How to Prepare For and Pick Up Your New Foster
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If an animal is going into foster care it is usually because they’ve been uprooted and need a safe place to land. Some animals are happy to see you no matter what but the rest are usually stunned and scared. They don’t know what is happening to them when you pick them up and they have no idea how good they are about to have it living with you. Creating a calm, comforting experience from the beginning will make your foster’s transition into your home much easier for everyone.
Just Before You Leave | Picking Up Your Foster | Arriving Home
Creating a Space For Your Foster
Safety & Hygiene
The two most critical factors when choosing a space to keep your new foster animal are hygiene and safety. Your shelter may have almost no information about your foster and there is only so much that can be detected, medically or behaviorally, in the short time they’ve been in care. YOU SHOULD NEVER ALLOW YOUR HOUSEHOLD PETS TO INTERACT WITH A NEW FOSTER. Certain illnesses take weeks to show symptoms and a physical altercation between animals could, at best, create a lot of tension in the house. If your pets do get sick or injured, the shelter may or may not provide free vet care. Some diseases are highly contagious and can survive for a year or more so plan on bleaching every surface your foster comes in contact with. Personally, I don’t introduce my fosters to our yard or household pets until there have been two weeks without signs of illness or aggression, but you should always follow your shelter’s recommendations.
Wash your hands after every interaction with your foster. I wear scrubs (pants and long sleeve top) over my clothes when dealing with a new foster or poopy puppies. That way, if your foster has something contagious (upper respiratory infections with sneezing and coughing are very common), you can leave the scrubs in your foster’s room and prevent direct contact with your household pets. Covering your skin will also protect you from zoonotic diseases (illnesses spread between animals and humans) like ringworm (fungus) or mange (parasitic mites). I have fostered more than 200 animals without any medical mishaps including a mom and eight puppies with undiagnosed mange for more than two months. So if you take these basic precautions the likelihood of spreading or contracting a disease is quite low.
Picking a Space
Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, mud rooms, offices, climate controlled garages and basements make good foster spaces.
Must Haves
Flooring made of tile, sealed cement, linoleum, vinyl - anything that can be bleached
Fabrics that can be thrown away or put in the washing machine
Complete physical separation from all household pets for two weeks or whatever is recommended by your animal rescue group
Zero electrical wires within chewing distance
Secure enclosure/cage (most shelters will provide)
Indoor bathroom (cats, kittens, puppies and incontinent dogs)
Temperature controlled with no drafts
Bonuses
Sink for filling water bowls, doing dishes and washing hands
Space is near activity in the house (after 2 week waiting period and only if it doesn’t cause fear or stress)
Easy access to outdoor potty area (dogs & puppies)
Subscribe & Get Some Freebies!
Beginner’s Guide to Whelping a Litter of Puppies
Foster Pickup Packets
Medication Log
Neonatal Handling & Weight Log
And more!
Cats & Kittens
Damage to mouse cord by unsupervised kittens
You might be tempted to let your foster cat or kitten out of its cage to explore their room but, beware, they can hide in places you never imagined and probably cannot reach, especially in laundry rooms. It will usually takes two people with a broom and a towel to retrieve a scared or angry cat.
Cats and kittens will also scratch, bite, climb and jump on everything they can reach…which is everything. No knick knack is safe, every soft surface is a potential scratching post and blinds and their strings make great toys. Shelves that aren’t attached to the wall can be knocked over which could be deadly.
Provide new items and toys to explore every day
Supervise them when not in their cage
Block off any hiding spaces where you can’t easily reach them
Put away any items in the room you don’t want them to damage
Secure or remove all surfaces they can jump onto
Provide them with appropriate scratching posts
Raise their cage up off the floor (cats feel safer up high and it’s easier on your back)
Dogs & Puppies
Dogs and puppies can’t jump like felines but they can chew and go to the bathroom on anything so you’ll want a secure pen to confine them while you are not supervising. Keep in mind that older puppies can climb out of most pens, especially when they’re bored, so it is smart to ‘puppy proof’ the room their in just in case of an escape. Large mom dogs will usually require a 4’ tall pen to keep them contained.
If you have a puppy or dog that is escaping from a pen, put large diameter PVC pipe over the top of the pen (saw a channel down the length) so their feet slip off when they try to climb over. Or, if you have a corner climber, tape a triangle of cardboard over the top of the corner.
Provide new items and toys to explore every day
Supervise them when not in their cage or pen
Their space will need to expand as they grow
Remove anything within their reach that you don’t want them to chew on
READ: Beginner’s Guide to Whelping a Litter of Puppies
Preparing Your Foster’s Space
Depending on your situation, you may or may not already have your foster supplies: cage, food bowls, litter box, etc. If you have these items or can pick them up ahead of time, set up their space before you pick up your foster.
Cleaning
Sanitize floors and walls before you set up especially if your foster is not fully vaccinated (puppies and kittens) or has a weakened immune system. Apply a one part bleach to 32 parts water solution to all surfaces and leave for at least 10 minutes, then rinse off. Letting the room air out for a day or so will reduce the intensity of the bleach smell.
Containment
We have a dog door that attached to an enclosed outdoor kennel. We screw eye hooks into the wall so we can attach a wire pen to create a fully enclosed area.
