Foster Care Program

Want to be a

foster caretaker?

Our foster network is a vital part of our ability to help more animals. We need volunteers to provide foster care for a variety of reasons which may include:

Kittens that need to gain weight before they can be spayed or neutered
A mother cat or dog that needs a quiet place to nurse her litter
A shy dog or cat in need of socialization
Dogs or cats that need a course of medication for respiratory illness
Dogs or cats recovering from a surgical procedure
Cats or dogs available for adoption but do better outside of the shelter environment.

**Because our Foster Care Volunteers need to focus their volunteer time on the many homeless animals in our care, Capital Humane Society does not foster owned animals. If you are no longer able to care for your pet and would like to surrender him/her to us, please click here to learn more. If you're looking for a temporary foster home click here. **

We are always looking for new foster parents to continue to help the animals in our care. For more information about becoming a foster parent and more FAQs, see below.

Current Foster Parent Link to Foster Board: https://tinyurl.com/npy2z4z2

apply today!

How to become a foster parent

In order to become a foster parent, you must:

Be at least 18 years old.
Have the consent of all adults living in your household.
Have the consent of your landlord, if applicable.
Have current vaccinations for all your household pets in your home.
Agree to keep foster felines indoors, at all times.
Agree to a virtual home visit with our program coordinator.
Attend and complete the foster care orientation class.

The first step to becoming a foster parent is to complete the foster care application. Click the Foster Caretaker Application button at the top of the page to complete the online form. After you have completed the application form you will receive a response from our foster coordinator in 48-72 hours to schedule a home visit. After that, you will be contacted by the foster coordinator about current animals in need of a foster home.

As part of the program, CHS will provide you with all supplies needed to care for the animals. This includes food, litter, medications, litter boxes, and more.

Benefits of fostering

Some of the great benefits of fostering include:

Foster parents are able to provide potential adopters with accurate information pertaining to the foster animal's likes and dislikes better ensuring a successful, permanent match.
A foster animal provides lots of fun and companionship for any pre-existing pets in your household.
Fostering a shelter animal enables that animal to live in a comfortable home environment.
Taking a shelter animal into your home provides space so that CHS can more easily accommodate additional animals.
Looking into the eyes of your foster animal and knowing that they are full of gratitude and unconditional love.
Fostering enables you to touch the lives of many animals over the course of time

FAQ

What does it cost to foster?

We furnish all the supplies you need including food, litter, bedding, toys and enrichment items, and medical care. Foster parents are responsible for traveling to and from the shelter for medical care and foster care appointments. The frequency of appointments varies depending on the reason an animal is being fostered.

How long will I have my foster?

Fostering may last anywhere from two weeks to several months, depending on the pet's needs.

Can my foster animal interact with my pets?

All fosters should be kept separate from your resident pets, if they are being treated for a possibly contagious illness like Kennel Cough, Upper Respiratory Illness, etc. This will help prevent spreading known or unknown illnesses to your resident animals. While it may be difficult, it is best to consider the health of all the animals under your care. However, animals in foster care for socialization or non-contagious medical issues are encouraged to interact and social with other pets. Remember to always supervise foster animals while they are interacting with resident pets.

Where should I keep my foster animal?

A separate room or enclosed area without carpet makes it easier to clean. Often a bathroom, laundry room, or basement would work best.

What do I do with my foster animals if I have to leave town?

Let us know, as soon as possible, and we'll find them another foster home.

Resources

Below are resources available to potentially help you keep your pet:

Pet Food

Lincoln Animal Ambassadors
Capital Humane Society Pawsitive Impact Project (Now located at Stransky Veterinary Center 5505 O St)

Spay/Neuter

Stransky Veterinary Center
Lincoln Animal Ambassadors
Lincoln Animal Control - call to inquire about a spay/neuter voucher
Owned Barn Cats or Feral Community Cats - contact Chrissy with CHS at 402-473-5362 or email foster@capitalhumanesociety.org
Feral Community Cats - contact Brave Animal Rescue or The Cat House

Medical Expenses

Lincoln Animal Control 402-441-7900 may be able to cover an exam fee
Sadie Dog Fund (emergencies only)
Coalition for Pet Protection
Waggle
Nora's Fund
Bow Wow Buddies Foundation
Molly's Hope Grant
Red Rover Grant
SPCA Operation Military Pets (For all Military members, including veterans, reservists, active duty, and DOD Contractors)

The following are payment plans that your vet may be able to accept.

Affordable Euthanasia

Affordable Urgent Vet Care

Low Cost Vaccinations

Stransky Veterinary Center

Landlord Fees

CHS Landlord Voucher

Go here for information on: Renting with an Assistance Animal

Pet Friendly Housing

On most rental search sites, you can filter results to show you housing that allows pets. After searching for the area where you are moving, choose the filter option and look for an option to select for pet friendly, allows cats/dogs, etc. Most rentals in the Lincoln area have breed restrictions, weight limits, a limit on the number of pets you can have in the household, and a pet fee/rent/deposit. Please confirm with the leasing office or landlord to get specifics before deciding on a new home to ensure your pet can make the move with you.

Grooming

CHS Grooming Voucher
Embark Restore Rover Program
Pet Central Station offers reduced price walk-in nail trims on the last Wednesday of the month
Embark Grooming offers reduced price walk-in nail trims on Saturdays at 12pm and 2pm
Pet Wants offers reduced price walk-in nail trims on the Second Saturday of every month from 9am-3pm

Behavior Resources

CHS Behavior Handouts
CHS Behavior Classes
GoodPup
CHS Behavior & Training Assistance Voucher
Best Friend's Dog Training Resources
Low-Cost Spay/Neuter (see above): Fixing your pet is a great start to addressing behavior problems- especially if your pet has been running away (see article) or not getting along with other pets in the home. Why spay or neuter your pet?

Temporary Fostering & Boarding

Home to Home
Shelter Me (domestic violence)
Red Rover Safe Escape Grants (domestic violence)
Dogs on Deployment (military)
PACT (military)
Boarding in Lincoln on Yelp
Rover (in the sitter's home)