Join Our Foster Family
Foster families provide temporary homes for potentially adoptable animals while they recover from illness, injury, gain weight, mature, or moms nursing a litter. We are always looking for families and individuals who are willing to open their homes to a shelter pet in need! Length of stay typically ranges from one to ten weeks and HSWM provides all essential items and vet care for foster animals!
New Foster Applicants, please apply below!
Fostering is lifesaving work anyone can do. From being able to open a spare room or bathroom all the way to your entire home to a homeless pet, you can save their life with your love, care, and compassion. In turn, we can take more animals into our care and save more lives as well! We think that’s pretty awesome.
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Requirements for Foster Families:
You may be thinking...
I have kids at home, I can't foster with kids, right?
Fostering is actually a great opportunity for kids to learn all about animals--how to care for them, respectfully interact with them, and have compassion for them! I don't have enough room in my home. Sometimes a bathroom is all the room you need! Cats don't need a lot of space to be fostered comfortably, and bottle baby kittens can even fit into small playpens or decked out storage tubs! I work a full time job, I won't have enough time. Committing a couple of hours to your foster pet each day is just enough for some of our pets to flourish in foster homes! Can't Foster?
If you can't foster, or want to help the foster program, please consider donating off of our amazon wishlist, or sharing!
Click HERE to visit the foster wishlist! |
Why Foster?
We provide all supplies needed to care for our animals, so it’s FREE for YOU to foster! You just need a space for them to live for a little bit and to give them your love, care, and compassion.
While you foster with us, you will have a great support network. You have access to a foster coordinator and foster veterinary technician to help educate you and help you care for your animal, sick or not. The FVT is also part of a vet team that has a veterinarian, a licensed veterinary technician, an LVT in progress, and another vet tech. In addition, you can connect with other fosters on our foster Facebook group and get their advice as well as ours! It’s temporary! Whether you want to adopt but can’t right now, or just want an animal companion without the commitment of adoption, fostering is a great option for you! You get to hang out with them for a period of time, eventually see them off to their forever home, and take another friend (or two!) home for another fostering adventure! *Unicorn Fosters*
We are always in need of fosters that are willing to take on our pets that need a “Unicorn Foster"! These animals require a special environment such as, but not limited to, no kids or no other animals in the home. These animals may also include pets that need special medical care and attention. We understand these fosters are hard to find, which is why rescues have nicknamed them “Unicorn Fosters”. If you think you could be a Unicorn Foster, we’d love to hear from you!
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Common Questions
Can I foster if I have pets at home?
Yes! We do recommend a 10 day quarantine period to help prevent the spreading of common illnesses.
What is the time frame for fostering?
That depends on what works for YOU! 1 week to 2 months is common, but we can work around your schedule.
What is the commitment for fostering?
Depending on which pet you foster, you may need to return to the shelter for medical appointments, supply pick-ups, or adoptions. In your home, you'll need to commit to the FUN STUFF, like spending time with your animal, socializing them, playtime, and caring for their needs!
How expensive is fostering?
It's our favorite word--FREE! We provide everything you need to care for your foster pet!
Which animals would I foster?
Whichever animals you want! We send dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, senior pets, and small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice to foster. We are always specifically in need of fosters for medical & behavioral cases.
I can't foster at this time, how else can I help?
We're so grateful for your interest in getting involved! You can volunteer at HSWM, spread the word about our foster program, or make a donation HERE to us directly to help pets in need!
Still have questions?
Contact our Foster Team at [email protected], we’d love to talk to you more about joining our foster family!
Yes! We do recommend a 10 day quarantine period to help prevent the spreading of common illnesses.
What is the time frame for fostering?
That depends on what works for YOU! 1 week to 2 months is common, but we can work around your schedule.
What is the commitment for fostering?
Depending on which pet you foster, you may need to return to the shelter for medical appointments, supply pick-ups, or adoptions. In your home, you'll need to commit to the FUN STUFF, like spending time with your animal, socializing them, playtime, and caring for their needs!
How expensive is fostering?
It's our favorite word--FREE! We provide everything you need to care for your foster pet!
Which animals would I foster?
Whichever animals you want! We send dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, senior pets, and small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice to foster. We are always specifically in need of fosters for medical & behavioral cases.
I can't foster at this time, how else can I help?
We're so grateful for your interest in getting involved! You can volunteer at HSWM, spread the word about our foster program, or make a donation HERE to us directly to help pets in need!
