The Humane Society of Boulder Valley’s foster program serves hundreds of animals every year. As an open-admissions animal shelter, the Humane Society of Boulder Valley accepts every dog or cat in need and, as a result, receives many animals that are too young, injured or under-socialized to be placed directly in our adoption program. Caring foster volunteers welcome these animals into their homes to provide them with the hands-on care and environmental enrichment they need to thrive.
Because of the flexibility of our foster program, fostering is ideal for:
- Families
- Single adults
- College students
- Seniors
- Individuals who travel and cannot commit to a pet of their own
What types of animals need foster care?
- Bottle babies
- Young animals needing a safe, nurturing environment where they can play and grow
- Injured or ill animals needing a quiet place to regain health
- Mother dogs and cats with litters
- Animals that are overwhelmed by the busy shelter environment
- Animals of families in transition who qualify for our Safety Net foster program
The length of foster care needed varies with each individual animal. Foster arrangements can be made for a few days or several months. Our Foster Department is more than happy to accommodate your schedule of events and many animals will reside in several foster homes before they are ready to transition back to the animal shelter.
Are there any expenses for foster volunteers?
There is a one-time fee of $40 when signing up to foster. This fee covers the cost of the background check that is required for onboarding.
HSBV provides foster volunteers with all the supplies they will need to foster.
Foster volunteers are welcome to purchase additional/specific supplies if there are items they want beyond what HSBV provides (HSBV is not able to reimburse foster volunteers for those purchases), but this is not required. As a nonprofit organization, foster volunteers are able to declare tax-deductible contributions to the organization on purchases such as cat litter, animal food and other supplies.
HSBV’s Veterinary Hospital provides medical care for foster animals, including treatment for injuries or illness, medications, alteration surgery and vaccines.
How do I become a foster volunteer?
The first step in becoming a foster volunteer is to attend an in-person orientation at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. During this 1.5 hour orientation, a member of the Foster Department will go over foster care basics and answer any questions you may have.
Next foster orientation: January 25, 2025 from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Register for orientation here.
In the event that you are unable to attend this orientation session, additional sessions will be offered throughout the year. Please check back for updates.
Have additional questions?
Contact the Foster Department at foster@boulderhumane.org or 303-442-4030 ext. 697 with questions.