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, 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.

Provide a clean, and caring environment, Give access to food, water, litter, toys/enrichment, and shelter, Keep in touch with PORT, Transport to/from any necessary vet appointment or adoption events, Conduct meet and greets with potentia adopters, and, most importantly, have fun with your temporary fur guest!

Fostering saves lives! Many shelters still kill perfectly healthy pets because they run out of space. Finding a foster home for them is sometimes the only way to save them. Because shelters have limited capacity, the number of lives they save depends entirely on the number of fosters willing to open their homes to them.

In addition to increasing a shelter’s lifesaving capacity, fostering improves the quality of life for each homeless pet. A home environment transforms pets for the better, significantly improving their mental and physical wellbeing. Put simply, fostering saves lives and makes those lives better.

We ask that you keep your foster dog until adoption, but we require a minimum two week commitment (although there are frequently shorter-term options available). We are unable to predict how long it will take for your foster dog to be adopted as it is case specific. Young puppies are typically adopted very quickly.

Our fosters need to be at least 18 years old. However, if the adults in the household are on board, we offer volunteer hours to teens for fostering. Teens will earn 2 hours of volunteer hours per each day the pet is fostered in the home.

Certain supplies like collars, leashes, and crates (as available), Assistance with caring for your foster dog, including behavior and medical support, All medical care for your foster dog, as deemed appropriate by our Medical Team, Dog sitters for when you go out of town, Assistance with marketing your foster dog for adoption and interacting with potential adopters, Educational resources and opportunities, Responsive communications

Fosters should live within 60 miles of PORT’s Springboro locabion. Fosters generally pick up their foster dog in the Springboro area, medical care is provided at surrounding clinics. Generally, as a foster, you are responsible for transporting your foster dog to and from PORT for any necessary appointments. Fosters are also responsible for working with anyone who is taking custody of their foster dog (a sitter, a new foster, or an adopter) on transporting their foster dog to them. Fosters do not need to own their own car, but they are responsible for arranging this transportation. PORT is actively working on getting a volunteer base to help fosters in this effort.

EVERY ANIMAL at PORT is available to foster (unless they are already in a foster home). Please visit this page to pick out your new foster friend.

Yes! Help us spread the word that fostering saves lives! One of the most effective ways to recruit new fosters is by word of mouth. Please tell your community about fostering and ask them to email us at petsofohiorescueteam@gmail.com for more information. Adopt. Volunteer. Donate.