Become a Foster Volunteer
Apply to become a foster volunteer with animal rescues in your area. Fostering gives animals a safe, comfortable home while they wait for adoption, and it directly saves lives by opening capacity in overwhelmed shelters and rescue networks.
What Foster Volunteers Do
Foster volunteers provide temporary care for animals — most commonly dogs and cats, but also horses, rabbits, birds, and other species depending on the rescue. Fosters provide food, shelter, socialization, and basic care. The rescue organization covers veterinary costs and provides training and support.
What to Expect as a Foster
- Fosters are matched with animals based on their home type, current animals, experience level, and species preferences.
- Foster duration varies from a few days for emergency placements to several months for animals who need more time to find a home.
- Rescue coordinators are available to support you throughout the placement.
- You will receive a weekly check-in request through the Pawtice foster portal — a simple update that takes under 5 minutes.
The Impact of Fostering
Every foster home creates space for another animal to be pulled from a shelter. Foster networks are the backbone of modern animal rescue: they allow rescue organizations to take in far more animals than a physical facility ever could.