Did you know: If less that 2% of pet-owning households in the U.S. fostered one pet a year we could eliminate unnecessary euthanasia tomorrow.

Foster a pet and save a life  (or more).

Opening your home to a foster pet saves lives, plus it frees up space for another pet to be rescued. Fostering a pet, whether for days, weeks or months may be short-term, but the results are long lasting — not only to the pet, but to you, too. Studies have shown that having a furry friend around can reduce anxiety and help relieve stress — not to mention brighten even the dreariest days.

Here are just a few ways fostering makes a huge impact!

• A shelter can be a noisy, stressful place, especially for shy and frightened animals. Providing a loving, quiet, safe space goes a long way toward preparing an animal for adoption.
• Orphaned or newborn animals, as well as those with special medical needs or behavioral challenges, benefit greatly from the one-on-one attention they receive in foster care. 
• Fostering helps pets get accustomed to life in a home, smooths their way toward adoption and helps set them up for success in their forever homes.
• If you’re thinking about adopting a cat or dog, fostering is a great way to find out you and your family are ready for the lifetime commitment. 

Welcome To The Foster Department at OHS:

Here at the Oregon Humane Society we are constantly striving to grow and improve our robust foster program. OHS established the foundation for the current foster program around 40+ years ago. Since then each steward of this program has worked tirelessly to expand the parameters of what fostering can accomplish for pets that have come to us in need. As we look to the future of what fostering can provide for not just the pets that rely on us but the community as a whole, we look to you.  You joining our program allows us to say “yes”.  “Yes” to over crowded shelters who need transport,  “Yes” to big friendly dogs passed over in other shelter, “Yes” to areas seeing kitten explosion, “Yes” to providing disaster response, “Yes” to cruelty cases. “Yes” to saving more lives.

Please carefully read each of the following sections about what kinds of pet assignments we send to foster and what is required to be a foster parent for us.  If after you have read each piece and still think we are the program for you, you will be able to apply.  If you read through the next section and realize that we are not offering what you are looking for, we still highly encourage you to reach out to another shelter or rescue near you!  Almost every shelter and rescue in the U.S. is actively seeking additional foster parents.  The right fit is out there for youJ  If you need help finding options, one way is search is to bestfriends.org/our-work/adopt-near-you ( this site allows you to put in where you live and then lists shelter and rescues near you).