Dog Foster Application | Dog Rescue

An important message before you begin the application

We are thrilled you are considering opening your home to an animal in need! Introducing people to the rewarding experience of fostering is so exciting for us. However we want to give you a realistic idea of what it takes to foster. Many of our foster animals have been in a kennel in a shelter for weeks or months, so they may not be housebroken or litter-box trained. Even animals who are housebroken often have accidents for a week or so when adjusting to a new home/schedule/people.

To help an animal transition into a new home:

Our foster mentors provide new fosters with tons of advice and training tips to help integrate new foster dogs and cats into homes. Pet Haven is here for you when you are in the early days of fostering and we will support you every step of the way. We don’t always have a history or much information about the dogs and cats we take in. For instance, people ask if a dog is friendly with cats or children; others ask if a cat will get along with other cats. While we can do our best to do a temperament test in a shelter environment, tests don’t provide 100% accurate information. For this reason, we require fosters to do slow introductions for all animals in their new foster home. This is for the benefit for the fosters, their own animals, and our foster animals.

If for some reason the foster animal is not working out in your home:

We ask that you keep him/her until a new foster can be found. We are a foster-based organization, so don't have the capability to take the animal back on a moment's notice. The only exception is if there are severe aggression issues and your family is being put at risk. It can take 1 day or several weeks or more to find a new foster. Ideally, an animal will stay in one foster home from intake to adoption. For that reason, we ask that you use our help and support to keep working with your foster even when challenges arise. Our foster mentors have tips and tricks for many common behavioral issues and are happy to help you work through challenges with your foster. We also have a foster manual for you to reference with common questions and support. As you can imagine, fostering has incredible rewards and joys. It also has potential challenges and we want to make sure your expectations are realistic. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at foster@pethavenmn.org. We look forward to receiving your foster application and welcoming you aboard!

Ready to foster? Please answer the following questions:

Are you willing to do slow introductions with your resident animals? Our foster mentors will walk you through this process!*

Our animals often come straight from shelters and need time to decompress before being integrated into your family! We are looking for fosters who are committed and have the ability to making it work, even if that means more work in the beginning.

If you agree to foster a dog and then find it doesn't fit with your current lifestyle, are you willing to keep that foster until it is adopted?*

We understand that thinking about fostering and actually fostering are much different - some people love it and get hooked, and others decide it is not for them. Thank you for realizing that you have committed to your current foster and will keep him/her through adoption.

If your foster is not house trained right away, will you keep him/her as a foster?*

Many of our animals come straight from shelters and we have no idea if they are house trained or not, and its very common even for house-trained pets to have accidents in a new environment. Thank you for committing to work with your foster animal on potty training! Our Foster Mentors are here to help!

If your foster is not crate trained or exhibits signs of separation anxiety right away, will you keep him/her as a foster?

Many of our dogs come straight from shelters and we have no idea if they are crate trained or not. Thank you for committing to work with your foster animal on crate training and separation anxiety!

If your foster has minor medical issues, such as diarrhea or kennel cough, are you committed to keeping them through treatment and adoption?*

Shelters animals often have minor medical issues pop up. Our job is to assist you in getting them healthy and adoptable! We appreciate your commitment to your foster animal!

Date*

Name*

First Last

This is my legal name*

Yes
No, preferred name

What is your legal name?

First Last

Birth Date*

Consent*

I understand that Pet Haven will use the legal name and birthdate that I willingly provide to them to conduct a public records check.

Pet Haven preforms a public records search on all volunteer, foster, and adoptive applicants to ensure the safety and well-being of our animals and community members. Any results yielded do not immediately disqualify you from volunteering.

This is not a background check.

Street Address*

Please note: you must live in the Twin Cities area to foster a Pet Haven animal

Apartment Number

City*

State*

Zip Code*

Phone*

Email*

How did you learn about Pet Haven's foster program?*

Google Search
Friend/Family member
Social Media
Pet Haven's website
Special Event
Other

Are you 18 years of age or older?*

Yes
No

(You must be 18 years old to foster.)

Are you interested in respite fostering ONLY? Respite fosters act as temporary fosters when their dog foster is going out of town. This involves caring for the animal for a short timespan (anywhere from a weekend to two weeks) without having to commit to being a long-term foster. Anyone who is onboarded as a full-time foster can also respite foster. This questions seeks to know if you are ONLY interested in respite fostering. If you check "yes", you will be onboarded as a respite only foster. If you check "no", you will be onboarded as a full-time foster.*

Yes
No

Have you ever fostered for Pet Haven or another rescue in the past? If so, please tell us about your experience.

Why are you interested in fostering?*

We do a great deal of our communication on Facebook. Do you have a Facebook account?*

Yes
No

Please note your name as it appears on Facebook:

Do you have access to reliable transportation?*

Foster animals require vet visits and home visits, so reliable transportation is a must.

Yes
No

About Your Household

How many hours will the foster animal be left alone on an average day?*

Foster animals often come to us with no previous history. Therefore, are you willing to tolerate potty accidents, crate training issues, and/or basic training needs?*

Yes
No

What behavioral issues may cause you to want to transfer your foster animal?*

Please check all that apply

Barking
Not crate trained
Leash pulling/reactivity
Timid/fearful
Aggression
Potty Accidents
Anxiety
Other
None, I would work with any issues the foster presents.

What medical issues may cause you to want to transfer your foster animal?*

Please check all that apply

Potty Accidents
Diarrhea/Vomiting
Dispensing Daily Medications
Mobility Issues
Other
None, I would work with any issues the foster presents.

Do you:*

Rent
Own

What type of home do you live in?*

Single family home
Duplex
Apartment
Condo/Townhome
Mobile Home

If you rent, do you have your landlord's permission to have animals on the premises?

(Pet Haven requires a copy of your lease before you are approved to foster. Your landlord’s policies must allow pets. Because of the nature of rescue, we cannot know whether or not a foster animal would be appropriate for an Emotional Support Animal.)

Yes
No

If you rent, does your landlord/housing association have any breed or weight restrictions?

If yes, please describe.

If you rent, does your landlord require you to pay a pet deposit/fee?

If you rent, does your landlord place any restrictions on the number of animals that you can have in your home?

How many adults and children are in your home?*

Please note the ages of all adults and children

Tell us about any other pets you may have at home:*

(check all that apply)

We have one or more dogs
We have one or more cats
We have one or more small animals
We have no animals in our home.

If you own pets, please describe:

(Breed/gender/ages/energy levels):

If you have resident animals, are they spayed/neutered?

Yes
No

If you have resident animals, are they up to date on their vaccinations?

Yes
No
Unsure

Have your pets been introduced to other animals?

If so, please tell us a bit about how they get along with other animals.

Are you able to provide separate space in order to properly introduce new fosters to your current pets?

Yes
No

Do you have a fenced yard?

Yes
No

Please tell us about any preferences for your foster animal:*

(breed, size, gender, temperament, energy level, etc)

Please list any experience you have with animals

(previous ownership, training, etc...)

Please share any other information you’d like us to know about yourself.

Our volunteer Foster Coordinators will review your application and be in touch via email within 48 - 72 hours. Be sure to check your junk mail if you have not received a response!

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.