Become A Foster Parent
to a foster pet!
Our foster parents quite literally save an animal’s life. Often we are faced with requests to take animals that we do not have space for in the building, or who are too young or ill to be ready for adoption. But if we find foster placements for those animals, we can generally accept that animal into our care, providing them with life-altering veterinary care, and prevent that animal from being surrendered to a municipal shelter or even dumped on the street.
Before you foster
- Fosters must verify that all animals in their homes are up to date on vaccinations, and when age appropriate, spayed/neutered.
- Fosters must be allowed to keep pets in their home if they rent or do not own their own home.
- Fosters must be able to transport their foster pet to and from regular veterinary appointments at our clinic – puppies and kittens will be vaccinated and given preventative treatments every two weeks; animals with other medical needs may require more frequent appointments.
- Fosters must be available to bring pets in for recheck appointments during specific hours at our clinic – we reserve 1-3 pm Monday through Thursday for foster appointments and can schedule foster recheck appointments not requiring an on-site veterinarian on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 am-3 pm. If working within those hours will be difficult for you, please check in with our foster coordinator before submitting your foster application by emailing foster@memphishumane.org.
- Fosters should have an appropriate space in their home to keep their pet – often times foster pets do best when they start in a small area of the foster’s home and are then introduced slowly to any other pets. Fosters must feed pets and give any medications the pet needs (will be provided by HSMSC). Fosters should socialize and encourage good behavior with their pets. Fosters must be prepared to monitor their pet’s health and report any concerns to HSMSC right away.
- In general, our foster pet requests will be for pets that fit one or more of the following categories: needs puppy/kitten quarantine away from the shelter; too young to be spayed/neutered; sick or injured; rehabilitating an injury; suffering from a chronic illness; older or longer-term resident of the shelter.
We do not accept requests to place specific healthy, young, and adoptable pets from our website in foster care. If, after fostering for a few weeks, you do want to adopt your foster pet, you will need to complete an adoption application and wait for approval before moving forward with that process.
If you are signing up to foster with the Humane Society because you want to try out a specific pet or are looking to adopt a specific type of pet, we recommend that you start the adoption process instead of initiating a foster placement.
Once you have filled out the foster parent application, it is reviewed by our foster coordinator, and they will reach out with any questions. Once your application is approved, you will be added to our foster list and will begin receiving email requests for foster placements as pets come to the Humane Society. If you have any questions, please email foster@memphishumane.org.
Bring joy
Adopt a Pet
Pet adoption benefits both the adopter and adoptee. It brings joy, love, and companionship, while providing a sense of responsibility, routine, and health benefits for the adopter. Adopted pets receive a second chance and a loving home, freeing up space in shelters to help more animals. It’s a win-win situation, creating a lasting bond.
