Welcome to the Inland Valley Humane Society & S.P.C.A. Foster Care Program!
Our Foster Care Program allows our organization to give hundreds of animals a chance to find their forever home. Your help will save the lives of many animals that are either too young or too sick to be kenneled with the rest of the shelter population due to limitations of space and resources.
We will provide you with all the necessary supplies to be a foster parent. Fostering requires a flexible schedule and a personal commitment. Although fostering is a lot of work, it is a very rewarding experience. The more you foster the more lives you save!
Because many of our dogs and cats cannot be adopted when they first arrive at I.V.H.S., the only way we can save these animals is with the help of foster homes. Our young kittens and puppies need to stay in foster care until they are old enough to be spayed and neutered, at which time they are ready for adoption. Older pets who are ill or injured may need to stay in foster care until they are well enough for adoption.
Being a pet foster family has rewards beyond the essential value of helping a pet in need find a new home. For some, it is a chance to have an animal companion without a lifetime commitment. For others, it is the special challenge of helping an animal recover from an illness or injury, the trauma of losing a beloved owner or home, or to overcome a behavioral issue. Occasionally, it’s the joy of giving extra TLC to kittens and puppies too young to be adopted.
Fosters will keep animals an average of 4-6 weeks unless it is medically or behaviorally indicated otherwise. Some pets need more time because of age, illness, injury, or behavior issues. You will be told up-front before you agree to foster the pet how long of a commitment we believe it will be.
- Provide a safe, clean, caring environment
- Provide food, water, litter, toys/enrichment, and shelter*
- Provide exercise and socialization as appropriate
- Monitor any medical and/or behavioral problems
- Transport to/from any necessary vet appointments
- Transport to/from offsite adoption events
- If the foster pet is sick, isolation from other animals in the home is required for a minimum of 10-14 days. This isolation is especially important for cats and bottle baby kittens.
*I.V.H.S. will provide the supplies necessary for each foster.