Still have questions?
Contact our Foster Team at [email protected], we’d love to talk to you more about joining our foster family!
Testimonials
“We absolutely loved our foster experience at HSWM. From the minute we got the email about Norman and Lloyd we knew we had to come pick them up. The two weeks spent with these old guys were the best! There is an added challenge taking on senior dogs but it was so cool to see their personalities come out once they got comfortable. I definitely cried dropping them off once they got adopted, but I know that fostering them was an important step to them finding their forever home.” -Lindsey L., Fostering since January 2021
“Willow has been such a light in my life. I don’t share my story often, but earlier this year I nearly passed away and was hospitalized across the country for 2 months (I had been sick from an eating disorder for years now). When I came home from Arizona, I started fostering willow, I cannot imagine my life without her, she is such a light in my life and brings me so much joy and happiness even on the hard days she’s able to give me a purpose. I’m so grateful for the humane society and everything they do.” -Olivia M., Fostering since August 2021
“[...]fostering with you all has been such a rewarding experience and in large part that is due to you always answering my questions or concerns as I learn more.” -Alessa P., Fostering since May 2021
“We lost our sweet HSWM alum, Skittles, on our 35th anniversary in August 2020. She was our 3rd "gently used" dog that we have loved. Seeing ourselves in a different season of life now, and not planning to adopt again, we started fostering right away because we love canine companionship and, as HSWM volunteers, we see how stressed the dogs are in the shelter. We enjoy giving them a vacation. Each dog has been different and loveable for different reasons. Emma is the most joyful and playful. Love to see that smiling face and bright eyes first thing in the morning. Fostering is rewarding because we see the dogs blossom in our home environment, and then watch the "magic" when the right adopter comes along. Win-win!” -Tom and Holly R., Fostering since August 2020
“Being a foster parent to one or more shelter pets at a time is fun, but also so rewarding! You are giving them the opportunity to show who they really are when in a home setting, while at the same time reducing their stress from being in a loud shelter environment. And the best part is that you are able to show potential adopters how these animals can fit into their families by posting videos of them throughout their stay with you.” -Julie C., Fostering since June 2020
“I so appreciate everything you guys do to keep our fosters happy and healthy. This has been an unexpected JOY for us over these crazy months at home. We are grateful for this program!” -Annie N., Fostering since March 2020
“Willow has been such a light in my life. I don’t share my story often, but earlier this year I nearly passed away and was hospitalized across the country for 2 months (I had been sick from an eating disorder for years now). When I came home from Arizona, I started fostering willow, I cannot imagine my life without her, she is such a light in my life and brings me so much joy and happiness even on the hard days she’s able to give me a purpose. I’m so grateful for the humane society and everything they do.” -Olivia M., Fostering since August 2021
“[...]fostering with you all has been such a rewarding experience and in large part that is due to you always answering my questions or concerns as I learn more.” -Alessa P., Fostering since May 2021
“We lost our sweet HSWM alum, Skittles, on our 35th anniversary in August 2020. She was our 3rd "gently used" dog that we have loved. Seeing ourselves in a different season of life now, and not planning to adopt again, we started fostering right away because we love canine companionship and, as HSWM volunteers, we see how stressed the dogs are in the shelter. We enjoy giving them a vacation. Each dog has been different and loveable for different reasons. Emma is the most joyful and playful. Love to see that smiling face and bright eyes first thing in the morning. Fostering is rewarding because we see the dogs blossom in our home environment, and then watch the "magic" when the right adopter comes along. Win-win!” -Tom and Holly R., Fostering since August 2020
“Being a foster parent to one or more shelter pets at a time is fun, but also so rewarding! You are giving them the opportunity to show who they really are when in a home setting, while at the same time reducing their stress from being in a loud shelter environment. And the best part is that you are able to show potential adopters how these animals can fit into their families by posting videos of them throughout their stay with you.” -Julie C., Fostering since June 2020
“I so appreciate everything you guys do to keep our fosters happy and healthy. This has been an unexpected JOY for us over these crazy months at home. We are grateful for this program!” -Annie N., Fostering since March 2020
Humane Society of West Michigan
3077 Wilson Dr. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49534
616.453.8900
[email protected]
3077 Wilson Dr. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49534
616.453.8900
[email protected]
Photos By: AGL Photography and Sara Cozolino Photography.
