Foster a Dog
"I'm the kind of person who can't stand seeing an animal suffer. If I have the space to help,
even temporarily, I'm going to use it."
People like you - with big hearts and open homes - are exactly who these dogs are waiting for.
You don't need to be an expert. You don't need a perfect house. You don't even need to commit
to forever. Just a temporary safe place while they wait for their permanent family.
Some fosters keep dogs for weeks while they find their match. Some do "sleepover fosters" for
a weekend to give a dog a break from shelter stress. Some specialize in puppies. Some prefer
seniors. Some take the "difficult" cases - the shut-down dogs, the medically fragile, the ones
everyone else overlooks.
Here's what matters: fostered dogs are 14-20 times more likely to be adopted than shelter dogs.
Not because fosters do anything magical, but because a dog in a home environment can finally
show who they really are. The scared shelter dog who wouldn't make eye contact? In a foster home,
they become the goofy companion who steals socks and sleeps on their back. That's who adopters
fall in love with.
Real Foster Story: Rachel's Journey
"I thought I'd just be a temporary stopover in their journey - a warm bed and some food while
they waited for their real family. But my first foster, a senior pittie named Bella who'd been
in the shelter for 8 months, taught me something profound. The first week, she wouldn't look at
me. She'd flinch if I moved too fast. She didn't know how to play. She didn't trust that food
would keep coming.
By week three, she was following me room to room. By week five, she'd figured out toys. By
week seven, she was sleeping curled against me, snoring peacefully. When her adopters came to
meet her, they didn't see the shut-down dog from the shelter photos. They saw a sweet, goofy
girl who loved belly rubs and brought them her favorite toy.
I didn't just give her temporary housing. I gave her the space to heal. To remember that
humans can be kind. To trust again. That's not temporary. That changes everything - for her,
for her new family, and honestly, for me too. I've fostered 23 dogs since Bella. Every single
one teaches me something about resilience, trust, and the power of just showing up."
- Rachel, foster volunteer for 4 years
Your spare room. Your quiet home. Your patient heart. That's all you need to save lives.
Learn About Fostering
Transport
"I have a car and some free time. If I can use that to save a life, why wouldn't I?"
You have a vehicle. You have a few hours occasionally. That's literally all you need to move a
dog from a high-kill shelter to safety. Transport volunteers are the invisible heroes of rescue -
the connective tissue that makes the whole network function.
Here's how it works: A dog is pulled by a rescue in San Diego, but the foster is in Pasadena.
That's 130 miles. No single person can always make that drive. But five people can each drive
a 30-minute leg. You drive from Corona to Claremont - 30 minutes there, 30 back. Someone else
picks up from Claremont. By the end of the day, a dog who was on death row is in a foster home,
safe and decompressing.
That short drive? It's the difference between a dog dying in a shelter and arriving at a foster
home where they'll heal, grow, and find their person. Your hour made that possible.
Real Transport Story: Marcus's First Run
"I'd been following rescue pages for months, feeling helpless. I wanted to foster but my
landlord doesn't allow it. I wanted to adopt but I travel for work. Then I saw a transport
request: 'Need someone to get a senior beagle from Riverside to Corona. 20-minute drive.
She has a rescue and a foster waiting. Just need to get her there.'
I thought, I drive through Corona every day. I can do this. I pulled up to the shelter, and
they brought out this gray-muzzled beagle named Daisy. She was shaking, wouldn't make eye
contact. They loaded her into my car. For 20 minutes, I talked to her softly. By the time
we got to the handoff point, she'd stopped shaking.
I handed her to the next driver and watched her tail wag - just a little - for the first time.
I drove 20 minutes. That's it. But I was part of the chain that saved her life. Two months
later, the rescue posted her adoption photos. A family with two kids and another senior dog.
She looked happy. Like she'd always belonged there.
I've done 47 transports since then. Every single one matters."
- Marcus, transport volunteer for 2 years
Your commute could become a lifeline. Your weekend errand could save a life. You're already
driving anyway - why not drive with purpose?
Volunteer to Transport
Donate
"I can't foster or transport right now, but I can help in other ways. Money talks,
and I'm going to make mine say something that matters."
Your generosity tells a scared dog that someone cares whether they live or die. Every dollar helps
cover emergency vet bills, heartworm treatment, spay/neuter surgery, food, medications, medical
boarding for dogs too sick or injured to go straight to foster homes.
Rescues operate on razor-thin margins. Most are run by volunteers from their own homes, funded
by donations and adoption fees that rarely cover actual costs. The difference between pulling a
dog and leaving them behind often comes down to a simple, brutal calculation: can we afford the
vet work this dog needs?
Your donation isn't just money. It's the answer to "can we save this one?" It's the senior dog
with a heart murmur who gets treated instead of euthanized. It's the pregnant mama who gets
prenatal care and a safe place to have her puppies. It's the heartworm-positive dog who gets
the months-long treatment that saves their life.
