HOW DO I DECIDE WHICH PROGRAM I WANT TO JOIN?
Take a look at the programs we offer. That will help you choose. Apply Here Buttons will take you to the correct application.
P4P Foster Programs
General Foster Adult Animals
Senior Care
In this program you are giving a temporary home to an adult dog or cat. These animals are at least 1 year old. They may or may not be house trained, and we generally don't know that much about their behaviors.
We know from years of experience that getting these animals into a home with daily close human interactions is the best way to assess personality, interactions with humans, other pets in homes, car rides, strangers, activity levels and so much more.
While in your home, you can assess all this and then write a bio and complete a report card with all the information a prospective adopter would want to have.
These animals do not usually require any special skills or training expertise.
Animals in this category are older, over the age of 6. They often have the common issues of aging such as bad teeth, arthritic joints, diminished eye sight or hearing, lower activity levels.
The skills needed to care for these animals include the ability to administer medications that may be required, possible adaptation of the home to accommodate mobility or vision issues, use of hand signals to communicate, and patience.
Heartworm Positive Dogs
Fosters caring for these dogs are making a commitment of at least 3 months. During this time the dog must be kept quiet in a crate or a small room. Leash walked only for potty breaks. The dogs often require medications. Transporting to the clinic for treatments may also be required, though P4P has volunteers to help with this.
Pregnant or
Nursing Females
Caring for these fosters requires a space where the mother can have peace and quiet as she delivers and nurses her litter. These animals require increased food and water intake usually feeding puppy or kitten kibble and wet food.
Be prepared for extra laundry and additional noise in the house, especially with puppies.
Bottle Feeding
Infants
These littlest fosters require time, patience, and special skills from the foster. Kittens and puppies can want to nurse every 2 hours when very young, gradually increasing to every 4 hours as they begin to transition to gruel.
Bottle feeding is a skill that requires some training. It's not like feeding a human infant. These babies need to be kept warm and they require the foster's help to urinate and empty the bowels. They also need to be weighed frequently.
Help from experienced bottle feed fosters is available, but be prepared for loss of sleep, eating your own meals cold, and increased laundry.
Orphaned Animals
These little ones are weaned (over 5 weeks of age) but they still need special observation. Because they are more active, you need to puppy and kitten proof your home. You'll be feeding 3-4 times daily.
Laundry will still be a frequent happening, and if you let puppies have free reign of your home, be prepared for lots of accidents.
Kittens are easily litter box trained, but in their enthusiasm for this new thing in their life, tossing litter everywhere is a common occurrence, as is sleeping in the litter box (and smelling like it too)
These babies normally sleep through the night and can control their own body temperatures. These are the ones that can cause you to be a "Foster Fail". This is not necessarily a bad thing, just be prepared.