Shelter dogs often can use a much needed break from their stressful environment. Letting a shelter pup spend the night, weekend, or even a week in your home has amazing benefits and helps us to learn more about their personality in a home environment.

Fosters for these neonatal puppies essentially act as a surrogate mother. Bottle babies must be fed formula every two-to-five hours, stimulated to go to the bathroom, kept on a heat source, and closely monitored for illnesses. Bottle babies are some of the most fragile, bust most rewarding animals to work with.

When puppies are old enough to eat on their own but not yet old enough to be spayed or neutered, they benefit from living in a foster home where they can continue to grow and play until they are ready to be adopted. Keeping them out of a shelter environment is critical to keeping them healthy and happy.

When a new mom and her babies come into our care, placing them into foster care is critical to ensure that the babies (and mom!) stay healthy and learn proper socialization skills for a home. The best part? Mom does all the dirty work for you! 

This is the type of foster we are most in need of for dogs!

Dogs recovering from a special life-saving surgery or injury, or dogs with a specific medical concern who need a calmer environment can benefit from living in a quiet, non-stressful environment where they can heal. All veterinary care is provided by McKamey Animal Center.

Fosters who have no other dogs, no younger children in their homes, and are interested in helping dogs that are having a hard time in the shelter would be the perfect fit for our behavioral dogs. These dogs often prefer a home as the only pet, no children, and may be working through a behavior modification plan from our Behavior and Enrichment Team. Some behaviors that you may encounter would be nervousness, resource guarding, etc. This is the type of foster we are most in need of for dogs!

Fospice fosters provide loving homes for a shelter pet who has received a terminal diagnosis. Instead of a noisy shelter environment, these pets will spend their remaining time in a loving home where they thrive. Being a fospice foster can be emotionally challenging, but is equally rewarding. McKamey Animal Center will provide all medical treatment and humane euthanasia.