A cage or crate is a must — for your sake and the animal’s. It should be large enough for them to stand up and turn around (even larger for cats). Puppies will need a safe, secure place to be active during the day. A 24” or taller wire pen works well, but they will jump up and push the walls around so you’ll need a way to secure it. Your foster’s cage will need food, water and a soft place to sleep. Cats and kittens will need a litter box. Puppies will need 24hr access to a potty area with pee pads or newspaper. We use these 24”x24” plastic trays with pee pads to define our puppies’ potty area.
Stress Reduction
View our Calming Music Library
Cover the cage with a blanket or sheet to create a ‘den.’ A thicker material will make your foster feel more secure but will also make the cage warmer so use your judgement. There are products which mimic calming pheromones: Adaptil for dogs and Feliway for cats. They don’t work on every animal but can have a calming effect when sprayed inside their cage or room. Playing calming music or white noise has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, and it will drown out some of the new and potentially scary household noises. View our Calming Music Library
Just Before You Leave to Pick Up Your Foster
Calm & Quiet House
Bringing home a new foster is exciting especially if you have kids. Be sure that everyone in the house knows that the foster will arrive soon and that the house should be fairly calm when you return home. Kids should play quietly away from your foster’s room, tv’s shouldn’t be too loud, etc. for the first day, longer if your foster is fearful.
Love For Household Pets
Some household pets may not be too happy about their new roomie so it is a great idea to have a long lasting, delicious treat ready for them when you return. A raw bone or food stuffed toy (lots of recipes and ideas online) will not only keep you pet occupied while you attend to your foster but will help your pet associate good things with the arrival of a newcomer.
Prepare the Car
It’s not uncommon for a foster to be stressed by the car ride home. You will want to create an atmosphere in the car similar to the one you created in your home. YOUR FOSTER SHOULD ALWAYS TRAVEL IN A CRATE. It’s tempting to want to give them all the love, freedom and pampering possible but freedom in the car is not worth the risk. Most shelters will send you home with a crate but you might ask ahead of time or bring one just in case. Make the inside of the crate as cozy as the weather warrants and cover it with a sheet or blanket. You can spray one of the calming sprays we mentioned in your car and queue up a calming music playlist on your phone. Most animals are too stressed to eat while traveling (and some will even get car sick) but you could toss a few treats in the crate to set the stage for how good life is about to be.
If your kids come with to pick up your foster, remind them that he or she might be very scared and that they will have to be calm and quiet in the car. They will want to peek under the sheet, squeal, laugh and talk loudly (can you blame them?) but they could easily frighten their new friend by accident making it harder to build trust.
Earplugs
You might be very grateful you have them! WARNING: Earplugs are a choking hazard for small animals and children.
Picking Up Your Foster at the Shelter
Most shelters will provide you with all the supplies you need and paperwork. Ask questions about your foster’s history: where did they come from, what medical care have they received, etc.
Everything You Need When Picking Up a New Foster
Supply list
Shelter contact information
Basic medical & behavior information
Medication tracking form
Symptom & behavior log
For litters: Neonatal Handling & weight chart
If your foster is a healthy adult dog and you have the time, it is a great idea to take him or her for a nice long walk, preferably before you get in the car to go home. This gives them a little time to get to know you, work out some built up stress or energy and go to the bathroom. If the ride home is quite long, you may want to provide a bathroom for puppies, kittens and cats.
Once you have all your supplies, make sure the car is ready: temperature is comfortable, calming music is playing, cage is cozy and covered and passengers are quiet.
It is not uncommon for a foster to whine, cry, moan or howl on the ride home. Aside from everything mentioned above, there isn’t much else you can do aside from using a sedative prescribed by a vet (which would be unusual). Trying to sooth them by talking, in my experience, has never helped. If, by chance, they are crying to get your attention, then you talking to them becomes a reward for whining, making it more likely they will do so again. If the animal sounds like they are becoming very distressed then you should pull over to see if something is really wrong. Aside from that, put in your earplugs, play calming music, let them cry (they’ll probably settle down eventually) and you’ll be home soon.
Arriving Home with Your Foster
Since you got everything ready before you left, the only thing left to do is let everyone in the house know that you are home and to give your household pets their special treat, preferably in another part of the house.
Bring your foster directly to their space, put them in their cage, cover it and leave them alone for an hour. Most animals are a little stunned by the whole process and will appreciate a moment to adjust. If your foster whines or cries, do not respond until they are quiet again. Here are tips on how to handle whining. After an hour (as long as they are quiet), go back in and sit with your foster for a bit. All their interaction with you should be voluntary on their part. Offer tasty treats and if your foster won’t approach you, don’t worry, they will eventually. They need more time to adjust and you should leave them alone for a few hours.
If your foster seems pretty comfortable with the whole situation and the kids can’t wait to meet them, allow the children to come in, one at a time, to sit on the floor, offer tasty treats and wait for the animal to approach. REMEMBER: ANY ANIMAL CAN AND WILL BITE IF THEY ARE PUSHED PAST THEIR LIMIT AND EACH ANIMAL’S LIMIT IS DIFFERENT. CHILDREN SHOULD ALWAYS BE SUPERVISED AROUND ANIMALS. It is always better to to err on the side of caution for everyone involved. When it doubt, back off and take it slow.
Don’t forget to wash your hands!
Your Foster Will Thank You
It is tough being a shelter animal in a strange place, with strange people and no control over what is happening to them. But as their new foster, you’re about to change all of that by making them feel safe and secure from the moment they meet you. And they will be forever grateful.