Foster
Foster parents provide temporary housing and care until a suitable home can be found. Our volunteers foster many animals each year. The care these dedicated volunteers provide is invaluable, both to the animals and to the people who adopt them. You can foster as much or as little as you like. We need foster homes for a variety of animals such as kittens, puppies, dogs, cats, and sometimes horses.
Foster
Foster parents provide temporary housing and care until a suitable home can be found. Our volunteers foster many animals each year. The care these dedicated volunteers provide is invaluable, both to the animals and to the people who adopt them. You can foster as much or as little as you like. We need foster homes for a variety of animals such as kittens, puppies, dogs, cats, and sometimes horses.
Fostering a pet in need of shelter, love, and guidance is a rewarding and enriching experience. It’s a great volunteer opportunity for families or individuals who love animals and have a home that can be a healing environment in their times of need. Fostering time commitments can range from overnight to up to six months.
Fostering a Shelter Pet
Foster Home Requirements
- You must be at least 18 years of age or older
- If you do not own your own home, you must bring in a letter showing landlord approval
- Complete and submit the Foster Application form to the Humane Society front office or email to fosterhsbh@gmail.com To learn more about becoming a foster parent, please send an email to fosterhsbh@gmail.com or call (605) 394-4170 and select Option 1.
What Do Foster Parents Do?
HSBH foster parents provide temporary care for kittens, puppies, cats, dogs, and other animals in the Black Hills area. The number of foster homes we have is directly proportionate to the number of lives we can save. Our foster homes are a critical piece to our rescue process, and we are deeply indebted to them for their willingness to welcome new members into their homes and lives.
Four of the most common reasons for animals to be selected for foster care are:
- Kittens or puppies that are too young to be spayed or neutered. Also, mother animals who are still nursing their young.
- Cats and dogs that need to be socialized and learn basic obedience, or some residents of the shelter that need a break from kennel life.
- Animals that are being treated for an illness or injury that may need medications or quiet time and some extra TLC.
- Kittens that need to be bottle-fed.
How Long Do Animals Stay in Foster Care?
The HSBH foster program is an on-call/as-needed position. Foster animals may stay in their temporary homes from one night to a few weeks, or sometimes up to a few months. It depends entirely on the needs of each particular animal and the amount of time each foster family can commit to the process.
Prior to the placement of an animal, we will tell foster families the breed/species of the animal, its needs, and its expected length of stay. We will also work with you to find the best possible match for your family and lifestyle. Each time you are contacted, we will allow you time to consider whether or not you can meet the needs of a particular animal, and you are never obligated to foster any animal.
What Are My Responsibilities As A Foster Parent?
When we place an animal with you, it will be solely in your care 24 hours a day. Fosters parents must be able to provide a clean, safe, secluded and indoor environment in which to care for the animal, and we ask that you treat foster animals as if they are your own.
We also ask that you respond attentively to each animal’s needs. It is crucial that foster parents work with HSBH staff members to prepare your foster animal for adoption. Some ways to help are showcasing your foster pet at HSBH events, taking good pictures of the pet, providing accurate behavioral descriptions for our website listings, and spreading the word about your adoptable foster pet via word-of-mouth and social media.
Foster-to-Adopt Program
Foster-to-Adopt (FTA) is different from the traditional foster program. FTA is designed to allow potential adopters to take a dog into their home to ensure that the animal fits in their family and lifestyle. The foster program solely focuses on placing a select few animals in potential adopter’s homes to determine if they match and, if they don’t, better understand the behaviors that need to be addressed to make the dog successful in another home.
What is Foster-to-Adopt?
Foster-to-Adopt is a program in which five people can “try a dog out” to see if they fit in a home. FTA gets a dog out of a shelter-setting, telling us more about how that dog does in a home. The dog will also be seen more in public in FTA!
How is Foster-to-Adopt different from the Humane Society’s general foster program?
FTA is designed to allow potential adopters to take a dog into their home, ensuring that the pet fits in their family and lifestyle, prior to completing adoption paperwork.
The foster-to-adopt program places any dog over 6 months of age in potential adopter’s homes to determine if they match and, if they don’t, better understand the behaviors that need to be addressed to make the dog successful in another home.
Why is the Humane Society of the Black Hills doing a Foster-to-Adopt program?
FTA is designed with getting dogs out of the shelter and seen by foster families, friends and the public in mind.
How many dogs will be available through Foster-to-Adopt?
Dogs over 6 months of age, dogs in most need at the discretion of HSBH Staff
Who is eligible to participate in this program?
Everyone is eligible to fill out an application for Foster-to-Adopt!
How can a person get involved in this program?
To get involved, fill out an application and talk with our Medical team’s Foster Coordinator (below).
Get involved:
Start with the questionnaire below. Complete and send to fosterhsbh@gmail.com. The Foster-to-Adopt administrator will review the questionnaire and contact applicants and potential program participants.