Open your heart and your home
BECOME A FOSTER PARENT
Fostering Saves Lives
TARA FOSTER CARE PROGRAM
TARA will match you with a pet in urgent need who is a good fit for your family and your own pets. We can provide food and supplies, and medical costs are covered.
Foster homes are an invaluable part of our adoption program. The more foster homes we have, the more animals we can save! By becoming a TARA foster parent, you will provide love and a home environment for an animal who otherwise may have been euthanized in an overcrowded shelter, or had nowhere else to go.
Foster parents provide love and structure at a time in an animal’s life when they need it the most. We have found that animals who are adopted from a foster home have better success rates in their forever homes as we are able to tell their new family more about their personalities and needs, ensuring a better match.
As a foster parent, you can choose to provide temporary housing for as little as a few days to as long as several months. It really can be an experience tailored to fit your lifestyle.
Best of all, you will be rewarded by knowing that you were integral in saving a pet’s life and helping them find their permanent home!
“TARA also pays for boarding space for dogs we intake into our organization. While this enables us to save more lives, it does not compare to the care a dog receives in a foster home. Dogs often struggle to maintain their spirit when in boarding for long periods of time.”
Foster Parent Requirements
Fill out a Foster Home Interest Form.
Be willing to have a home inspection.
Understand and agree with our program’s goals, requirements and mission statement.
Bring your foster pet to our adoption events. The more exposure they get, the better their chance of finding a forever home!
If you have questions or would like to find out more about fostering with TARA, please email us.
Tips to Becoming a Successful Foster Parent
• Give your foster animal lots of attention and affection. The animal may have lived a difficult life before coming to your home; your love and attention will help to heal the animal’s physical and psychological wounds.
• Learn as much as you can about pet care. Before you bring your foster animal home, learn as much as you can about caring for that animal. Read about feeding, grooming and training. Study the warning signs that may indicate the animal needs veterinary attention.
• Make your home pet-friendly. Before you bring your foster animal home, make sure you “pet proof” your home. For example, remove poisonous plants and protect furnishings. Keep the animal’s room warm and comfortable. Also, take steps to prevent the animal from escaping. Wire crates are recommended.
• Your own pets should be and are required to be current on their vaccinations. Introduce your foster pet to your own pets properly. We can give you advice on how to properly introduce this new animal to your own pet.
• Recognize your limits. Fostering requires a great deal of time and energy – both emotional and physical. Don’t over extend yourself by fostering animals too frequently; you may burn yourself out.
• The rescue organization depends on you to make its program work. Be sure to be available for scheduled meeting with potential homes or adoption events. If you decide to adopt an animal you foster, go through the organization’s normal adoption process. If a friend or relative wants to adopt the animal you are fostering, that person must go through the organization’s adoption process.
• Although fostering takes a great deal of time and commitment, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. You are temporarily providing a needy animal with a loving home environment and helping that animal become more suitable for adoption into a responsible, lifelong home.