Real Donation Impact: The $300 That Saved Two Lives
"It was 4 PM on a Friday. We had two dogs on the urgent list at a shelter closing in an hour.
A senior pittie with a heart condition - his vet work would cost $400. A pregnant lab mix who
needed immediate prenatal care - another $350. We had $450 in the rescue fund. We'd have to
choose. Save the senior or save the mom and her unborn puppies.
I posted about it on our page, not even hoping for much. Just venting my frustration at having
to make these impossible choices. At 4:37 PM, a woman I'd never met sent $300 with a note: 'Save
them both. Someone has to.'
We pulled both dogs at 4:52 PM. The senior - we named him Duke - lived another three beautiful
years with his adoptive family. The pregnant lab - Rosie - had six healthy puppies two weeks
later. All seven found homes. That's eight lives saved because one person decided her money
should mean something.
She still donates $50 every month. She's never met any of the dogs she's saved. She doesn't
need to. She knows."
- Lisa, rescue coordinator
You don't need to be wealthy to make a difference. $10 buys food for a week. $50 covers basic
vet work. $200 treats heartworm. Every dollar is a choice to save instead of abandon.
Ways to Donate
Network & Share
"I have a platform. I'm going to use it for something that matters."
You're scrolling social media anyway. What if those minutes could save a life? Networkers share
dogs on social media, exponentially expanding their reach. That German Shepherd on the euthanasia
list? Your share gets him seen by 500 people. One of them shares it to their network - 500 more.
Someone in that second wave knows someone looking for a German Shepherd. Or works for a rescue.
Or has a foster home opening up.
You were the first domino. You made the connection possible.
Networkers don't need kennels or fosters. They just need social media accounts and the willingness
to share. But that simple act - posting a dog's photo, writing a compelling description, tagging
rescue groups - can mean the difference between a dog dying in obscurity and finding their perfect
match. Between being euthanized because no one knew they existed and being pulled because the right
person saw them at the right moment.
Real Networking Story: The Share That Changed Everything
"I shared a post about a senior beagle named Charlie. He'd been in the shelter for 6 months.
Overlooked because he was old, had some medical issues, wasn't the cute puppy people were
looking for. The post said he was on the euthanasia list. Three days left.
I shared it to my Facebook. I have maybe 300 followers - not a huge platform. I wrote: 'This
dog has been waiting for half a year. He's running out of time. Someone please see him.'
My cousin saw it. She shared it. Her neighbor saw her share - a woman who'd just lost her
senior beagle to cancer and thought she'd never be ready for another dog. But something about
Charlie's face got to her. She went to meet him. She said it felt like destiny.
Charlie's been sleeping on her couch for two years now. Living his best senior life. Getting
the medical care he needs. Being spoiled absolutely rotten. All because I clicked 'share.'
Took me 30 seconds. Changed his whole life.
Now I network 2-3 dogs a week. It's become part of my morning routine. Coffee, emails, save
some lives."
- Jennifer, social media networker for 3 years
Your social media following isn't just for memes and vacation photos. It's a life-saving tool.
You could connect a dog with their person today. Right now. From your phone.
Start Networking
Donate Supplies
"I have things I'm not using. Someone else desperately needs them. That's an easy equation."
That bag of dog food your dog wouldn't eat? The crate your puppy outgrew? Old towels and blankets
you're about to donate to Goodwill anyway? The collar that doesn't fit? The toys gathering dust?
Shelters and fosters need them desperately.
Every donated crate means a rescue can pull one more dog - because crate training helps with
house training and makes dogs more adoptable. Every bag of food means a foster can say yes when
they might have said no because their budget was tight. Every blanket means a scared dog has
something soft to curl up in instead of cold concrete.
Your clutter could be someone's lifeline. That thing taking up space in your garage could be the
resource that tips the balance from "we can't" to "yes, we can save this one."
Clean out your garage. Help a dog. It's that simple.
See What's Needed
Professional Partner
"I spent years mastering my craft. Now I can use that expertise to save lives."
Veterinarians, trainers, groomers, photographers, accountants, lawyers, designers, IT professionals—
your professional skills are exactly what rescue organizations need. Every discounted vet visit,
professional photo shoot, behavior assessment, or pro-bono legal consultation directly expands
a rescue's capacity to save dogs.
You don't need to volunteer 40 hours a week. You don't need to work exclusively with rescues.
Just knowing you're there when needed makes all the difference. One pro-bono appointment a month.
One weekend photo shoot. One behavior assessment. Your expertise, on your terms, saving lives.
Professional photos increase adoption rates by 14-20x. Discounted vet care means rescues can pull
more dogs from shelters. Behavior assessments make "unadoptable" dogs adoptable. Your skills are
literally the difference between dogs living and dying.
You spent years becoming exceptional at what you do. Now imagine using that expertise where it matters most.
Join as Professional Partner