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Foster Care Program
 The Seattle Animal Shelter manages a
volunteer foster care program. Volunteers care for sick and immature
animals in their homes. Animals in need of foster care
include:
- Puppies or kittens that are too young to be adopted.
- An abused dog or cat that needs socialization and tender loving care.
- An injured dog or cat that is recovering from surgery.
- A dog or cat that has a cold or cough.
Foster care volunteers also take in animals when the Shelter facility
is full. Animals may be in foster care for a few weeks or a few
months, depending on the need.
How Do Foster Care Volunteers Help?
- Foster care volunteers feed, groom, socialize, train, and medicate
the animal during its stay in the foster home.
- The City of Seattle's Help the Animals Fund pays for all veterinary
care and medicine the animal needs during its stay in foster
care. Foster parents are responsible for providing food, time,
and tender loving care.
- When the animal is healthy and ready to be adopted, various programs
are available to promote them. The Shelter will post the animal's
story and photograph. Foster parents are given the first
choice to adopt their foster animal, provided they meet the basic
adoption requirements.
- Foster parents have the option to meet all potential adopters.
Sometimes, the foster animals may be adopted straight from the foster
home, returning to the Shelter only if it requires spay or neutering
services. Shelter adoption guidelines are followed at all
times.
Volunteer Qualifications
- Foster parents must be able to provide a safe, loving and stable
environment for the foster animal.
- Experience with animal behavioral or medical issues is a plus, but
is not necessary.
- Foster parents must have common sense and patience, as well as be
willing to nurse any injury and/or illness — with the understanding
that some issues may result in the death of an animal.
- Foster parents must be able to transport their foster animal to and
from the Seattle Animal Shelter during business hours, and to and from
veterinarian providers, should the need arise.
Foster Care Volunteer Orientations
- Foster Care Volunteer Orientations for cats and kittens are held the first Saturday of
each month at noon.
- Foster Care Volunteer Orientations for dogs are held the second
Saturday of each month at 1:00 p.m. Participation in the
orientation is required for prospective foster care volunteers, who
will also be required to attend a Foster Dog Parent Training Session.
- Foster Care Volunteer orientations are free, and attending an
orientation session does does not obligate you to foster an
animal.
- Foster Care Volunteer orientations are held at Seattle Animal
Shelter, in the upstairs conference room. The Seattle Animal
Shelter is located at 2061 - 15th Avenue West, one mile south of the Ballard bridge.
Map
- To learn more about the Seattle Animal Shelter foster care program, and
to find out more information about foster care volunteer orientations,
call us at
(206) 615-0737.
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