Three Rivers Humane Society cares for hundreds of animals each year, and many of these pets spend time in foster care before they are ready to find their permanent homes. Finding responsible, loving homes can take time so we need many dedicated Foster homes to give our animals a safe place until their forever homes can be found. Opening your home temporarily to an animal from TRHS is a special way to show your passion for helping animals.
Fostering is a challenging but very rewarding experience. Many of the animals looking for foster homes face issues that can best be overcome with the loving support of our foster program. As a foster parent you are offering an animal a second chance and the added benefit of receiving the love and attention right back from the animal you nurture.

Temporary foster families are needed for a variety of reasons.

• Lack of space at the shelter
• Temporary illnesses like kennel cough in dogs – or – upper respiratory infection in cats
• Under-age kittens or puppies that need to get a little older and bigger before being available for adoption
• Mother dogs and cats with their litters
• Animals experiencing severe stress who need a break from the shelter
• Animals who are in need of a little extra socialization and/or training

Some animals may only need a home for several days while others may need several months of care. Foster animals are carefully matched with foster homes according to their needs and the foster parent abilities. If you are interested in becoming involved in the foster program or have questions please contact us or click the foster application at the bottom of the page. FOSTERING saves lives!

Learn More About Becoming a Foster Family

What are the requirements to be a foster parent?

• Foster parents must be at least 18 years of age
• Foster parents must fill out and sign a foster care application

Foster Care Choices

Foster candidates are carefully matched with foster homes according to the candidate’s special needs and the foster parent’s abilities. Whether you work full time or you spend most of your time at home, we’ll help match you with a foster animal that fits your lifestyle. As a foster parent, you may give a mother cat and her kittens a place to live until the kittens are old enough for the entire family to return to the shelter for adoption. You could care for a cat with an upper respiratory infection until he feels better, or help rehabilitate a dog with a broken leg that is healing. We may also foster animals that need socialization and are not thriving in the shelter environment.

Time commitment

Depending on each animal’s needs, foster stays may be anywhere from 1 week to 3 months or more. We match our foster animals with foster parents based on the individual needs of the pet and the experience, preference and availability of our foster parents. Once you become a foster parent, we ask that you try to foster at least once every six months. We foster year round, but we tend to have the greatest need from May-October, when we receive most of our kittens.

Bringing fosters back to the shelter

While it is difficult to let our new friends go, if we have done our job and they are being adopted to a great new home, we can be happy knowing they will be safe, happy and loved. Remember, there are many, many more animals waiting to fill that spot in your home and heart. We have come to realize that these animals love us when they are with us and we are their lifeline and caretakers. When these animals are adopted into their forever home – they transfer their love and devotion to their new owners and become happy once again in a very short time. You can feel good that another animal is alive, happy and safe just because you weren’t afraid of a little hurt.

Support and Resources to Help You

Three Rivers Humane Society is there to help ensure your success as a foster parent. We’ll offer you as much training as you need as well as starting supplies and medications. Help from our staff is just a phone call away. Our foster parents are each given a foster care manual and emergency contact numbers in case questions or problems arise.

If you’re interested in opening your heart and your home to the many animals in need of foster care, please fill out a Foster Care Application below today! Please click the button below to download and read our foster manual to answer most of your foster related questions.

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