Join Our Foster Family!
Open Your Heart & Home To Homeless Pets In Need
Every pet deserves a second chance, and you can be the hero who makes it happen! Foster caregivers play a vital role in helping vulnerable pets heal, grow, and prepare for loving homes.
Our foster program supports pets who need extra TLC, including tiny kittens, healing pets, those with special needs, and pets who benefit from a calm home environment. Foster caregivers provide temporary homes while pets receive medical care, build confidence, and get ready for adoption — with guidance and support from our team every step of the way.
We provide all the supplies, veterinary care, and training you need to help you and your foster pets thrive. We promise you’ll feel like a pro in no time!
Important Update:
Our foster program is currently undergoing exciting updates and is not recruiting new foster applicants. Fostering with SPCA of Northern Nevada is a specialized role and a perk available to active volunteers.
Interested in fostering in the future? Volunteering is the first step.
Looking to foster now? Explore foster programs across northern Nevada!
About Our Foster Program
Our foster program is currently being refreshed to better support pets, volunteers, and staff.
At this time, SPCA of Northern Nevada is not recruiting new foster homes. Fostering with SPCA-NN is a specialized role and a privilege offered to established volunteers who have completed onboarding, training, and demonstrated readiness to care for pets in a home environment.
This approach helps ensure:
– Pets receive consistent, knowledgeable care
– Volunteers feel confident and supported
– Our foster community remains safe, reliable, and sustainable
Interested in fostering right now? Visit Foster Pets Nevada, a community resource highlighting foster opportunities across northern Nevada.
Interested in fostering down the road? Becoming a volunteer is the best way to get started.
Why Foster?
Save Even More Lives: Each pet fostered in a home opens space at our adoption center to help another cat or dog — multiplying your impact!
Reduce Stress for Pets: A kennel environment can be overwhelming, especially for shy, frightened, or recovering pets. Foster homes provide a safe, loving space where pets can heal, grow, and build confidence.
Prepare Pets for Adoption: Foster families play a critical role in helping pets adjust to home life, build confidence, and develop the social skills they need to succeed in their loving homes.
Personal Fulfillment: Helping prepare a pet for adoption through your time, care, and companionship is one of the most rewarding experiences — we promise!
Flexible Commitment: Fostering opportunities vary based on pet needs, volunteer availability, and experience level, allowing fostering to fit into many different lifestyles.
What Types of Pets Need Foster Homes—And Why?
Many pets benefit from extra care in a home environment before they’re ready for adoption. By fostering, you provide a safe, loving space where these vulnerable pets can heal, grow, and thrive:
- Moms with Babies – Nursing cats and dogs need a quiet, dedicated space to care for their newborns until they’re ready for adoption.
- Kittens & Puppies – Young pets — typically from newborns to eight weeks old — require hands-on care, socialization, and close monitoring until they are ready to be spayed or neutered and adopted into loving homes.
- Undersocialized or Anxious Pets – Some pets become increasingly stressed in a kennel environment, which can impact their emotional well-being and delay adoption. A calm, stable foster home helps them build confidence and trust.
- Healing Pets – Dogs and cats recovering from surgery, illness, or injury benefit from a peaceful place to rest, recover, and regain their strength.
Is Fostering Right for You?
Fostering is an incredibly meaningful experience, but it also comes with responsibility and structure. Before opening your home to a pet in need, we encourage you to reflect on the following considerations:
Time Commitment
Foster pets need daily care, attention, monitoring, and socialization. While schedules vary, you should plan to spend time each day meeting their needs.
Work & Lifestyle
Many volunteers successfully balance work and fostering, but foster pets should not be left alone for more than 6–7 hours at a time. If you have other pets or young children, consider how a foster pet will fit into your routine and plan for safe, supervised interactions.
Distance from SPCA-NN
Foster caregivers should live within 30 minutes of our adoption center in case medical care or urgent support is needed.
Caring for Puppies & Kittens
Young pets require extra space and attention. Puppies may be vocal and need frequent potty breaks, while nursing moms require a quiet, enclosed space away from other pets to rest and feel secure.
Potential Messes & Wear-and-Tear
Foster pets are still learning and may have accidents or cause minor damage. Patience and preparation go a long way.
Medical Care
All veterinary care is provided by SPCA-NN, and foster caregivers must be available to transport pets to scheduled appointments as needed.
Foster Period Commitment
Foster placements typically range from two to four weeks, though some may be shorter or longer. Short-term sleepover fosters for adult dogs (24–72 hours) may also be available.
