The Pennsylvania SPCA Foster Care Volunteer program is designed to provide a caring home where animals can receive more individualized attention. Sometimes they are recovering from illness, need to be socialized or aren’t old enough to be placed in a forever home. Foster volunteers should have experience with the animals they choose to foster or be available for training. We provide free medical care for the fostered animal at our animal hospital. The foster care volunteer has the first chance to adopt the animal or arrange adoptions with qualified, interested parties. As with our other volunteers, you should be at least 16 years of age.

Interested? Download a PSPCA foster care application. For more information, contact Ray Little, PSPCA Director of Adoptions Rescue and Foster Care, at rlittle@pspca.org or 215-426-6300.

Fostering animals from the Animal Care and Control Team

The Pennsylvania SPCA also manages the Animal Care and Control Team (ACCT). Here, foster care is needed to provide temporary homes for potentially adoptable dogs and cats whose current conditions are not manageable in a shelter setting. ACCT receives more animals than can be accommodated in the shelter, so moving them into foster homes not only saves their lives, but also the lives of those who take their places. Fostering a shelter animal is a wonderful, rewarding experience, but can also be time consuming and hard work. Foster care is needed for healthy, sick and injured dogs of all sizes, breeds, and ages, for sick and injured cats, and for litters of kittens too young for adoption.

Although previous fostering experience is not required, the ideal foster care provider will have basic knowledge of animal care and training, as well as a desire to find their foster animal a safe, loving forever home. As a foster parent, you will provide your animals with care including food, water, shelter, litter, training, grooming and trips to get medical treatment when necessary. Please bring proof that you are allowed animals at your home if you rent. All your resident dogs and cats must be altered and up to date on vaccines in order to foster, as well. If you are interested in fostering a dog and have dogs at home, you must bring at least one in with you to meet with each potential foster dog to avoid any major personality clashes. Foster parents should be 18 years or older, or come with a parent or guardian.

Please visit ACCT any day – the sooner the better! – between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM to fill out an application and meet the many wonderful dogs, cats and kittens in need of foster care.

Contact Natalie Smith, ACCT Manager of Lifesaving at nsmith@pspca.org or 267-385-3800 for more information.