Cleveland, OHDecember 2022 Update: Due to the unexpected pivot the organization has been experiencing since the COVID-19 pandemic started including the loss of volunteers and the ability to place as many dogs per year as we were prior to March 2022 we are currently not accepting incoming applicants to host our dogs as foster providers. We encourage visitors to reach out to other local and reputable nonprofit rescue groups in need of your service and commitment. Check back periodically for updates.
Our Foster Provider Program is an integral part of our mission to Respect the Dog. Without fosters, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. Secondhand Mutts rescues dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds, ages, temperaments and energy levels so we are sure to find one that will fit your situation. We host two workshops a year (spring and fall) to introduce new volunteers to our Foster Provider Program. Volunteer Foster Parents are not required to attend the workshop but it is highly recommended; especially if you are unsure if fostering is for you or if you want to learn more about fostering a Secondhand Mutt. Read more about our Foster Provider Workshop below. If you have additional questions regarding fostering, please contact us at foster_coordinators@secondhandmutts.org.
The Benefits of Fostering
Dogs who are fostered through Secondhand Mutts are offered excellent benefits to help with the fostering experience. Most foster dogs are welcome to join in daycare at The Mutt Hut, have access to grooming at the Mutt Hutt Grooming Salon, and have access to overnight care at our facility whenever needed (with notice of course). Foster parents are not required to attend events (but are welcome to do so) because Secondhand Mutts has a whole team of chaperones that can escort your foster dog whenever necessary. Our seasoned and experienced foster volunteers are available to assist in the adjustments that are faced when a new dog enters the home. Secondhand Mutts provides crates, food, training, and all other necessities including collars, leashes and heartworm and flea preventives. We also always cover 100% of the dog’s medical expenses while in your care.
The Foster Provider Commitment
Whether you work full time, don’t work at all, have a fenced in yard, or live in an apartment etc., we can find a dog for you to foster! We do require that anyone who is interested in becoming a foster parent or family attend one of our quarterly Foster Program Workshops and then complete the foster application once you are sure our program is a match for your lifestyle.
We are currently looking for individual and family foster providers with a little time and love to give to the deserving dogs in our program. Whether you are thinking about providing a weekend foster getaway for a dog living at The Mutt Hutt or if you want to commit fully to our dogs and see the dog through to its’ forever home, Secondhand Mutts can use your help! The love and support our dogs receive in foster care makes all the difference.
We have three levels our foster providers can provide our dogs:
Level One: Constant and Committed
The ‘Constant and Committed’ foster provider is someone who is available for the long haul. Whether the dog you foster is sick, needs special attention, is an easy to place dog or a dog who may require a long-term commitment, we can count on you. Most of the ‘Constant and Committed’ foster providers will keep their foster dog until it is adopted and even help out with meet and greets to interview and consult with applicants hoping to adopt and remain the after-hours contact if the dog moves into a trial adopt home. Constant and Committed foster providers are not required to chaperone their foster dog to medical appointments or adoption events but we certainly don’t turn away a committed foster provider who knows our dog the best.
Level Two: Weekender
The ‘Weekender’ foster provider is available for short-term fostering (usually weekends or a few days in a row around your work schedule) and available to help out on short notice for a brief period of time. The ‘Weekender’ foster providers are extremely important to us as they give some of our dogs much-needed breaks from constant boarding days and nights at The Mutt Hutt. They also provide relief to our committed foster parents who may have scheduled time away from home and prefer the dog resides in a home environment when boarding at The Mutt Hutt is not an option for some reason.
Level Three: In-a-Pinch
The ‘In-a-Pinch’ foster providers are those who are willing and able to take a dog in immediately with very little notice and keep the dog for up to 72-hours (hopefully a shorter time period) while we scour through our foster provider list to find a suitable foster home match to move the dog. In-a-Pinch providers are essential to us because we sometimes are faced with requests from shelters or owners surrendering their dogs and in the event we do not have quarantine space or there is no boarding available at The Mutt Hutt, we can count on our fosters to help in a pinch. In most cases there is little notice but lots of reward for helping out a dog who may otherwise be euthanized.
