Foster Care
The San Antonio Humane Society’s Foster Mission is:
To give care and comfort to sick, injured, or orphaned animals until they are ready to be adopted.
Interested in making a huge difference & helping to save an animal's life?
Join our foster program!
How to Become a Foster Parent
To become part of our Foster Care Program all you need to do is fill out the foster application. Once you’ve completed your application our Foster Team will get back to you as soon as possible. You must be at least 18 years of age, have a love for animals, and be ready and willing to open up your heart and home to a new furry foster friend!
If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact our Foster Team via e-mail foster@SAhumane.org
Your Role as a Foster Parent
The role of a foster parent is to create a nurturing environment to allow a foster animal to grow, heal, socialize, and become adoptable. The San Antonio Humane Society provides foster families with all the supplies they need such as food, litter, toys, bedding, and even medical care. All fosters need is a willingness to learn and a lot of love to give! At the San Antonio Humane Society, we have many adorable dogs & cats that come through our doors. Unfortunately, not every single animal that we see is ready to be adopted. This is where our foster parents come in!
Frequently Asked Questions
Fostering is a rewarding experience and naturally you will find yourself becoming attached. Be prepared to possibly shed some tears when it’s time to say goodbye. You will find comfort in knowing that you helped make a difference in their lives by helping them grow, heal, and have prepared them for their newest exciting journey of finding their forever home.
Once your foster time is over and you’ve decided instead of saying goodbye, you’d like to adopt and make them part of your family, you can! All adopters must go through an adoption process. The process includes filling out an adoption application and completing an interview with an adoption counselor. Adoption fees vary on each animal.
No you do not! What’s wonderful about our foster program is that we provide you with EVERYTHING you need for your foster such as food, bedding, kennel, toys, medications (if needed), etc. As a foster parent, we do not want you to incur any costs. We provide you with all that you and your foster need.
You can foster if you have other animals. When fostering, we do require a quarantine (separation) period of two weeks from your pets and the foster. A majority of animals brought into our shelter are brought in as strays and although we send them out healthy, we can’t guarantee that the foster will or will not develop an illness along the way. This is why it’s crucial that you do the quarantine and have your pets up to date on vaccines for their protection.
If you have any concerns on an animal you are fostering, you are to contact the Foster Team immediately by e-mail (foster@SAhumane.org) or via the Foster Facebook Group.
If you have plans to go out of town, you are to contact the Foster Team in advance to notify them of your departure. They will set up an appointment time for you to bring the foster animal in and will make plans to find another foster while you are away.
If you rent, you can still foster. The Foster Team requires that you consult with your landlord prior to you fostering to affirm that the animals are allowed in your household.
We have several different reasons as to why an animal goes into foster care. Depending on the animal and the reason the animal needs foster will determine if you can foster. Having a full time job certainly does not hinder you from fostering. The Foster Team will surely find someone that is a good match for you & your schedule.
At any point, if you find you cannot care for the foster animal, contact the Foster Team as soon as possible. We accept all of our foster animals back, but require that you schedule an appointment prior to bringing them in.
All animals are vaccinated upon intake, dewormed, and are given heartworm & flea prevention. This will vary on age. If you are fostering neonates (newborns) they cannot receive vaccines till they reach 6 weeks of age. The Foster Team will contact you when it is time for them to come in for vaccines.
The foster parent will be given a date for the return of the animals. They must call the Foster Team to schedule an appointment prior to returning the animals. When the foster parent calls the Foster Team, our space availability will be evaluated and an appointment will be made. Keep in mind a foster may be asked to keep the animal longer if there is no space for the animal or if the animal is not ready to be returned.
