click to see Animals in Need Of Foster Care 


What is the LCAS Foster Care Program?

It is a very successful volunteer program utilizing members of the public who open their hearts and homes to save shelter animals.  Because our shelter building is small and outdated, many fostered pets could ONLY be saved thanks to our foster care volunteers.  Foster homes are a key component in Lane County's committment to Saving Adoptable and Treatable Animals.



What Kind of Animals Need Foster Care?

Foster homes are primarily needed for animals that are not yet ready for adoption.  This typically means:

• Infant kittens that just need time to grow up and receive their vaccines so that they will be healthy and ready to adopt when they come back to the shelter at 8 weeks of age.
• Pregnant or nursing mother cats with babies.
• Adult dogs and cats that need medical care to recover from an illness or surgery. 
• Dogs that need some training or improved social skills before being adopted.
• Fearful dogs that cannot cope in the stressfull kennel environment.
• LCAS does not often need foster care for pregnant/nursing dogs or litters of puppies.  If you are interested in this kind of fostering, we'd be happy to direct you to organizations that do.

 Sometimes the shelter becomes so full that we need foster care for highly adoptable animals that just need a place to crash while waiting to meet their match. 



What Do Foster Homes Do?

Foster parents provide basic care for the animal while it is in their care.  This includes:

• Food, shelter, loving attention and basic training (like housetraining or litterbox training).  
• Some fostered animals need transportation to LCAS periodically for vaccines, medical check-ups or spay/neuter surgery. Some need to be kept on strict special diets, or need daily medications.
• We depend on foster homes to provide kittens with the most socialization possible, as friendly outgoing kittens are the most adoptable!
• We depend on dog fosters to provide basic housetraining, leash training and basic house manners.
• Many foster homes help advertize and promote their fostered pets, including answering phone calls or emails about them and meeting with potential adopters.  Others prefer not to do this at all.

LCAS will provide you with:

• Food and litter, although we HUGELY appreciate it when foster homes can cover some of these costs.
• Veterinary care, medications, vaccines and spay/neuter surgery.
• Access to our veterinary staff and our training staff for assistance with your fostered animals.
• Advertizing and promotion for fostered pets in our monthly newspaper ads, web presence and radio ads.

 How Long Will An Animal Stay in Foster Care?

This really varies from case to case.  Generally, healthy kittens stay in foster care for about 3 weeks, while pregnant/nursing cats with litters may need up to 3 months.  One of our biggest needs is foster care for sneezy kittens.  Thier recovery usually takes 2-3 weeks of medications.  Some dogs are adopted within a week, others have training needs that require several months of care.  Older dogs and those with special needs naturally take longer to rehome than young ones with no challenges.  We can help you find the right match for your lifestyle.



What if I Have An Emergency With My Fostered Animal?  

LCAS does not have a 24 hour phoneline.  If you can no longer keep your fostered charges, they can be brought back to LCAS the next business day.  Medical emergencies can be handled by the Emergency Veterinary Hospital, or by our veterinary staff the next day.  We try to match foster home up with pets that will not be more challenging than is appropriate, so that there won't be many emergencies!
There have been rare cases where very sick animals have died in foster care, and there have been cases where dogs have escaped from foster care. We understand that accidents can happen, and we provide support to our foster homes even in times of crisis.  

Won't  I (Or My Kids) Get Too Attached to My Foster Pet? 

Maybe!  There have been cases where foster homes have opted to adopt their foster pet after falling in love.  Foster homes are allowed to do this, of course, and need to fill out adoption paperwork and meet all of the standard requirements for adoption like anyone else.  We typically do NOT offer "discounts" for foster homes for healthy, adoptable animals.

Some parents are worried that their children will be heartbroken to see the animals go to new homes.  For most kids (and adults!) the brief sadness of saying goodbye is soothed by the knowledge that you have helped save a life, and that you do not need to personally own an animal to love and care for her like your own.  This lesson of empathy and compassion for pets that are not your own is one of the most important things any of us can learn.  A community of people who can love and care for animals that are not even their own is a warmer, safer community for all homeless pets.




What's Next?  How do I Become a Foster Home for LCAS? 

• You can contact the foster program coordinator, Kylie Belachaikovsky, at 541-682-2388, or at kylie.belachaikovsky@co.lane.or.us.
• You will need to fill out a foster application for dogs or cats and meet with Kylie before taking an animal or a litter of kittens home.
• You can see a partial list of animals currently needing foster care here.  Please contact Kylie if you are interested in helping any of these particular animals.