Fostering saves lives! Now is the time!
Meet Legacy. Legacy came to Paws and Prayers in 2017. She, along with her son, came to us after we saved them from a back yard breeder. Legacy missed out on so much in life! She came to us malnourished, with dental problems, and easily intimidated. With love and a guiding hand from her foster home, Legacy is now just that: a testament to the legacy that Paws and Prayers strives to leave in the communities we serve. Fostering saves lives…fostering saved Legacy’s life.
Paws and Prayers is in desperate need of foster homes! Fostering can be a flexible, fun, and rewarding opportunity. Paws and Prayers works with their foster volunteers to find the perfect foster pet for their household. Like puppies, young dogs? Small dogs, big? Kittens? Adult cats? We have them all and they can’t wait to meet you!
Fostering is a great way to get involved (and to generate volunteer hours) without having to make the commitment of adoption or even of volunteering in person at a facility. Foster volunteers care for pets in their own home; Paws and Prayers provides the supplies and the volunteers stay as involved in the adoption process as they like!
Reasons animals need fostering: to alleviate the pressure on local animal control facilities who are nearing or are at capacity; to help owners safely find a new, loving home for their pet in circumstances that they are unable to keep them; to rehabilitate hurt or neglected animals; or even to raise animals too young to take care of themselves. A foster home provides the socialization, interaction, and training needed to make the animals more adoptable. Preparation time is provided to the animal by the foster parents to ensure the animal becomes more foster parents to ensure the animal becomes more secure and used to life in a house, while also learning people are kind and food is always available. All of this helps prepare the pet for a new life in a permanent home.
Fostering is an amazing and educational growing experience that, although can be intimidating at first, is unbelievably rewarding! Do not hesitate to contact us with questions! Paws and Prayers has a supportive group of volunteers here to see you through the process. We can’t wait to meet you and to have you foster for us!
Fostering FAQ
What is fostering going to cost me?
All supplies (food, crate, dishes, toys, linens, medical) needed for fostering a dog/cat will be provided to you by the organization out of our Cuyahoga Falls office.
Where do the foster animals come from?
Paws and Prayers’ priority is to assist Ohio-area animal control facilities who are at or nearing capacity in order to help them avoid euthanizing animals. Some pounds that we routinely “pull” animals from include Summit County Animal Control, Knox County Dog Pound, Franklin County Animal Shelter, Cleveland City Dogs, Mahoning County Pound and Muskingum County Pound. Periodically, we assist the public with rehoming their dogs and cats either by allowing them to foster their own pet while finding it suitable placement or by having them surrender it to us and having a foster home take it. Paws and Prayers does not take in stray dogs per county law.
Are these animals vaccinated/healthy?
Paws and Prayers has a network of veterinarians dedicated to providing spay/neuter and medical care for the animals whenever needed. Animals are vaccinated the day we receive them, and we keep them up-to-date on vaccinations as long as they are in our care. As a precaution, however, your own pets must be up-to-date on their vaccinations, and that you keep your foster pets isolated from your own pets for at least the first few days to ensure there are no underlying health issues/concerns. Paws and Prayers will never ask our fosters to take an animal with extraneous health concerns unless they so choose. Paws and Prayers animals are spayed/neutered, up to date on vaccines, dewormed and microchipped prior to being adopted.
What type of animals can I foster?
We understand some environments are not suited for certain animals and some families are have different interests. We actively look for fosters willing to foster adult dogs/cats, senior dogs/cats, puppies/kittens, and families (puppies/kittens with mother). Dependent upon your situation and availability, Paws and Prayers will work with each foster family to ensure the most suitable match for each foster home.
How do you find homes for all of these animals?
Upon receiving the animals available for adoption, foster parents and/or members of Paws and Prayers will create a name for the pet, take pictures, create a description/profile and then post the animal for adoption on our website and several other national adoption websites. Foster volunteers also must make their foster pet available for weekend adoption events (either by attending them yourself or by dropping them off for a volunteer to take). Many of the animals need the additional exposure to potential adopters that events can provide. Length of time each pet spends in foster homes vary; generally, the minimum commitment is two weeks, some a month; some longer, some shorter.
Foster parents review applications submitted by potential adopters interested in their foster pets. They work with senior members of Paws and Prayers to decide whether or not the applicants are a match for their foster pet. The foster family plays a big role in choosing the family best suited for their foster pets. However, if the foster parents would prefer, Paws and Prayers can handle any of these steps for them as well.
How can I become a foster parent?
Click here to fill out our application to foster. We look forward to your joining our group and supporting our cause to save the animals!