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Puppy Foster Program
Fostering is all the fun and companionship of having a new pet at home without the long-term commitment or cost of pet ownership! Foster care is a temporary arrangement in which a shelter puppy is cared for in a volunteer’s home prior to adoption. Preparing a puppy for a life of love with its new family is a uniquely rewarding experience.
All types of pets benefit from foster care, including pets that are orphaned, pregnant or nursing, under-socialized, require medical care, or would simply rather hang out at your house than in one of our kennels while waiting to be adopted!
Surface Creek Animal Shelter provides supplies, vet care, and training to foster families and will match you with an appropriate puppy within our shelters or on our waiting lists. A typical foster stay lasts from a couple of days to a couple of months, depending on the puppy and its circumstances, until the puppy is old enough for an adoptive family.
Foster care not only provides a much more comfortable environment for the puppy you take home – it also opens a kennel for another pet in need in our community.
All foster volunteers must abide by the volunteer code of conduct, comply with the foster care agreement and contract, adhere to zoning and animal control ordinances, and be 18 years or older.
Types of Care
Bottle Feeders
If you’re taking on the immensely rewarding task of raising a neonatal puppy, your job is to keep the baby warm, clean, pottied, and fed every few hours.
Depending on their ages, neonatal puppies require frequent care as often as every two hours, including overnight.
Under Solialized/Behavior
Behavior dogs widely vary in their needs and time commitments, depending on the behavior you are trying to correct.
Wellness & Comfort
Medical care can be for any type of foster with a variety of possible issues, so daily commitment will vary. It's rare, but at times we may get very sick puppies and euthanasia is not immediately available. Comfort care is a difficult but rewarding task, providing love and comfort until they cross the rainbow bridge.
Of course, you can also foster playful, healthy, weaned puppies to help prevent overcrowding and the need for a wait list at the shelter!
Becoming A Foster
Step 1
Complete the application at the bottom of this page. After your application is accepted, our Foster Coordinator will contact you. Now is a great time to pet-proof your space with this foster home checklist!
Step 2
A Foster Home Inspector will come to visit your home for, check for safety concerns, and review all items on the foster home checklist have been met. This step is required by the State of Colorado to ensure the space is free of hazards.
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Step 3
Take your new foster pet home! We provide all necessary supplies and veterinary care. Check in with the Foster Coordinator frequently with photos, information, and any questions about your foster pet until they are adopted!