Make a difference for animals in need!

About the Program:

HSCC's Foster Care Program places orphaned, pregnant, newborn, injured, sick, and under-socialized animals into private homes for temporary housing. Some of the shelter’s most vulnerable residents benefit tremendously from foster care, which provides them with time outside of the shelter for recovery from an illness or injury, or to receive extra attention and socialization. Foster care can also give us an opportunity to learn more about the animals in our care by giving us a glimpse into how they behave in a house setting or with a transition into a home environment (as they will experience upon adoption). Lastly, our foster care program allows us to help more animals than we have room to house in our brick and mortar facility.

What we provide:

• Supplies needed for care of the foster animal(s)
• Guidance on appropriate care for the foster animal(s)
• Training on medical care as needed (administering medications, wound care, etc.)
• Training plans as needed for behavior case animals
• After hours contact information for emergencies

What’s required of the foster:

• Safe housing for the animal(s)
• Food, medications, and other treatments given as instructed
• Transportation to/from the shelter and follow up appointments
• Attendance at all scheduled follow up appointments (checkups, vaccinations, spay/neuter, etc.)
• Adherence to the foster care guidelines, which are provided to all foster caregivers

Though we are happy to provide resources (food, blankets, carriers, toys, litter box, etc.), we encourage our foster families to support our efforts by purchasing food and/or litter on their own. This helps HSCC offset the costs of the 1,400+ animals we care for each year! 

Foster programs & Services available

There are a number of ways in which our foster families can help animals in HSCC’s care. By understanding what is required of our foster families for each specific program, we can best match our foster families with animals in our care. Here is a brief description of each of our foster programs: 

Kitten/Puppy Foster – The largest of our foster care programs! Not only are puppies and kittens much more apt to get sick in a shelter setting than adult animals, but this is a critical socialization period, Our ultimate goal is to have all kittens/puppies in foster care until they are ready for adoption. Generally speaking, our foster parents care for either a puppy or a litter of kittens (sometimes with a mother cat, sometimes orphaned kittens) until they are big enough to be spayed/neutered and adopted. This generally happens around 8-12 weeks old, but the time commitment varies depending on the individual animal’s age and health status.

Small Animal Foster-  Since we can only take in a limited number of small animals due to lack of space, there is usually a long waiting list for relinquishments of rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. from our community. Our small animal foster program was developed to help fill some of the gaps while giving these sensitive little critters a break from shelter life! We encourage our "smallie" foster parents to provide supplies, but we can help supplement as necessary. The time commitment for this type of foster can vary from 2 weeks to 2 months depending on how quickly the small animals in the shelter get adopted (thus freeing up space).

Medical Care Foster (cats/dogs) – Developed specifically for animals we anticipate being longer-term residents due to a medical condition or procedure, the goal of this program is to provide these animals with an opportunity to enjoy time outside of the shelter to recover and heal. These animals do not require their foster families to have any specific medical background, but they are often on daily medications (which we will clearly explain before the foster term begins). The commitment time can vary from 2 weeks to 2 months depending on the animal's health status and overall treatment plan.

Feral Kitten Foster (kittens only) - This program is one of our most challenging yet most rewarding! It is currently limited to socializing feral kittens and can take anywhere from 2 days to several weeks to socialize feral kittens, depending on many factors. Two of the most important factors are how much human contact they have been exposed to and how old they are when they come into our care. The younger the kitten is, the faster they will socializ - HSCC provides any guidance/training necessary to set up our feral foster families for success!

Good Neighbor Program Foster - The Good Neighbor Program is a service we offer in partnership with homeless, domestic violence, and other local human service organizations. Designed to provide temporary shelter, free of charge, for beloved pets during times of crisis and transition in the lives of their owners, the program includes veterinary care, absolute confidentiality, and an assurance of exceptional care. The program typically runs for 2 weeks, after which the animals are returned to their owners if the time of crisis or emergency has resolved. On occasion, an owner will decide to relinquish their pet at the conclusion of the program so they may be adopted by a new family. Fostering these animals outside of the shelter provides them with a quieter place to land during their time with us, as well as free up shelter space for other animals who need our care.

Cruelty Case Foster - Through our humane investigation program, we are sometimes responsible for temporarily and confidentially housing animals during court proceedings. Because this process can take several months, we have a unique foster program set up to care for these animals outside of the shelter. This often requires an open-ended time commitment because we never know exactly how long the court proceedings will take. Thankfully, it is not often that we have this type of foster need, but we are thankful for our community’s support when we do.

If you are interested in applying to be a foster for any of these specific programs, please click the link below! 

Questions? Please email Cynthia, our Animal Care Manager, at cynthiahc@hsccvt.org