Pet Safety & Health Precautions
Unvaccinated pets, such as young puppies, cannot be taken to public places or exposed to unknown animals. Separation from resident pets may be required.
Emotional Readiness
Saying goodbye can be hard, but knowing you helped a pet on their journey to a loving home makes it incredibly worthwhile. In rare cases, fostering may involve caring for critically ill pets, so being emotionally prepared is important.
How Fostering with SPCA-NN Works
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Become a Volunteer
All foster caregivers begin as volunteers. This includes creating a volunteer profile, completing orientation, required ACB training, and volunteering regularly with our team.
Volunteering allows you to gain hands-on experience, learn our care standards, and build familiarity with our pets, staff, and daily processes.
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Build Experience & Trust
As you volunteer, our team gets to know your strengths, availability, and interests — while you gain confidence working with pets in our care.
This step is essential to creating safe, positive foster experiences for pets, volunteers, and staff alike.
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Foster Opportunities
When a suitable match arises, experienced volunteers may be invited to foster based on:
- Home environment
- Availability
- Experience level
- Current pet needs
Foster placements are not guaranteed and depend on program capacity and the specific needs of pets at that time.
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Ongoing Support
Foster caregivers receive supplies, veterinary care, guidance, and ongoing support from our Volunteer, Admissions, and Pawspital teams throughout the foster period.
Explore Foster Programs Across Northern Nevada
How Fostering Saves Lives
Foster FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about fostering, volunteering, or what to expect? We’ve answered some of the most common questions below to help you decide if this opportunity is right for you.
The primary foster caregiver must be at least 18 years old. While families are welcome to help care for foster pets together, an adult volunteer must take full responsibility for the pet’s daily care, training, medical appointments, and overall well-being. Foster care cannot be delegated solely to children or minors.
Fostering with children or resident pets requires thoughtful planning. Many foster pets have unknown medical or behavior histories, so safety is always our top priority.
Resident pets must be up to date on vaccinations and spayed or neutered before a foster pet can come into the home. Some foster cases — such as nursing moms or young puppies — may require a separate, enclosed space away from other pets and children. Our team will work with volunteers to determine appropriate matches when fostering opportunities are available.
All veterinary care for foster pets — including vaccinations, deworming, medications, and spay/neuter surgeries — is provided by SPCA of Northern Nevada.
Medical care is overseen by our Admissions and Pawspital (Clinic) teams, who make all treatment decisions with the physical, emotional, and behavioral well-being of each pet in mind. Foster caregivers may not seek outside veterinary care unless explicitly authorized.
Foster caregivers are supported by our Admissions and Pawspital teams throughout the foster period. Volunteers will receive clear instructions on who to contact for medical concerns, behavioral questions, or general support.
You are never expected to navigate foster care alone — our team is here to help every step of the way.
Foster opportunities are offered to volunteers when the foster program is active and are based on several factors, including:
- Volunteer experience and training
- Home environment
- Availability and schedule
- Current pet needs
Our goal is always to create safe, successful matches that support both pets and volunteers.
The length of a foster placement varies depending on the pet’s age, medical needs, and progress. Most foster periods range from two to four weeks, though some may be shorter or longer.
In some cases, short-term “sleepover” fosters may be available for adult dogs, typically lasting 24–72 hours. These brief stays give dogs a break from the adoption center environment and help us learn more about how they do in a home setting.
Timelines vary based on program availability, volunteer experience, and current pet needs. Some volunteers may be invited to foster relatively quickly, while others may need additional time to build experience.
Foster opportunities are not guaranteed and depend on when the program is open and appropriate matches are available.
When fostering opportunities are available, volunteers may share preferences regarding species, age, and experience level. However, foster placements depend on current needs and program capacity. Flexibility helps us place pets in the most supportive environments possible.
We’ve got you covered! SPCA-NN provides essential supplies based on the foster pet’s age, medical needs, and diet, including:
- Food
- Food and water bowls
- Linens, blankets, and bedding
- Litter and litter-related supplies
While we always appreciate donated supplies, we want to ensure that cost is never a barrier to fostering.
We love foster “failures” — and we’re all for keeping pets in loving homes whenever possible. Foster caregivers (and their household, family, or friends) receive first consideration if they’re interested in adopting their foster pet.
If you think you may want to adopt, please let our team know as early as possible so we can guide you through the next steps and timing. Adoption is still completed through our standard adoption process to ensure the best fit for both the pet and adopter.