What is a FOSTER?
Foster homes are the backbone of MASA. Without foster homes, we are unable to save the animals we do. Foster homes provide a safe, temporary home for the animal to rest, recuperate, and prepare to meet their forever families! The animals in foster care benefit greatly from love and attention and living in a home environment; for most of the dogs coming from Midland Animal Shelter, it may be a first.
How Long Does a Dog Stay in Foster Care?
We cannot guarantee a set amount of time when it comes to fostering. It could be a couple of days or a couple of months. The average foster stays in his/her foster home for about 2-3 weeks. We have adoption events twice a month that help your foster find a forever home as quickly as possible.
What is the Foster Home Responsible For?
While fostering for MASA, all we ask is that you provide a safe and loving home for your foster pet and food. We also ask that you are able to take your foster to the vet if he/she becomes ill or needs follow up vet care after they are out of the shelter. (vaccines, alterations, etc.) If you are not able to take your foster to the vet, please let one of the MASA representatives know so we can make other arrangements to get your foster there for you. MASA uses Tall City to vet all fosters and vetting will always be 100% covered with no expense to you. We will provide food if you can’t. If anything else is needed, such as puppy pads, toys, grooming, etc., just let us know and we will work diligently to get you what you need! We ask the foster family to treat the foster pet like any other member of the family. Get to know their personality. Any insight you can offer is helpful when we are looking for the perfect forever home.
Quarantine?
All new fosters coming into your house should have a minimum quarantine of 7 to 14 days before being integrated into your household. If possible, consider an “all in”/”all out” policy to allow for adequate cleaning and disinfection.
Over the months of rescuing dogs out of Midland Animal Shelter, we have noticed several have an upper respiratory infection. It is simple to treat with antibiotics, but quarantining your new foster pet helps ensure that he/she will not spread any illnesses to your current dogs/cats. New foster pets should be in a separate area of the house with no contact with other pets. Dogs should be walked in a separate area of the yard where others do not have access if possible. The most common signs of this upper respiratory infection are coughing, sneezing, and/or a runny nose. If you see any of these signs with your new foster, please let a MASA representative know so we can get him/her into the vet at your earliest convenience!