Fostering

Being a foster means allowing a dog into your home and providing it with a safe, comfortable environment. We provide all supplies, from food and toys to bedding and a crate. All you need to provide is love and labor. Your foster will pay you back in kind.

And don’t worry, you are not alone. Every foster is assigned a foster follow-up, a person who is knowledgeable and equipped with the tools needed to aid you in any problems that may arise. Any concerns or questions can be answered with a quick text or call with your foster follow-up. They will also be your point of contact to give updates for your dog’s profile.

Fostering is a vital step in saving the dog’s life, and it’s also incredibly rewarding and fun for the whole family!

We require our fosters to fill out an application. That application will help us determine if the foster is capable of providing a safe and loving foster home to care for their foster.

There is No cost to being a foster. You simply provide a loving home. TLC will provide you with everything else you need. All supplies such as food, a crate, leash, treats, toys, bowls, bedding, preventatives, etc can be picked up when you pick up your foster dog. All essential vet care is paid for by TLC, and every TLC foster dog is up to date on Rabies, Distemper, Bordatella, Heartworm testing, and any deworming needs. Any foster vet concerns should be discussed with your foster follow up, and all veterinary care must be approved by a TLC Director.

We expect our fosters to provide a loving home for our foster dogs to feel safe and cared for. For everything beyond that, from crate training to commands to walking on a leash, our team will be happy to work closely with our foster families.

You can help set your foster dog up for success by implementing basic house manners like house training, walking on a leash, politely greeting new people, appropriate chewing, etc. Providing up to date photos and information about your foster dog for their profile will give adopters what they need to fall in love!

Yes! Each week, our foster director provides information about the dogs available to be brought up from our rescue partners. Our fosters can then choose from that list or wait for another week. For your first foster, we will strategically match you with a dog that we believe fits your preferences to provide you with a smooth beginning to fostering. Your preferences can include breed, size, temperament, and age. Our ultimate goal is to find the best foster home for our dogs in need.

Before a dog is transferred into our care, we work with trusted rescue partners to ensure the dogs coming into our organization are well rounded. That being said, we may only have limited information on the dog’s arriving so it’s important to be comfortable with a little bit of uncertainty. Since many of our dogs are coming from a shelter environment, we just don’t know if they will be housebroken, crate trained, etc. We will do our best to inform you of what we DO know and will provide you with a foster follow up to support you every step of the way.

We have rescue partners in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Many of our dogs come from overcrowded shelters with limited resources and space. The stray population in these areas has overwhelmed their systems. There just isn’t enough room for every dog who needs it. Some of our dogs are pulled out of these shelters by our foster partners down south to await transport, but many remain in these shelters until we can secure them a spot with one of our fosters. These shelters are kill shelters by necessity, securing their spot by fostering saves their life.

The average length of stay for a TLC foster dog is approximately 3 weeks, but that can vary based on many factors like age, size, breed, etc. When you agree to foster a dog with TLC, you are committing to that dog until its furever home is found. This could be anywhere from one day to three week to two month or more. If you have time constraints (i.e. only 2 weeks at a time or weekends only) or vacations, please let us know as far in advance as possible so we can ensure that your foster dog can be moved to another foster home.

We will do the legwork in processing applications and directing approved adopters towards dogs that meet their preferences, but there are many things you can do to help!

Taking your foster to any of our weekly meet and greet events allows potential adopters to get to know your dog’s personality and be sure that this is the dog for them. We have events all over the area surrounding the center. West Chester, King of Prussia, Phoenixville, and Downingtown are where we hold the majority of our events. If you are unable to bring your fosters to these events, we can provide pick-up and drop-off so your fosters can still be seen. Providing a note card about your dog can help the handlers at the events inform potential adopters.

Another way you can help is by keeping your foster follow-up apprised of your dog’s behaviors, things they love and unique quirks, along with updated photos to add to their adoption profile.

Shelters help save many dogs and those who run them often do the best that they can with the resources they have, which can vary greatly from shelter to shelter. But shelters can also be stressful environments where dogs can become withdrawn, overwhelmed or otherwise not themselves. Whether it’s due to overcrowding, noise, or lack of regular human connection, their transition into their adopted homes can come with more issues to overcome than a dog transitioning from one home environment to another.

Fostering allows our dogs to decompress and become their best selves in our care. In our foster homes, we can observe every unique behavior allowing us to better inform their potential adopters. We know for sure if a dog is housebroken, crate trained, their energy level, and what they genuinely love because we’ve seen them in a home first hand.

We begin their training and socialization, with a focus on each individual dog’s needs. But most importantly, we give them the love and attention we give to our own dogs.

Yes! Many of our foster have pets of their own. We are all here because we love animals. Whether it be dogs, cats, or even pigs, we welcome foster homes of all types!

We will work with you to find out what fosters would do well in your home - age, sex, temperament, cat-friendly, etc - and will match you with a dog that fits your needs. Our foster follow up team will help assist you to ensure your foster dog integrates easily into your home for their stay.

Apply to become a foster here. We will review your application. Once approved, you will be contacted by our team to set up your first foster. You will be added to our foster communications group where you’ll be able to learn what dogs are available for fostering. Once a foster dog is claimed, you will meet your dog at transport, where you will be able to pick up all your supplies along with your dog. Happy fostering!

If you are here, you already know how much love and purpose a dog can bring into your life. A foster dog is no different. Your foster will bring joy to your life. They can teach your children compassion and how to care for others. They will provide you with a sense of accomplishment when you see them off to their furever home.

Fostering is a rewarding adventure and is unique with every dog!