Foster parents are people who take an adoptable animal into their home until a suitable adoptive home can be found.  All of our animals stay in foster homes since we don't have a physical shelter at which to house our animals.  Without foster homes, we have no place for the animals to go.  CPS provides food and medical care for the foster pet, as well as any support the foster family may need with training and behavior issues.  All it takes to be a foster parent is a home and some love.  Many of our foster parents also work on basic house manners with their foster animals.  If you have the space and time to take on an animal temporarily, please let us know, we'd be happy to talk to you about becoming a foster parent.  Also check out our list of Frequently Asked Questions about fostering below. 

It doesn't take a lot to be a foster parent for CPS.

• Any other pets in your home must be current on their vaccinations and in good health. 
  
• A fenced yard is required if you'd like to foster large dogs. 
  
• Foster cats must be kept inside at all times. 
  
• All foster animals must be brought to our adoption events every Saturday.  Appointments are also sometimes made during the week at the foster parent's convenience if an approved potential adopter cannot make it to our Saturday event. 
  

If you have the space and time to take a pet into your home temporarily, please stop by our Saturday adopt-a-pet event to fill out a foster application and speak to a Cabarrus Pets Society board member. 

How long will my foster pet stay with me?
It all depends on the animal.  Some foster pets are adopted within a couple of weeks.  Others take a few months to find the perfect forever home.  And there are some animals that may take up to a year or more to be adopted.  Every effort is made to find new homes quickly, but fostering can sometimes be a long term commitment.  We generally try to find an animal we think will be adopted relatively quickly for your first foster animal to ease you into it and give you a feel for the whole process.  We will also give you our honest, best guess opinion of how long it might take.  Any training you can do with your foster animals, particularly dogs, goes a long way towards findng a new home.  Even just housetraining a dog can increase their chances of being adopted. 

Won't I get attached to my foster pet?
It is only natural to get attached to a pet that you care for every day like one of your own.  It usually helps our foster families when saying goodbye to their foster pets to know that CPS screens applicants thoroughly to assure that all pets go to caring, responsible homes and we also follow up on adoptions to make sure everything works out well.  While we do allow our foster parents to adopt a pet they are fostering, we try to discourage it in most cases since adopting often means a family can no longer foster, and foster homes are hard to find. 

How much does it cost to be a foster home?
The only payment our foster homes have to make is one of love.  Cabarrus Pets Society provides almost everything else, including food, routine medical care and emergency medical care.  We can often also provide crates, kennels, or doghouses to our foster homes.  Many of our foster homes do buy toys or treats for their foster animals, but that is optional. 

What if I want to go on vacation, or have an emergency and need to go out of town? 
We have volunteers who will keep your foster animals for you if you need to go out of town for a vacation or an emergency situation comes up.  We just ask that you give us as much advanced notice as possible so we can make arrangements. 

I've decided I'm ready to be a foster parent, what do I do now?
Stop by our adopt-a-pet event on a Saturday between 10am and 1pm and ask for a foster home application.  One of our board members will review your application and ask a few questions, as well as answering any questions you may have.  Most times you will know by the following Monday whether or not you are approved to foster.  If approved, we will work with you to find an appropriate animal for you to foster.