foster faq's

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Our Woof On Campus Foster Application is under  the "Fostering" drop-down heading.

We welcome all undergraduate and graduate student fosters! If you're a student on a gap year or a recent grad, we will definitely make an exception!

All we require is that you are reasonably local to our Woof team in the case of an emergency and are able to drive for check-ups, photos, etc. if necessary. As of right now, we are serving the Los Angeles area.

If you are not a student and are still interested in fostering, check out our list of Los Angeles rescues to contact. Many are in need of fosters or have their own foster programs!

We're neither! Woof On Campus acts as the liaison between local rescues and college students. Rescues have so much work to do to help our furry friends, so we exist to help them out where they need it! 

When you apply to foster via Woof On Campus, our Team will match you to a local rescue with an animal in need of fostering. After you have completed our required Foster Orientation, you will be ready to coordinate your fostering experience with our rescue partners! Our Woof On Campus Fostering Team is also available to answer any questions you may have regarding your experience.

As a reminder, Woof On Campus cannot accept owner surrenders. But we can put you in contact with a rescue near you or one of our partner rescues! Woof On Campus does not own or claim to own any animals; for all animal adoption inquiries, reach out to the rescue.

Our Foster Application ensures that we have all of the necessary information to contact you and locate our fostered animals at all times. A digital signature is required on all contractual agreements on the Foster Contract section of the Application in order to foster.

You may be required to fill out a secondary Foster Contract for the rescue you are paired with when fostering. All of these contracts are legally binding in order to keep all of our animals and volunteers safe and sound.

We ask that anyone intending on fostering to commit to fostering the rescue until they are adopted. This can be anywhere from two weeks, to two+ months. Moving foster homes can be very tough on rescue animals, so we try and keep doing so to an absolute minimum. We require a 72 hour notice in an emergency to move an animal to a new foster.

Most commonly you will be receiving an animal directly from where it has been rescued, whether that be the streets, or a home, or the vet. The status may of the animal's health and training may be unknown until it is in a your care and you make the first observations. 

Being a foster parent means you will be loving and provide the best care possible to your foster pet, including keeping your rescue contacts up to date on the animal's health and behaviors. Also, the rescue will require good quality photos as well as a description of personality of the animal to post the animal online for adoption. 

Unvaccinated animals are not allowed to go outside on public grounds, such as going for a walk, in order to protect their health, but your private, fenced yard or patio is fine for dogs (not cats) as long as the dog is supervised and cannot escape. Vaccinated dogs are typically allowed to go for walks, but we do not recommend taking them into close contact with other unknown animals for the safety of the foster and other animals. 

Most importantly, have fun with your foster animal! Playing fetch or tug of war or cuddling together are fun activities to do with your foster each day. Fostering means saving lives, and you are a hero to your foster animal.

The answer to this question can vary greatly. If the rescue animal is an owner surrender or is coming from a previous foster parent, we will likely have significant information about their temperament and preferences. However if the animal was recently rescued, we frequently know very little about age, temperament, preferences, etc. We ask that all of our volunteers who foster to have ample understanding about the difficulties rescue animals undergo, and have lots of patience when training and working with a rescue dog. 

Adoption fees are required by rescues when their animals are adopted. These fees typically cover neuter/spay surgeries, vaccinations, and some pet essentials (food, bed, etc.). Fostering is completely free, and all supplies are provided to you. 

You can! If your dog at home is friendly, and the dog you are fostering is confirmed to be friendly around other animals, you are more than welcome to foster while having another dog at home. Your dog at home must also be spayed/neutered if you will be fostering a dog of the opposite sex who is not yet spayed/neutered. Your dog at home should also be up to date on all of its vaccinations for its safety as well as the safety of the foster. 

We also ask that you properly introduce any new animals to your rescue friend! Please be very intentional and careful when introducing new dogs, and strictly limit dog parks, doggie play dates, and any off leash walks for a new animal who you do not know well. 

Any animals who do not already have a name, you are more than welcome to name. However, if they come into our foster program with a name already, please keep their name to avoid any unnecessary stress and confusion for the animals. 

Rescues may sometimes change the name of your foster online if there is another dog in rescue with the same name.

Absolutely! As long as you are communicative about all needs and requirements for your dog, we always appreciate our fosters supporting one another. Some members cannot foster dogs due to living arrangements, but always want an opportunity to walk a dog from time to time!

Our Dawgs On Campus program allows students that have attended a foster orientation to  sign up to dog sit while our student fosters are in class or attending to other responsibilities. This is an opportunity for students who cannot foster to still help out in the care of our dogs. Check out our Dawgs On Campus page for more info.