We truly appreciate everything you are doing for the shelter, and the puppies! Fostering is fun and rewarding, and there really aren—t many experiences quite like it. But with responsibility of such tiny lives, comes a few rules. Here is what we expect of you as a foster home, and a few protocols we ask you follow.
Protocols:
- Please keep your foster puppies separate from your own animals at all times, do not let them meet
- Your current household pets MUST be up to date on vaccines, and we will require current Vet records to verify
- Your current household pets must be spayed and neutered
- Do not promise a puppy to a friend/family member, we may have adopters already lined up
- Do not give the puppies away, adopters must go through C.A.R.E. to complete adoption process
- Do not let the puppies loose in an unfenced yard, they must be contained for safety reasons
- Please contact an appropriate C.A.R.E. staff member for any medical concern or emergency using the Support Contacts page. We are not liable for vet costs for unapproved clinic visits
- Please return any and all puppy foster supplies given to you
Daily Health and Weight Log Sheets:
C.A.R.E. will supply you with two types of log sheets; daily weight log sheets, and daily health monitor charts. These charts can be found in your puppy supplies in a folder.
Depending on the age of the litter, we may ask that you weigh each puppy, every day, in the morning prior to breakfast (to ensure an accurate weight). Please record each weight on the daily weight monitor sheet supplied to you, then enter these weights (every day) into the Puppy Weight Monitor Spreadsheet.
We also ask that you keep a close eye on the puppies and monitor their overall health, appetite, and energy level. Please record these findings on the Daily Health Monitor Charts (every day). You can use one sheet for the entire litter, unless one or more become ill, has abnormal stool, has vomited, displays lack of appetite, loses weight, fails to gain weight, etc., then complete separate sheets for each ill puppy. If and when one or more of your puppies becomes ill, we will ask you to send us photos of these charts, so please ensure they are completed on a daily basis.
Appointments:
Our Foster Care Coordinator and Vet Tech will set up appointments for you to bring your foster puppies back for periodic vaccine and exam appointments. We will also set a return date for the puppies to be brought back for surgery. Please show up to these appointments on time, or alert us immediately if you might be running late by calling C.A.R.E. at 970-947-9173.
Naming Puppies:
In most cases, C.A.R.E. will have already named the litter you will be fostering. If this is the case, upon pickup we will give you a list of their names and descriptions. We ask that you please keep their names. The puppy names will have already been entered into our computer system, paper records, medical records from other shelters, and multiple other areas. It is difficult to change the names, and can be confusing for C.A.R.E. staff when you communicate with us using names that are not on file.
In rare cases we may ask you to name the puppies (Ex. if you are fostering a pregnant mom dog). If we do so, please email the foster coordinator at [email protected] once you have chosen names. Please use names that are friendly, non-offensive, and not too difficult to pronounce or spell. Try to make them unique so that we don—t have 10 Fido’s.
Quick tips on naming your puppies: Theme your puppies’ names for easier marketing. Ex. “Cheese-Group” Cheddar, Provolone, Gouda, Parmesan, and Mozzarella or “Flower-Group”, Lavender, Daisy, Tulip, and Rose.
