Photo by Anthony S. McIntosh

Volunteering to foster a pet provides a lifeline for animals who may be having difficulty adjusting to animal shelter life, need a little extra care to recuperate from an injury, or who are young and simply need time to grow before being ready for adoption.

The Animal Foundation’s Foster Program is one of the most fun and rewarding ways to volunteer in Las Vegas. We offer four types of foster volunteering opportunities to help the pets needing a little extra love and attention. All play a vital role in our lifesaving efforts for homeless animals. Whether it's for an afternoon or a couple of weeks, The Animal Foundation has a foster opportunity that's right for your schedule.

Foster Field Trips

Animal shelters can be stressful, scary places for lost, abandoned, and homeless pets. They find themselves in a strange, noisy environment with unfamiliar smells, people, and other animals. Our Foster Field Trip program is designed to get adoptable dogs out of the shelter for as little as an afternoon, a weekend, or a few weeks. Getting out of the shelter can be both physically and mentally reinvigorating. This allows the dogs to relax, de-stress, and “be themselves.” As an important part of your field trip, we ask you to fill out an evaluation so that potential adopters will know more about the dog. Pictures and short videos are encouraged! Your efforts to get to know your field trip pet, along with your pictures and videos can be vital in helping us more quickly find a forever home for a loving dog that may otherwise be scared or simply not “stand out” in the animal shelter environment.

How to sign up for a walk-in foster field trip:

1) Fill out a foster application here.

2) Walk into our adoption lobby and speak with a foster team member. They will have a list of dogs for you to browse who are ready to take a field trip. 

How to sign up for a scheduled foster field trip: 

1) Fill out a foster application here.

3) Email [email protected] to let them know which dog you’d like to take out for a field trip and the time you're available to pick them up!

Foster Homes

By opening your heart – and your home – to foster a dog, cat or other pet for as little as a few weeks, you can help save the life of a pet not ready to be made available for adoption. Volunteering to foster a pet provides a lifeline for animals who may be having difficulty adjusting to animal shelter life, need a little extra care to recuperate from an injury, or who are young and simply need time to grow before being ready for adoption. You provide the love and care, we provide everything else.

Foster Ambassador

Foster caregivers can also choose to become foster “ambassadors” by actively marketing to find a forever home for the foster pet in their care. The Animal Foundation requires a photo, short bio, and short video (20 - 30 seconds) of the pet. As ambassador volunteer, you’ll market your adoptable foster pet through your social media channels, online social forums, and even Craigslist. Dogs are given “adopt me” collars and leashes so that walks and outings to pet-friendly places also serve as adoption “advertisements.” Under the guidance of The Animal Foundation, you can also opt to be trained to process the adoption from your home rather than the shelter if you choose.

Fostering Kittens

Kitten season runs from March through October; during this time, thousands of kittens come through our doors and are placed into our kitten nursery. Most kittens who come to us have been orphaned with no mother to care for them. 

Fostering saves lives. Whether you're taking in bottle babies or nursing mothers, becoming a member of the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee not only saves the lives of the kittens in your care, but the ones we can help by freeing up nursery space.

Learn more about kitten fostering here.

Foster Application

When you foster a dog, cat or other pet, you’ll experience one of the most rewarding opportunities you’ll find to volunteer in Las Vegas. If you’re interested in becoming a foster volunteer at The Animal Foundation, please complete the form below.

Once you complete the application, please click HERE to view the list of animals available to foster and e-mail [email protected] once you find a specific animal you'd like to welcome into your home. 

Foster FAQs