Foster Care

If you love pets and are willing to foster an animal until a permanent home is found…we NEED you!

Foster care allows pets to live in a home environment temporarily while awaiting permanent placement through the shelter. While Helping Paws does have a large shelter where the majority of the pets are housed, we do have circumstances that require animals to be in foster homes.

The animals we typically look to place in a foster home are pregnant dogs, young kittens that need socialization, or dogs and cats that are recovering from a medical issue or surgery. We also sometimes have a need for a foster for animals that have an emotional issue, a training need or one that has just been at our shelter too long, due to age or anxiety, and are not doing well in a shelter environment.

You cannot share your life with a dog, as I had done in Bournemouth, or a cat, and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.” — Jane Goodall

Being a foster parent is a fun and rewarding experience. The foster family’s knowledge of the pet allows Helping Paws to learn more about the pet’s personality and needs. This helps us to better place them in the right home. As a foster you would need to reside in the McHenry County, IL area. Our organization covers all expenses for the foster animal(s) including food, all veterinary care and even a crate if you need one. Once a foster is ready for adoption he/she will come back to Helping Paws for adoption.

We need caring, responsible adults to join our licensed foster home group by opening their homes and their hearts to dogs or cats in need. If you interested in fostering, please contact Helping Paws at 815-338-4400.