Foster Families are the Core of our Organization.
Why foster?
SFC Virginia is a foster-focused organization, which means that our animals are kept in foster homes until they are adopted. We do not maintain a large physical facility and rely heavily on our foster parents to provide socialization and care while they wait for a forever home. Fostering a dog or cat removes them from the often stressful shelter environment, frees up a kennel in county shelters that are still euthanizing for space, and allows the pet to live in the comfort of a home until a new family can be found. Foster parents are also integral to the adoption process and act as adoption ambassadors to help find their foster pet a home, bringing them to adoption events, setting up meet and greets, and networking with members of your community to find a match.
We need foster families for:
-
Adult Dogs
-
Puppies
-
Adult Cats
-
Kittens
-
Nursing Moms (Dogs and Cats) with babies
-
Medical cases
What We Need from You
SFC provides medical care for all of our pets, including spay/neuter and core treatments and vaccinations. We will provide other supplies as we have them - we rely on donations from our community and may or may not have everything you want to have for your foster animal (but please ask!)
​
-
Resident pets are perfectly fine. We ask that they are up to date on vaccinations and that all introductions with foster pets are done slowly and safely. We recommend having a separate space in your home for your foster animal until they are acclimated to your family.
-
The ability to commit to fostering any pet for at least 2 weeks. We can always accommodate short breaks/long weekends away within our foster community, but because we are able to take in animals only after getting foster commitment and do not have a physical shelter, we need any foster parent to be willing to keep that pet for at least 2 weeks (or ideally until adopted!)
-
Foster parents are integral to the adoption process and get the opportunity to help find forever homes. This can be done through conducting virtual and/or in-person meet and greets, walks with an “adopt me” leash, social media posts, talking to friends/family, attending adoption events, etc
-
Willingness and ability to bring foster pets to adoption events, meet and greets, and to medical appointments as needed.
-
We are located in Spotsylvania, VA and find that everyone is most successful when the foster parent lives within an hour of our area.
-
Fosters must be 18 or older and must supply a government-issued ID with current address at first foster pickup.
