Foster
The Rancho Coastal Humane Society (RCHS) Foster Program helps us save more lives. Since shelter space is limited, foster volunteers allow us to care for more animals and give them a second chance at a “fur-ever” home.
RCHS FOSTER PROGRAM
The Rancho Coastal Humane Society Foster Program offers volunteer opportunities to community members interested in opening their homes to companion animals in need.
The RCHS Foster Program caters to:
- Companion animals experiencing behavior challenges that are exacerbated by the inherently stressful nature of a shelter environment.
- Companion animals enduring medical issues that require a quiet place to receive further treatments/ assisted recovery.
- Underage animals (kittens & puppies) that have not yet reached adoption eligibility.
- Companion animals in the temporary care of RCHS’s Animal Safehouse Program which is designed for community members experiencing crisis.
Our network of Foster Volunteers assists these animals by providing the care, attention, and basic training necessary to keep them happy, healthy, and adoptable. We rely on our Foster Volunteers to provide us with insight on their foster animals likes, dislikes, personalities, behavior, & temperament in a home setting. This information is used to help us match each RCHS animal with their perfect forever home!
We accept Foster Volunteer applications year-round! We are especially in need of assistance from April-November as “Kitten Season” creates an influx of incoming newborn & juvenile cats. Kitten fosters work around the clock to provide humane care, instill socialization skills, and monitor medical needs of baby cats in need. It is a challenging job, but our Foster Volunteers agree that it is a very rewarding experience to see each foster kitten get adopted into their loving forever homes.
The RCHS Foster Department provides everything you need to successfully foster an RCHS animal at NO COST to you:
- Foster Supplies (bedding, toys, enrichment, baby gates, etc.)
- Food
- Medical Care
- Behavior/Training Support
- Educational Workshops & Classes
RCHS seeks a minimum commitment of 3 weeks for foster assignments in most cases. This is the amount of time that an animal’s cortisol levels can take to diminish after the stressful event of moving from shelter to foster home. Too many trips to and from the shelter in a short period of time have shown to result in behavior changes, heightened emotional distress, and even health concerns in some cases.
RCHS Foster Volunteer Requirements & Expectations:
- The main foster volunteer in the household must be 18 years of age or older. (Teen fosters will need a parent or guardian to complete onboarding with them and act as the responsible party.)
- Ability to commit to a minimum of 3 weeks for foster assignments in most cases.
- Must have reliable transportation for transporting animal(s) to medical/adoption/special event appointments or transporting to an emergency veterinary partner in the case of an after hours medical emergency.
- Must reside within 30 miles of Rancho Coastal Humane Society (389 Requeza St. Encinitas, CA 92024). RCHS foster animals must not be taken outside of said radius.
- Ability to clearly and frequently communicate with the RCHS Foster & Medical Teams via phone, email, text, and mandatory foster animal surveys regarding the foster animal(s) behavior & wellbeing.
- Abide by policies & procedures set forth by the RCHS Foster Manuals, RCHS Foster Team, & RCHS Medical Team.
- Completion of online training & onboarding orientation prior to fostering your first pet.
Rancho Coastal Humane Society is proud to partner with other shelters and rescues across San Diego County for Project Dog Foster. We invite you to learn more about this awesome program by visiting www.projectdogfoster.org/
How to become a foster:
1.Fill out an application by clicking HERE.
2.Complete online training & onboarding orientation prior to accepting your first foster assignment.
3.Work with the Foster Team to determine which animal may be a good fit for your foster home.
4.Keep your foster animal happy, healthy, and adoptable by providing humane care and staying in communication with the RCHS Foster & Medical Teams.
5.Provide insight on your foster animal’s preferences and behaviors in a home setting via mandatory Foster Animal Surveys.
Filling out the application and completing the onboarding process does not guarantee a foster assignment. Foster homes are on an as-needed basis and availability of foster animals varies.
For more information, please contact foster@sdpets.org.
TEEN FOSTER PROGRAM
Rancho Coastal Humane Society offers a hands-on opportunity for teens who want to help homeless animals and earn service hours for school or an organization. This is a great way to gain responsibility while learning about animal care!
We are looking for teens and their families who care about animals and would be willing and able to foster pets in their home. The average length of time for each foster assignment is four to six weeks. (Fosters commit to a four-week minimum unless a shorter foster stay is arranged ahead of time with our foster coordinator).
The Teen Foster Program is open to teens who meet these requirements:
- Care about and want to help animals.
- At least 15 year-old.
- Parent approved as an RCHS foster, who is willing to oversee and help.
- Attend required training.
- Must have reliable transportation for vet appointments or meetings with the Foster Team.
How to get started:
1.Fill out a foster application with a parent/guardian present (be sure to mention the Teen Foster Program!) HERE.
2.Complete online training & onboarding orientation (with parent/guardian) prior to accepting first assignment.
Teen fosters must complete:
-Daily log of weights, feedings, observations, etc.
-Attend follow up/vet appointments
-Create animal(s) bio at the end of each assignment
Filling out the application and completing the onboarding process does not guarantee a foster assignment. Foster homes are on an as-needed basis and availability of foster animals varies.
For more information e-mail
foster@sdpets.org