Foster FAQs

We provide food & preventatives for your foster dog; these must be picked up at adoptions! We hold adoptions on Saturdays at the Petsmart in Kennesaw. With nearly 100 dogs in the rescue at any given time, we simply cannot deliver these items to each individual foster home. All FTTF dogs eat Nutrisource Heartland Select – a high-quality, grain-free food – and receive monthly heartworm and flea/tick preventatives. Please plan ahead and let us know when you are getting low on food or need preventatives for the upcoming month so we can have your items available for you to pick up at adoptions.

It is proven attending adoption events helps your foster dog find its forever home! Though we love having our fosters attend every weekend, we know you may have other responsibilities or plans. Foster parents must bring their foster dog to at least one adoption event per month, though you are encouraged to attend more as it helps your foster dog get exposure to find its forever home. Regular adoption events are held at the Petsmart in Kennesaw every Saturday from 12-4pm unless we are participating in another scheduled event at that time. Check our Events Calendar to see what we have scheduled! If a dog misses two consecutive months of adoption events, steps may be taken to find the dog a new foster home. Please communicate with us if you are having issues getting your foster dog to adoptions so we can work with you to find a solution.

You are responsible for bringing a crate, water bowl & towels to adoption events for your foster dog, as well as ensuring it is wearing a secure collar and leash. Please make sure your foster dog is clean and presentable for adoptions. We have crate sheets available but you are encouraged to create your own if you would like – we can even send you a template!

You must stay at your first few adoption events with your foster dog. You may drop-off your foster dog at subsequent events, if desired, but staying with your dog at each event is recommended and preferred. Remember: you know your foster dog better than anyone so that makes you the best person to talk to potential adopters! It also gives us a chance to talk with you about your foster dog and address any questions or concerns. We like to get to know our foster parents and adoption day is a great opportunity for us to do that!

Many FTTF dogs come from animal control facilities or other environments where they commonly contract “kennel cough” or other illnesses. Because of this, you may be required to keep your foster dog quarantined – meaning completely separate from any other animals in your home – for 10-14 days. Though kennel cough is easily treated with antibiotics, it is highly contagious. If you fail to adhere to this quarantine period and your own pet(s) contract kennel cough, FTTF will not be liable or responsible for treating your pets.

We may also ask you keep your foster dog separated from other pets in order to give it time to decompress. This will reduce the dog’s anxiety in its new environment and assist with a more successful outcome when introductions are made. Always consult with us and get approval before introducing your foster dog to any owned dogs or other pets. If you do not know how to properly & safely introduce dogs, please let us know and we will gladly help you.

We believe all of our FTTF adoptables are amazing, wonderful dogs. However, some may be more adoptable than others. FTTF is known for taking in some challenging dogs who have been overlooked and giving them the chance they otherwise wouldn’t receive. This means some may have ‘special needs’, medical issues which necessitate more care or frequent vet visits, require behavior work or other extenuating circumstances. We will only place dogs with additional medical needs in foster homes prepared to handle those cases.

When you agree to foster a dog with FTTF, you are committing to that dog until its forever home is found. This could be days, weeks, months or even years, though much of this depends on you!

If you are signing up to foster an FTTF dog, we will do our best to place a foster dog in your home who is the right fit for your family. In the event your foster dog is not working out in your home, we will try to switch it out with another foster dog already in the program, if available.

If you are requesting for FTTF to assist you in rescuing a dog and have it join our program, you are required to be 100% committed to fostering that dog until it is adopted, even if the dog does not play nice with your other pets. Please take this into consideration prior to requesting to add a dog of your choosing to our program.

FTTF already possesses the majority of the supplies you will need for your foster dog – just ask us if you need something! We always have leashes, collars, bowls, crates, toys, blankets and other items. In the rare occasion we do not have something you need, you may purchase it or we will order it for you. All supply purchases made by a foster parent must be approved prior to purchase in order to be reimbursed.

Foster parents are responsible for marketing their dog and must help keep their foster dog’s information up to date by submitting the foster survey and updated pictures/videos at the end of each month. This is vital!

Networking your foster dog using email, social media, friends & family helps too! If your foster dog can handle it, bring it to outdoor events – we have plenty of “ADOPT ME” bandannas they can sport to show off and look adorably adoptable! When taking your dog out to events, always make sure it is securely on-leash and well-behaved.

Your foster dog is to always be crated inside when you are not home or it is unsupervised. This is for the health and safety of your foster dog and other pets and the protection of your home. You are responsible for supervising your foster dog when it is not crated. If needed, a crate will be provided to you. This crate is property of FTTF and should be treated as such. In the event you are no longer fostering, be it temporary or permanent, the crate will be returned to FTTF at an adoption event. FTTF will not be liable for damages to items while your foster dog is unsupervised.

Regardless of how well-behaved or friendly your foster dog may be, it should NEVER be left alone unsupervised with any other pets or children. If you have a multi-dog household, please remember to always supervise dogs when toys or treats are available – even some of the friendliest dogs don’t like to share! Your foster dog should also never be left outside alone or with other dogs. For safety and health reasons, we do NOT allow our foster dogs to play at dog parks. Remember: Do not set your foster dog up for failure; always set your foster dog up for success!

We do NOT permit the use of retractable leashes, for the safety of you and your foster dog. We also do not allow treats such as rawhides and questionable “jerky” type treats or stuffed toys. Antlers, marrow bones and tough Nylabones are great options for chewers! If you need a sturdy leash or treats for your foster dog, let us know and we will happily get you what you need!

You are not to begin caring for a new foster dog through another animal welfare organization while also caring for a FTTF foster dog without prior approval from us. This is for the health and safety of all involved. Please contact us if you are considering concurrently fostering with another group.

If your dog receives an application and that applicant is approved, the next step is the Foster-to-Adopt period. This is a two-week trial period where the potential adopters care for the dog as a foster to see if it is a good fit for their family but have not yet finalized the adoption. You will remain foster-less during this time in case your foster’s potential home does not work out and your foster dog needs to come back to you.

If you decide you would like to adopt your foster dog that is okay with us! But, you must let us know immediately so we can stop marketing your dog and inform potential adopters the dog is unavailable. We don’t want to waste time and resources on a dog you have decided to keep. Even if you are just considering adopting, it is better to keep us in the loop. Fosters who wish to adopt their foster dog must still complete finalization paperwork for our records.

We understand you may schedule trips or vacations while caring for your FTTF foster dog. If you need us to find care for your foster dog during this time, we just ask you give ample notice so we have time to find another foster parent to watch your foster dog while you are away.

Our primary veterinary hospital is New Hope Animal Hospital in Dallas, Ga. As a foster, you are expected to bring your foster dog to any scheduled appointments, as needed, or make other prior arrangements. Please do not “no-show” or show up late to appointments. If you reschedule an appointment, you must let us know as soon as possible. Do NOT reschedule spay/neuter appointments yourself – please contact us first if you cannot make an appointment for spay/neuter.

New Hope Animal Hospital
49 Hosiery Mill Rd
Dallas, GA 30157
770.485.1536

In the case of a medical or other emergency with your foster dog, contact Jason immediately, day or night. If for some reason you cannot get in touch with Jason, contact Brianne, Jordan, Holly or Stacey.