How long
Usually weeks, sometimes months
A dog stays until it is healthy and the right adopter is found. Tell us before you start if you have a hard stop — a trip, a move — and we will plan around it.
Foster
The spare room is the kennel.
We have no shelter building. The number of dogs ABC Animal Rescue can say yes to is exactly the number of foster homes we have ready — so offering one is the most direct thing anybody can do for a dog in trouble.
You do not need a big house, a yard or experience. You need a safe corner, a bit of patience, and the willingness to hand the dog on when its family turns up. We pay for the rest.
The deal
What we cover, and what you give.
We provide
- Every vet bill, from the first exam to the last vaccine
- Food, a crate, a collar and leash, bowls
- Any medication the vet prescribes
- Somebody to call when you are not sure about something
- Screening adopters — you never have to decide alone
You provide
- A safe, quiet place for the dog to live
- Walks, meals and ordinary household life
- Getting the dog to vet appointments, or telling us when you cannot
- Honest notes on how the dog behaves, for its adopter
- Letting adopters meet the dog, by arrangement
Fostering is done in writing, under New York law
Since 15 December 2025 New York licenses every rescue that adopts out animals, and foster homes are part of that. You sign a written foster agreement with the rescue, the rescue stays responsible for the dog’s care, and foster homes can be visited by state inspectors. None of that is meant to catch you out — it is there so the dog is looked after, and so are you. What the law says.
Questions fosters ask
The honest answers.
Other pets
Your animals come first
We will only place a dog with you that we believe will be safe with your own pets, and we will introduce them carefully. If it is not working, we move the dog. No guilt.
Saying goodbye
Yes, it is hard
Every foster says so. Most say the second dog is easier, because they have seen the first one settle into a home that was better than anything they could have given it alone.
Falling in love
Foster-to-adopt happens
If you decide the dog is already home, tell us. Fosters go through the same adoption process as anyone else — they just get to skip the meeting.
Getting started
Email us, and tell us about your home.
Say where you live, who else lives there — people and animals — whether you rent, and roughly what size and age of dog you could take. We will reply with the foster agreement and a time to talk it through.
Every dog we save is paid for by donations and cared for by volunteers. ABC Animal Rescue Incorporated is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — gifts are tax-deductible.