videos that show your fosters personality! Share key information – any behavior issues, likes/dislikes, or important information that will help your foster find their best match! Need tips for writing a bio? Check out this link!
Questions?
If you are interested in fostering and live in Southern California, please fill out our foster application. If you have any questions on becoming a foster, please email: info@allthingspupsrescue.org.