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Foster Parenting
CARE is in need of people willing to open their hearts and homes to dogs and puppies in need. The degree to which we’re able to help animals is directly related to the number of foster homes available. Some people think it will be hard to give up that first animal, and it may be. But you will have the immense satisfaction that comes with saving an animal's life
Please take a look at the wonderful video created by Oren Arieli at AwesomeShot Studios
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Thanks to Oren for creating this video.
As a CARE foster parent, you will
- Care for animals in your home following CARE guidelines. CARE provides all food and supplies as well as covers all medical expenses (including health checks, vaccinations, spay/neutering fees, etc.) and necessary grooming.
- Provide a profile for your foster animal for the CARE web site (we also post on PetFinder) and list your email address.
- Answer questions that prospective adopters send to you via email.
- Bring animals to an adoption fair each week. Adoption fairs are held Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at our Adoption Center at 4190 Piper Drive (off Saratoga Avenue) in San Jose.
- Be mentored by another CARE foster parent.
During pet fairs, you’ll:
- Answer questions about the animal.
- Conduct interviews of prospective adopters.
- Answer questions about CARE.
Interested?
- Come by our Adoption Center during our Saturday hours and talk to us.
- Volunteer at our Adoption Center for a few weeks to learn more about our organization and explore the type of animal you’d like to help.
- Become a CARE member ($24/year, prorated $2/month).
- Allow us to check out your fostering facilities.
Become a member of C.A.R.E.!
It's easy and just $24* per year.....
- Advantages:
- Get to hang out around a lot of different dogs!
- You could do that without becoming a member
- But a member is more trustworthy so can do more with the dogs.
- Get to hang out with great people!
- Okay...
- The wealth of knowledge amongst our members is amazing, so you can learn a lot. Could help you solve your own doggy problems - now or in the future.
- Cuddle lots of puppies!
- Really???
- Lots of puppies are rescued, raised, and then adopted out. Before they are adopted, they get lots of handling so they are well-socialized for their new homes. Some people are actually addicted to "puppy breath"!
- Participate in 1-2 General Meetings each year!
- That's fun?
- Yeah - we frequently do it over breakfast, so you get a free meal. [See also: Hang out with great people!]
- Help out the group!
- How could I do that?
- You may very well have skills which would help us help more dogs! Grant writing, newsletter production, fund raising, computer knowledge, contacts in the community, etc. Only you know how your actual skills might relate!
- Participate in excursions!
- What fun!
- Sometimes we leave our cozy little adoption center and take the dogs somewhere else. Help is always useful! [Again: see Hang out with great people!]
- Get to hang out around a lot of different dogs!
- Disadvantages:
- Not the right place for you if you don't like dogs... :-)
- You might get some dog hair on you.
- Takes too much time
- The time you spend is totally under your control. Many helpful tasks can be done from your own place and on your own schedule.
- (Of course, if you do everything from your own place, you'll miss the "hanging out with dogs/people" part, so you still need to come by sometimes!)
- You might fall in love....
- Yeah, you might. But you will also see a lot of dogs go to great homes and know that you, personally, don't have to save them all.
- (And when you are around a lot of dogs, you also learn to be more selective in what YOU might want in the future.)
If you, too, would like to be a special person and join C.A.R.E., please print this Member Application, fill it out, and bring it or mail it to C.A.R.E. We will get back to you!
All applications are voted upon by our Board. C.A.R.E. reserves the right to refuse membership, as it does to refuse adoptions.
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*Pro-rated depending on the month you join. In November, it is only FOUR DOLLARS! Such a deal!
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are very special to us at CARE because without them, we couldn’t do the life-saving work needed in our community. Volunteers are special in their tireless devotion to the animals in our care. It costs volunteers nothing but their time, and in this busy world, that’s a difficult commodity to find.
There are many opportunities for people willing to open their hearts to our rescued animals, including local high school students in need of volunteer hours to fulfill their graduation requirement. Here are a few of the volunteer opportunities:
- fostering,
- assisting during adoption fairs,
- adoption counseling,
- transporting animals,
- fundraising,
- collecting donated food and hard good supplies,
- assisting with
- bulk mailings,
- press releases,
- grant writing,
- photography,
- videotaping,
- special events,
- data entry
- responding to our phone line calls, and
- helping during local community events and pet fairs.
Student Volunteers
Minimum age: 16 years old
- Help set up for an adoption fair:
- Unload animals from cars when foster parents arrive.
- Prepare kennels for animals (e.g., kennel bedding, toys, and water).
- Check for the animal’s “resume” on each kennel.
- During adoption fairs:
- Walk or socialize animals at foster parent’s request/approval. Do not remove animals from kennels without the approval of the foster parent. Accompany potential adopter on walks if asked to do so by a foster parent.
- Check bedding and change it as soon as possible when a mess occurs.
- Keep animals from barking.
- Direct potential adopters interested in any of the animals to the foster parent who can answer questions regarding the animal and conduct interviews.
- Answer questions about C.A.R.E. (see back side). Do not answer any questions regarding our adoption procedures or any of the animals or question any prospective adopter.
- Politely remind potential adopters/visitors to not pet the dogs/puppies due to spread of germs, to put their fingers in the kennels, or feed any of the animals. Some puppies are not yet old enough to have received all of their shots and some may be frightened and may nip. Some animals may have special dietary needs, so may not be able to eat treats.
- Clean up kennels after an animal is adopted, removing bedding and other items in the kennel and wiping out the kennel with disinfectant.
- Help with other projects such as unloading/sorting donations, collating new adoption packets, etc.
- Clean up after adoption fairs:
- Empty garbage in the dumpster.
- Empty water bowls and clean up empty kennels if not already done.
- Sweep and straighten up.
- Help load animals into foster parents’ vehicles.
How Our Process Works
Companion Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) is an all-volunteer, non-profit animal rescue organization that accepts unwanted and otherwise abandoned dogs of all ages from Bay Area humane societies, animal shelters, and from the general public. These animals are taken into our foster home program where they receive quality nutrition and veterinary care along with love and attention.
When CARE animals are ready for adoption, our foster home volunteers bring them to our center during specific adoption hours. There they are viewed by the public and adopted into pre-screened, permanent homes. Because each foster home has learned a little about each animal in their care, they are responsible for interviewing prospective adopters, answering any questions they may have, and taking them through our adoption process.
As animals are adopted to good, permanent homes, new animals come into our foster home program and the cycle repeats itself. Being a patient, avid animal lover is a must to become a CARE foster parent. Those who foster find it very rewarding. Each foster home remains available CARE should new adopters have questions or concerns after bringing their new pet home. Because we believe in quality not quantity, CARE extensively screens all potential adopters to ensure that each pet is perfectly matched into their new home.
Due to the tragedy of pet overpopulation, CARE spays and neuters its animals before they leave our hands.