Foster a pet!

Every year the Lee County Humane Society takes in over 3,000 cats and dogs. We believe in taking a community approach in rehoming animals. LCHS manages a growing foster care program great for animal lovers who aren’t looking to adopt but want to make a difference in the lives the animals at the shelter. For more information and to get some quick facts about the fostering program, scroll down!

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Want to foster kittens? Check out this fun guide to kitten fostering and let us know if you are able to take in a foster (or more!) to help us out!

Fostering Quick Facts

Why do we need fosters?

Our residents need foster families for a variety of reasons:

  • Rescue and relocation: animals that have been accepted by a rescue organization and need a place to stay until their transportation date.
  • Animals that are too young to be adopted.
  • Animals with special needs that need a little more time and care before adoption
  • Any animal waiting for your home forever



Foster Qualifications

  • Foster parents must be at least 19 years old and have the extra time to commit to an additional dog or cat in their home.
  • Host families provide their guests with food, water, shelter, basic obedience and a safe and loving environment.
  • You may also need to provide transportation to and from the shelter, off-site adoption events and appointments with the veterinarian.



How to become a foster parent!

1. Complete our Foster application (located at the top of this page)
2. Our parenting coordinator will review your request and add your information to the parenting database.
3. We will keep you informed of dogs and cats in need with periodic updates by foster care email or direct contact by LCHS staff.
4. When you see an animal you want to raise, send an email to Bailey at foster2@leecountyhumane.org to set a time to complete the appropriate exemptions and set a time to pick up the animal.



Become an Adoption Ambassador!

Take it to the next level by becoming an Adoption Ambassador. Thanks to an ASPCA grant, we can now adopt animals without having them or potential adopters who have to enter the shelter! Through this program, LCHS breeders can breed eligible dogs and cats until they are adopted. This means that you will participate directly in the adoption process of your adoptive pet! As an Adoption Ambassador, you will receive a free t-shirt from the Adoption Ambassador and your adopted pet will be sent with an Adopt Me vest to wear in the city and an adoption package. All pets adopted through this program are sponsored, so all dogs have an adoption cost of $ 25 and cats only $ 15. To participate, complete the host application and send an email to foster2 @ leecountyhumane .org.



Become a Weekend Warrior!

Weekend Warriors are approved fosters who bring an adult pet home on Friday or Saturday until Sunday or Monday! This short-term reception period allows our pets a mental and physical rest from the shelter, while adapting to the weekly schedule of the foster parent. Weekend Warriors also earns our pets a valuable exposure in the community to help their adoption possibilities! It is a win-win for everyone.



Where can I see pets that need fosters?

LCHS uses Trello to publish all our pets that need foster homes. We also send temporary emails periodically. The link to our LCHS Foster Trello Board can be found here!