Foster

The length of time a pet spends in foster care depends on the individual pet and his or her specific needs. Dogs and cats who have been in our care more than 30 days typically spend two to four weeks in foster care. Average lengths of foster care for underage juveniles and pets recovering from surgery are typically between two and eight weeks.

Bottle baby foster pets (those requiring overnight feedings) need more involved care than an adult pet. We will discuss expectations of time and care specific to each foster pet with you prior to placement. We will never expect you to foster a pet whom you are not fully comfortable fostering.

All medications, supplements, and vaccinations will be prescribed and provided by the Richmond SPCA medical staff. We provide all necessary foster supplies (food, crate, toys, bedding, etc.); however, if you want to provide any of these items, that help is greatly appreciated and stretches our budget further!

Many of our foster care volunteers are also parents of young children and other pets. We will work with you to best assure pets placed with your family (both two- and four-legged members) are appropriate matches. We can also set up meet and greets between foster pet candidates and your own pets. 

If a foster pet isn’t the right fit, contact our foster care team. We never expect a foster care volunteer to keep a pet they are uncomfortable delivering care to.

If you are planning to travel out of town while fostering a pet and want to take the pet with you, please be sure to check first with our foster care staff. You also have the option to bring the pet back to our humane center and pick him or her up after you return from your travels (provided the pet is still available for foster care). We also have success finding fill-in foster care volunteers while foster care volunteers are away!