When you adopt from a no-kill shelter, you save two lives. The animal you adopt and the one that replaces them.
New Adult Volunteer Meeting
November 2, 2024 10:00am
P.A.W.S. of Tinley Park
8301 W. 191st, Tinley Park, IL
UPCOMING EVENTS
Many of our dogs and cats cannot go directly into our shelter – the only way we can save these animals is with the help of foster homes.
Fosters provide a temporary home for pets in the care of P.A.W.S. while they are awaiting their forever home or the opportunity to move into our onsite adoption location.
There are so many benefits to opening your home to foster a dog or cat, but just to name a few:
Have an animal companion without the lifetime commitment.
Help an animal recover from an illness/injury, with medical care covered by P.A.W.S..
Give extra TLC to puppies and kittens too young to be adopted.
Foster homes help animals transition from the stress of living at the shelter.
Fill out our foster application by clicking here. Have question? You can email us at fosters@pawstinleypark.org .
Anyone! Even if you work full-time, you can still foster (depending on the needs of each individual animal(s). All you need is a desire to help animals in need. You do need to be located with one hour of the shelter’s location in case of emergency.
Unfortunately we do not allow you to test drive the animal(s). Changing their environment frequently causes too much stress so we try to minimize that as much as possible.
If a situation arises with the animal you are fostering, please contact the shelter or anyone on the emergency contact list to discuss solutions.
This depends on each individual foster animal(s). You will need to have a safe space in your home where you can keep the foster animals separate from your own pets for the duration of their care. We will supply you with food/medications and most other necessary items to care for the animal(s).
At any given time, we may need foster homes for cats and dogs for so many different needs. Below are some examples:
We cover the cost of all of the medical needs, approved veterinarian visits, food, bowls, playpens, litter boxes, cages etc. while you are fostering so there is no cost to the foster home.
We have both cat and dogs, who are available for either short-term or long-term care.
This depends on each individual animal(s). Most kittens/puppies need to continue in foster care until they have been altered, vaccinated and ready for adoption. This typically takes 4-6 weeks with frequent appointments at the shelter and our local vet clinic.
In a long-term foster home, it is up to the family/individual as to how long they/you will foster the dog or cat. Ideally, the dog or cat would reside in the foster home until they are adopted. This could be anywhere from a week to several months. Requirements of fostering a long term dog or cat would include bringing the dog or cat to P.A.W.S. for potential adoption visits. We do our best to accommodate the foster family and potential adopter for the best day and time to meet.
Yes, as long as your landlord allows for you to have dogs or cats in the residence. A copy of your lease will be required along with your landlord’s contact information.
Yes, a copy of your bylaws will be required at time of application.
Young puppies and kittens cannot be housed at the shelter itself because they are vulnerable to becoming ill without any vaccines to protect them. We need short-term foster homes (typically 4-6 weeks) to provide a healthy, germ-free environment and lots of tender, loving care to kittens and puppies or pregnant dogs or cats.
P.A.W.S. provides you with a playpen or kennel, food, bowls, newspaper, etc- anything you need. You will need to bring the puppy(s) back to the shelter on specified dates for vaccines as well as a neutering/spaying appointment at a specified date. We of course pay for the neutering/spaying and any other vet appointments that P.A.W.S. has agreed to. The animal can return to the shelter for adoption once all the vaccines and any medical procedures have been completed.
You will need to have a safe space in your home where you can keep the foster animals separate from your own pets for the duration of their care if fostering young puppies or kittens that have not received all of their vaccines yet. When fostering an adult dog or cat that is up to date on all of their vaccines already, we will need to introduce any current dog you have to the foster animal at the shelter to make sure they get along and they would not have to be kept separate at home. Your current dog or cat has to be spayed/neutered, current on distemper & rabies vaccines and Heartworm (dogs) or FeLV/FIV (cats) tested in order to foster.
P.A.W.S. will pay for any approved medical care that is necessary for the animal(s). Most medical care will be done here at the shelter, but at times it may be necessary for you to bring the animals to one of our veterinarians for care. Most vaccinations, dewormings, etc will be done here at the shelter on specific schedules, so you will have to be able to bring them to the shelter for those scheduled appointments.
Don’t worry. There is a list of home contact numbers given to every foster home. The people on the list are all very experienced foster homes themselves and will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
These precious, loving creatures come to us scared and confused and they often become quickly depressed. They do not adapt well to losing their family and comforts of a home and they often become gravely ill because of this depression.
There is a bright side to this sad story, however, and that is the miracle of a FOSTER HOME! By offering one of these kitties a place to stay while we vaccinate them and booster those vaccinations you will be giving them a precious advantage that can truly mean the difference between life and death.
If you decide that your foster pet should become a permanent family member in your home, it’s a wonderful thing! You will simply need to let your foster counselor know you would like to adopt your foster, fill out the adoption application, and pay the posted adoption fee.
You can email us at fosters@pawstinleypark.org
8301 W. 191st Street
Tinley Park, Illinois 60487
Telephone: (815) 464-7298