Foster Care Program

A short time in your home, a lifetime in your heart!

• Are you able to open your heart and home to an animal in need, but are not ready to adopt for one reason or another? Now could be the perfect time to become a Foster Care Parent for the Washington Humane Society (WHS) and help an animal in our care.
• As the only open-access shelters in Washington, DC, WHS takes in on average 33 animals a day. WHS's Foster Program works around the clock to provide comfort to all of the animals in our care. Each time an animal is taken out of our shelter and into a home to be fostered, it provides us the more space for another animal that needs our special care and attention.
• For more information on becoming a dog or cat foster parent for WHS, please contact Kate Zapf at 202-723-5730 (ext. 149) or kzapf@washhumane.org

What is the Foster Program?
The Foster Program allows adoptable animals to move out of the shelter while they are waiting for their new home, opening up more space in the shelter and giving more wonderful dogs and cats a second chance at a wonderful home! Foster volunteers open up their homes to dogs and cats in need and help find them permanent adoptive homes.

What kind of animals need foster homes?
All kinds of adoptable dogs and cats! WHS puts healthy, adoptable animals into foster homes to open up space in the shelter. We also need help fostering animals that may not do well in the shelter environment, including mothers with litters of young ones, puppies or kittens too young to be adopted, animals recovering from surgery, and shy or timid animals overwhelmed by the shelter environment.

Who can be a foster parent?
Anyone with the time and energy to dedicate to caring for a cat or dog and the willingness to help it find a new home! Foster volunteers are caring, compassionate people who want to make a difference in an animal’s life. You must live in the DC Metro area and have some familiarity with caring for animals in your home or the willingness to learn.

What are the requirements for fostering animals?
Foster caregivers need to be able to keep animals in their home (i.e. owning their own home or living in a pet-friendly rental). WHS will provide routine preventative medical care including spay/neuter, vaccinations, heartworm or FeLV/FIV tests, and dewormer. Foster parents are responsible for food, shelter, and any medical care outside of the routine procedures performed by WHS. Foster parents must be willing to help find the animal a new adoptive home (including meeting with potential adopters), and be able to release the foster pet to its new owners when the new home is found.

What happens during the foster process?
When there is a dog or cat that needs foster care, the Foster Coordinator will contact you. If you are able to foster at that time, you will pick up the animal at the shelter and bring it home to get settled in. Foster animals’ pictures are posted on the WHS website, and you can also bring your foster pet to adoption events. You can also advertise your foster pet in newspapers, on Craigslist, or anywhere you choose! When a potential adopter is interested, you will arrange a meeting between the adopter and your foster pet. You will then work with the Foster Coordinator to approve the adoption application, including performing a home visit if required. After the adoption is approved, you will help your foster transition into their new, loving home!

How do I become a foster parent?
Contact Kate Zapf, Foster/Rescue Coordinator, at 202-723-5730 (ext. 149), kzapf@washhumane.org, for an application. After filling out the application, you will attend one of our Foster Trainings (dates listed below). We want to make sure you have all of your questions answered before you get started. After the training, you will be ready to start fostering!

UPCOMING FOSTER PARENT TRAINING CLASSES:

Mon., August 11, 6 p.m. at WHS Shelter (7319 Georgia Ave. NW)

Thurs., August 14, 7 p.m. at DC Animal Shelter (1201 New York Ave NE)

Sun., August 17, 11 a.m. at DC Animal Shelter (1201 New York Ave NE)

Sat., August 30, 12 p.m. at WHS Shelter (7319 Georgia Ave., NW)

For more information or to R.S.V.P please contact: Kate Zapf, Foster/Rescue Coordinator, at 202-723-5730 (ext.149), kzapf@washhumane.org