Humane Society of Stillwater Foster Program
The Humane Society of Stillwater is always looking for volunteers to act as foster parents for some of our special needs residents. Fostering a shelter animal can be a rewarding experience for both people and animals.
While we do our best to make the Shelter as comfortable and stress free for our residents, some animals have a hard time adjusting to a Shelter environment or need extra care that we simply cannot provide. Foster parenting offers a crucial support system to a no-kill shelter operation. Animals which need foster care can vary from bottle feeding kittens to dogs recovering from surgery or heartworm treatment. Often times, our long term residents just need to experience living in a home for a bit so that we can give potential adopters as much information about them as possible.
Foster terms may range from one week to several months, depending on the needs of the animal as well as the availability of the foster parent. To become a foster home please fill out our foster application and turn it in to the office during normal business hours.
1710 S. Main St.
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405) 377-1701
Email: shelter@hspets.org
Here are some of the most common reasons animals need to be fostered:
- The dog and cat cages in the shelter are full. When animals are adopted out and space is available, foster animals come back to the shelter to be placed up for adoption.
- An animal may need treatment or special care. (Mending a broken limb, healing wounds, heartworm treatment)
- Kittens and puppies too young to be adopted need a foster until they are big enough to go to a permanent home.
Here's how it works:
- The Humane Society receives an animal that they feel needs to be fostered.
- Foster homes are called. The first willing foster home will be given a time set up by the Shelter Director to come in and pick up the animal with all necessary supplies and information.
- The animal(s) go to the foster home for a predetermined time until they are deemed ready for adoption. You may need to bring the animal(s) back to the shelter periodically for checkups.
- The foster is able to promote adoption of the animal but not able to promise the animal to a specific individual or adopt on their own. All adoptions must be made in the Humane Society office.
- The animals are then returned to the Humane Society to be placed into the adoption program.
- A special note to those foster homes wanting to foster animals less than eight weeks old: some of these animals may suddenly die or develop a life-compromising illness which may lead to the need for more intense medical treatment than the foster can provide. Although we try everything to save the animals, sometimes it’s just not enough.
There are a number of things you should consider prior to fostering.
Will you have the time to spend with the foster animal(s)? Most of the animals needing foster care are also in desperate need of quality time and handling. Socializing is very important. Spending time with your foster animals increases the chance of a successful adoption.
Do you own animals? Keeping foster animals isolated from your companion animals is good practice. Even if your animals are up to date on vaccinations, it is not a 100% guarantee that they are immune to everything. Keeping your foster animals separated from your personal animals is recommended.
Do you have the time to clean up after your foster animals? Young animals are usually doing one of four things: eating, sleeping, playing, or urinating/defecating. Keeping the animals and their quarters as clean as possible will help prevent life threatening illnesses.
Will you be able to keep a close watch on the foster animal’s health?
Can you cope with the possibility that the foster animal could die?
Can you bring the animal to the Humane Society for its veterinary needs? Only our staff and vets can treat the animal for free.
Will you be emotionally prepared to return the animals back to the Humane Society after the foster period is up?
Do you feel comfortable telling family and friends that if they are interested in adopting, they must go through the adoption process at the Humane Society?
The Humane Society of Stillwater will provide foster families with:
How Do Foster Care Volunteers Help?
Foster Family Qualifications
If you are interested in making a temporary addition to your home, please contact shelter staff at (405)377-1701 or email shelter@hspets.org.