Animal Welfare League

of Queen Anne's County

Queenstown, MD 21658

AWL is an all volunteer organization, we no longer have a landline, please email info@awlqac.org, message us on Facebook, or use the contact us form. We will get back to you as soon as possible

What is a Foster Home?

A foster home is a temporary living situation for animals while they are awaiting placement in a permanent home. Foster families provide shelter, food, care and love. The more individuals that generously choose to foster an animal, the more animals that we can save. As a foster based organization, we do not have a kennel for our animals to live in. In order to be able to pull animals from full animal shelters or help members of the community we rely on available foster families to house our adoptable pets. 

Why Foster?

Fostering is the most important piece of the puzzle in our attempt to continue fulfilling a no-kill USA mission. Our foster families to keep cats and dogs continuously moving through our organization directly impact the number of animals we are able to help.

As a foster volunteer you may host animals with special medical or behavioral needs, such as extremely shy animals; puppies or kittens under eight weeks of age and in need of special feeding and socialization or mother animals with nursing litters. Some animals simply get too stressed in a shelter environment and do much better in a home. By fostering you can provide rehabilitation and/or socialization in a nurturing home environment that directly prepares the animal for adoption into a loving home.

Being a pet foster family has rewards beyond helping a pet in need find a loving home and saving lives. Fostering provides the opportunity to have an animal companion without a lifetime commitment, or to try new companions for an existing pet. For others, it is the special challenge of helping an animal recover from an illness or injury, or recover from the trauma of losing a beloved owner or home. Some enjoy the reward of helping an animal overcome a behavioral issue. Many want the joy of giving tender loving care to kittens and puppies.

Is it difficult to say good-bye?

Making a difference this big isn’t always easy, but if you keep the right perspective and celebrate that you have saved a life it can be very exciting! Letting go of a foster enables you to help another animal in need. While each adoption saves a life and is in itself amazing, a foster parent can save many lives! What an amazing gift to yourself and/or your family and the lives of the animals that you have saved.

What are the Responsibilities of a Foster Family?

  • Provide a safe, caring environment
  • Provide food, water, litter, toys/enrichment (AWL will assist if needed)
  • Provide exercise and socialization as appropriate
  • Monitor any medical and/or behavioral problems
  • Transport to/from any necessary vet appointments (other volunteers can also help)
  • Transport to/from offsite adoption events (other volunteers can also help)
  • If you choose to foster a sick animal, especially for cats and bottle baby kittens, the foster pet(s) will require isolation from other animals in the home for 10-14 days or longer.

What are our Responsibilities to you?

  • Provide all veterinary care and some of the basic supplies.
  • Assure that you have as much information as possible about the animal you will be fostering.
  • Provide support as needed via phone or in your home.
  • Assist you as needed to monitor and address any medical and/or behavioral problems.
  • Immediately remove the animal from your home if you can no longer foster regardless of the reason.

Foster Application Form

Hours

By appointment only. 

Our Address

Queenstown, MD 21658
Phone:410-758-0153
Email: info@awlqac.org

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