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Foster With Us

Foster homes must be in the greater Seattle area

Fostering is a vital part of what allows our rescue to save dogs and set them up for long-term success!

 

Many of the dogs who come into our care arrive from overcrowded shelters after being found as strays, often with very little known history. Others may come to us through owner surrenders due to circumstances outside their control. What these dogs often have in common is stress, uncertainty, and a need for a place to decompress, feel safe, and begin to trust again.

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While our dogs without foster homes are safely cared for in a commercial kennel environment, kennel life can be overwhelming. Even with daily care and attention, it’s still loud, busy, and unfamiliar. A foster home offers something a kennel simply can’t: calm, consistency, and a chance to experience everyday life in a home.

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By fostering, you give a dog a place to land. You help them learn routines, understand household expectations, and show us who they truly are once they feel safe. This insight is incredibly important as it allows us to better understand each dog’s personality, needs, and ideal forever home, leading to stronger, more lasting adoption matches!

What Fostering Looks Like

As a foster, you take a dog into your home and care for them as your own while we work together to find the right forever placement.

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Fostering can be incredibly rewarding, and every dog is different. Some fosters are playful and confident, while others need patience and time to build trust. Because many of our dogs don’t come with much background information, we rely heavily on fosters to help us understand who they are once they settle into home life.

 

Fosters Help With:

  • Decompression from shelter and kennel life

  • Adjusting to a home routine and structure

  • House training and household manners, if needed

  • Basic training, confidence-building, and boundary-setting

  • Socialization and appropriate exposure to the outside world

 

Your observations and feedback allow us to create accurate bios, better understand each dog’s needs, and make stronger adoption matches!

Foster Matching & Placement

We take great care in matching foster dogs with foster homes to set everyone up for success.

 

Before placing a dog, we consider:

  • Your experience level

  • Home environment and lifestyle

  • Size, energy, and training preferences

  • Other pets and/or children in the home

  • Any restrictions or comfort levels you may have

 

You will never be expected to foster a dog you don’t feel comfortable with. Our goal is to make thoughtful, realistic matches so fostering feels manageable, positive, and rewarding — not overwhelming. Open communication is always encouraged and fostering works best when you’re open-minded throughout the process!

What We Ask Of Our Fosters

Regular Communication & Updates
 
Strong communication is essential to successful fostering. We will ask you to:
 

  • Provide regular updates on behavior, personality, and progress

  • Share honest feedback about quirks, strengths, and challenges

  • Send updated photos and videos for adoption profiles


Photos are especially important — clear, well-lit photos help dogs get adopted faster. Fun and goofy photos are great, but we also need simple, clear photos that show the dog well so potential adopters can really see them.
 
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Be Available For Local Meet & Greets
 
Fosters must be local to the Seattle area and available to participate in meet-and-greets with approved adopters.

  • Meet-and-greets are scheduled once a promising application has been received

  • They are held in the Lynnwood, WA area on Saturdays

 
This structure helps keep the process organized and respectful of everyone’s time.
 
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Time Commitment & Expectations
 
There is no fixed timeline for fostering. Each dog’s journey is different, and adoption timing depends on finding the right fit.
 
We do ask fosters to go into the process with the intention of providing a stable landing place for a dog for a period of time. Consistency is important especially for dogs who are decompressing and learning how to feel safe in a home environment.
 
To support our fosters:

  • We can arrange boarding at our kennel if you need to travel

  • We stay in close communication throughout the foster period

  • Regular updates help us move dogs toward adoption more efficiently

 
Fostering works best when we operate as a team, supporting both the dog and the foster every step of the way.
 

What We Provide

We support our fosters every step of the way!

 

We cover:

  • All veterinary and medical care

  • Ongoing support and guidance

  • Supplies as needed, including food, crates, leashes, harnesses, and more

 

Some fosters choose to provide their own food or supplies, but we are always able to help fill in the gaps. All medical care must go through the rescue — full instructions are provided once you’re approved as a foster.

Still Interested? Apply To Foster!

If fostering sounds like something you’re interested in, we ask that you complete a foster application.
• Applications require three references
• If you are fostering as a household, references should reflect both adults
• Thoughtful, complete applications help us make the best matches

If your application looks like it could be a good match for fostering one of our dogs, an advocate will be in touch with you via email. 

Note: due to the high number of applications we receive, we are only able to review applications that are completed in full. Applications missing required information (including references) may not be prioritized or reviewed. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for choosing to foster!

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