Before Every Forever Home There is a Foster Family!

Ayla’s Acres No-Kill Animal Rescue is a foster-based rescue, which is to say that we do not currently have an adoption facility. Instead, every one of our rescues lives with a foster family. We feel that housing our animals awaiting adoption with foster families gives them a chance at experiencing a settled, domestic life with as little stress as possible. The time that an animal spends with a foster, while awaiting adoption, gives them a chance to receive all of the love, security, and stability that comes with a domestic life. Quite simply, a foster is preparing an animal for its “happily ever after.”

 

The more foster families we have, the more animals we can save!

The math is simple: every foster family we have available equals another animal saved! One of the most depressing aspects of animal rescue is having to turn down a potential rescue because we have nowhere to put them. But this happens more often that we would like. Our hope is to have a collective of foster families to whom we may reach out any time we can bring an animal in to our system.

 

The decision to welcome a dog or cat into your home is a big one. We often hear a lot of the same questions and statements about fostering and would like to address them for you here. Please read through them and, if after thinking about it you decide you would like to be a foster for Ayla's Acres No-Kill Animal Rescue, please fill out one of the following applications:

 

Application to foster dogs

Application to foster cats.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Fostering an Animal

What does it take to be a foster parent to an animal awaiting adoption?

All that is needed, or expected, from a potential foster family is the same unconditional patience and love you show your forever pets.

 

Oh, I could never be a foster! What if  I get too attached and it would break my heart to give them up.

It is true, you will get attached to a foster animal. They love you right back and each of us goes through it. However, loving an animal unconditionally and letting it go when the right forever home is found is one of the most rewarding feelings you can ever have. It is a truly selfless act on behalf of the foster. We assure you that, when the time comes to move your foster animal into its forever home, you will feel an overwhelming warmth and joy about what you have done. You will have saved an animal’s life!

 

Can I afford to be a foster parent?

Ayla’s Acres No-Kill Animal Rescue does not expect for you to pay for supplies and vet bills for your foster animal. We will take care of all medical procedures, vaccinations, medicines, food, and supplies. All that you need to provide is love and a temporary home!

 

Do I get to choose the animal I foster?

You are under no obligation to take a particular animal into your home simply because you are on our foster list. In fact, most of our fosters have some requests regarding who they foster. Some people only want senior dogs and cats as they are already settled. Some only want puppies and kittens because they enjoy training. It may be that your forever dog or cat has certain animals that it gets along better with. For instance, some older cats do well with kittens but not with other adult cats. Once you agree to be a foster, any animal you may bring in will be brought over for a “house check” in order to make sure it gets along with your other animals. If it doesn’t, we will try again with another animal. There is no shortage of animals awaiting foster homes. We will keep trying until we get it right!

 

What if I don't have time and cannot guarantee that I will be able to transport the animal to and from adoption events and medical appointments.

Our adoption coordinator handles all transportation to and from adoption events and medical appointments. Ayla’s Acres does everything in our power to make animal fostering as easy on you as possible. We realize that people are busy and cannot always be available so we don’t expect it. We will take care of everything.

 

What if I'm already a foster failure?

A “foster failure” is someone who falls so in love with their foster animal that they wind up adopting them. This is nothing to concerned about. In your time fostering an animal, you will bond and grow attached. Some choose to adopt their foster and we always give our fosters the opportunity to adopt before taking the animal to its “forever home.” Our foster families are also able to be as involved in the adoption process as they like. Some fosters go with our adoption coordinator to do house checks and even speak with potential forever families. In the time you foster an animal, you will get to know them very well – better than anyone else – because of the amount of time you spend with them. The foster family is an extremely valuable resource for Ayla’s Acres No-Kill Animal Rescue.

 

What if I've never owned an animal?

This is not uncommon. Many people like to try fostering an animal in order to see whether they would like to have a forever pet. In many cases, those people will wind up adopting their foster and that is just fine with us!

 

How long would I have the foster?

We ask that you foster as long as it takes for the animal to get adopted. We prefer not to move our animals around too much as we want to give them as stable a life as possible leading up to adoption. However, sometimes problems arise and situations change. When that happens we will act immediately to make the situation more pleasant for both the foster and the animal or re-locate the animal to a new foster home if needed.