Become a Foster
Fosters are the lifeblood of rescue.
Open your home and save a dog’s life.
Foster homes are at the heart of Hearts & Bones Rescue’s ability to save lives. As a foster-based rescue with no physical shelter, we only have the capacity to save as many dogs as we have foster parents. With a commitment of just a few weeks, you can save two lives who might not otherwise have received a second chance – the life of the dog you foster and the next dog whose life you made space for us to save.
If you’re located in the New York City or Dallas-Fort Worth areas and interested in fostering, check out our FAQs and sign up to become a foster today! Our Foster Team will be in touch about next steps within a few days.
Foster FAQs
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Our only requirement to become a foster is to have tons of love and patience! Our most successful fosters are also the ones with clear and consistent boundaries.
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Yes, we love having fosters outside the city, especially for dogs who are more timid and we feel would do better in a more suburban setting. As long as you’re within a 1-2 hour drive, are willing to come to NYC to pick up your foster, and able to bring them back into the city for adoption or events, we’d love to have you.
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Yes! We do however recommend that they are kept separated while your new foster pup adjusts. Introducing them too soon could lead to an initial bad greeting as they have not acclimated to each other. Allowing them to adjust to each other's presence while your foster is in a crate will help set them up for longer term success.
From our fosters
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![Jenna]()
Jenna
Fostering and seeing the foster get adopted is 10x more rewarding. You spend so much time with your foster and when they finally get their perfect forever home - there’s no feeling like it. It’s amazing.
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![Ben & Hayley]()
Ben & Hayley
We didn't realize how emotional we would be when we first started, but as we kept fostering, it became less emotional and more rewarding as our fosters got adopted. What we love the most about fostering is being able to see the changes in our fosters while in our care and seeing how we are able to help these dogs overcome their own individual challenges and eventually find their own forever homes, while being able to improve ourselves on how to take better care of our next foster dog.
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![Jessi]()
Jessi
I am fortunate enough to have strong support from friends who also love dogs and the HBR team. I have had a hard year after I had lost my baby, HBR helped me find my new baby, my foster fail Stevie seen in a few photos! Who you can see also loves fostering, he has many kisses to give and lots to teach.
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![Amy]()
Amy
I've had little dogs and I've had huge dogs, I've had timid dogs and social butterflies, but they've all impacted my life in such positive ways and taught me so much about working with dogs. Seeing how much these pups grow while I have them is just the most heartwarming thing. I can't imagine not having these experiences and I wouldn't change a thing! Seeing a dog go off to the right home that will love them forever is just an incredible feeling.
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![Kyla]()
Kyla
It’s almost an addiction. It’s amazing to see the transformation they make and the mini-transformations my own dog makes. I actually think he’s the real foster, and I’m just the one who feeds and cleans up after them.
Resources
Fosters are the biggest,
most important part of rescue
We have the utmost respect for people who are willing to open their hearts and homes to animals in need and work hard to make sure our foster families are equipped with the knowledge and resources they need to succeed. Check out the resources below or email us at foster@hbrdogs.com for more info.
