Below are some basic questions which will allow you to describe your home, property and the means by which you plan to contain/confine your foster dog both inside and outside your home. The dog you foster will need a place to stay when you are away from home, a place to exercise (a fenced backyard is preferred, but not necessarily required) and a place to sleep during the night.

Please read each question carefully and answer honestly, keeping in mind that our expectations are high because we place complete confidence in the fosters we choose.

It is our desire that you spend as much time as possible working with your foster dog in basic behavior training during the period of time it is in your care. This includes, but is not limited to, house-training, leash-training and basic commands (e.g.; sit, down, come, stay, etc). Please describe your experience with the following (i.e.; What are the methods you might use?):

It is very important that our dogs are kept in a safe and secure environment during the time they are in your care. This means they need to be either in your home, in a fenced area adequate to hold them or on a leash when off your property. We do not leave our dogs outside, unattended, for extended periods of time. We require that our dogs wear a collar with a rabies tag and an identification tag at all times, which we will provide. If your foster dog is ever lost, we require that you contact a Crossroads member immediately for help in relocating the animal.

We would like our dogs to be in the best physical condition possible by the time they are adopted out. This includes the appropriate weight for the breed and age, proper veterinary care including heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventative (Crossroads will provide these), a clean and healthy coat free of fleas and ticks, clean teeth, ears and eyes and the absence of any intestinal problems including parasites. We will also provide a leash and a collar. Foster homes will be required to provide a high quality food, treats, toys and any other necessary supplies. If you aren’t sure what food to use, we can help you choose the brand that would be most beneficial for your foster dog.

All veterinary care must be pre-approved by a Crossroads Board Member, except in the case of a life-threatening emergency. Crossroads Animal Rescue will not reimburse any unauthorized expenditures.

Bringing a foster dog into your home can be somewhat disruptive of your family’s lifestyle. The dog may have issues such as:

• Lack of house-training
• Destructive chewing
• Grabbing of your possessions and/or food
• A need for constant attention
• Nipping and jumping
• Inappropriate barking
• Excessive shyness or wariness of family members
• Problems interacting with existing pets

Crossroads members will be available to help you with any problems encountered during your period as a caregiver for our dogs. This includes vet care (with our approval), food (if available), advice on behavioral training, etc. We will also be available to help with the transport of your foster dog to and from the vet for necessary immunizations or the spay/neuter appointment (if you are unable to do so). Arrangements will need to be made to ensure that someone is home during pick-up and drop-off times.

Crossroads requires that all of our dogs be available for adoption events. This means that you will need to transport the dog to and from the adoption location. (In the event that you are unable to transport the dog to an event, a member will be willing to transport the dog for you with no less than 48 hours advance notice.)

We also require that you stay to answer questions from potential adopters at events when you bring your dog. Your foster must arrive at adoption events clean, smelling nice and flea free. Most of these events will take place on weekends.

Finally, and most importantly, Crossroads Animal Rescue and the dog(s) you will choose to foster need your wholehearted commitment. This commitment will involve keeping and caring for your foster dog from the day it enters your home until the day it leaves for its forever home. This means being available to answer questions from potential adopters, either through online inquiries and email or at a public adoption event. The Director of Adoption Operations needs your commitment to stay in constant communication with her regarding the progress of your foster dog.

Please be aware that in the event of a failed adoption, we may ask you to take the dog back into your home to resume care until a successful adoption occurs. Because we realize that this is a huge commitment on your part, we would like you to be as involved as possible in the selection of your foster dog(s). This usually involves accompanying a Crossroads member to the shelter to make your own personality and behavior assessment once you've selected your foster(s) through the shelter’s online database.

We would also like to make you aware that we are not responsible for any costs that may come about as a result of damage to personal property or to the physical welfare of you or your family members (e.g.; chewed items, furniture loss or damage, ruined carpet, rugs, nips or bites, etc).

Please be assured that while this seems like a daunting list of expectations and requirements, a successful Foster-to-Adoption experience will be one of the most rewarding of your life. Crossroads members will do everything we can to assist you in meeting these expectations. Also understand that we are not looking for perfection or expecting you to present a fully-trained dog before adoption. Our goal is to pursue excellence in all of our practices and policies and we want all of our foster homes/families to be on board with us.