CAC Foster Stats
Here are our current foster stats.
500+
in foster homes
We currently have over 500 animals in foster homes. And with 1,200 active fosters, we have a built-in community to help you succeed.
3
avg. days in foster
The average length of stay for an animal in foster care is 3 days. We'd love if you could keep them longer, but if not – we get it!
76%
adopted from foster
In September 2024, 3 out of 4 adoptions happened because of foster care. Animals are 14x more likely to be adopted out of foster care than directly from the shelter!
Join the 12 days of Fostering!
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛 𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐶𝐴𝐶! 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ?! From December 13th to 24th, anyone who picks up a foster dog will be entered into our daily prize drawings, featuring amazing giveaways from some of our favorite community partners!
Benefits of Fostering
Allows for Decompression
Foster homes allow animals to decompress from the stress of the shelter. When they're relaxed, they're more likely to connect with potential adopters!
Decreases On-site Population
With 8,000+ animals entering the shelter every year, we struggle to provide adequate on-site housing. Foster homes are vital to opening up kennel space at our shelters!
Lets us Learn about the Animal
When an animal is relaxed in their foster home, we're able to learn more about their true personality so we can match them with their best future family and home!
Provides Space for Healing
Animals that are sick or injured can struggle to recover in the stress of the shelter. Quiet foster homes make all the difference for animals with short and long-term treatment plans!
Flexible Foster Commitment
The best part of the foster program at Cincinnati Animal CARE is how flexible it is! Depending on your availability and lifestyle, our matchmakers will find the right foster animal for your home.
Short-Term Foster
Short-term fostering with CAC means having an animal in your care for 2 weeks or less. You can do a foster takeover while another foster family is on vacation, break a dog out of the shelter for a few days, or foster kittens before going to rescue!
Long-Term Foster
Long-term fostering with CAC means having an animal in your care for 2 weeks or more. Long-term fosters generally foster an animal until they are adopted or until we can find another foster family to keep that animal out of the shelter.
Day Trips
Taking a shelter dog on a day trip to your house, a local park or to a drive-through to get a pup cup is a low-commitment foster activity that has a lot of impact on our dog's quality of life and future adoption prospects!
Foster to Adopt
Our Foster to Adopt program allows potential adopters to 'trial run' an animal in their home to make sure it's a good fit! Keep them in your home for up to 7 days before you decide if you want to make it official or return the animal to the shelter.
15 Foster Dogs find Forever Homes Despite 'Black Dog Syndrome'
At Cincinnati Animal CARE, we’re lucky to have foster parents like Genevieve Monier, whose journey began as a small step and blossomed into a life-changing experience. Genevieve and her partner, though new to fostering, have opened their home and hearts to over 15 dogs, all while learning about the unique challenges of fostering, including the heartbreaking reality of black dog syndrome.
What type of foster will you be?
With 500+ animals in care, you have so many fostering options to chose from! Pick one or try them all.
Big Dog Foster
While we do have small dogs coming into the shelter, we really need big dog fosters the most! Whether you have personal dogs, cats or kids out matchmakers can find the right foster to fit your home! (Or if you have a 'type' like black and white dogs, we can find you one to match your pup.)
Puppy Foster
Because unvaccinated puppies are extremely susceptible to illness, they must go to foster homes as soon as possible. Foster one puppy, littermates, or a mom with her whole litter! We always need puppy fosters on deck to keep them in loving homes and out of the shelter.
Kitten Foster
We aim to get kittens out of the shelter and into foster homes as soon as possible to avoid potential illness due to unvaccination. From bottle feeding and tube feeding to gruel baby fosters, we always need kitten fosters on deck to keep kittens out of the shelter!
Behavior & Training
Some of the animals in our care require special training and behavior modification plans to help them find their future homes. Fosters that have time to dedicate to training work closely with our Behavior & Training team for on-going support. Pickle, pictured above, went to a behavior foster for help with fear, anxiety and stress due to chronic pain.
Non-Adoptable
Some of the animals in our care are evidence in cruelty cases or being housed for a temporary period while their owners regain their livelihoods. Because these animals are not available for adoption, foster homes are vital for their health and well-being while they await the next step in their journey.
Medical Foster
Some animals in our care have short-term and long-term treatment plans for a variety of medical ailments. These animals need a safe and loving home to recover with a dedicated foster. Toby (pictured above) went to foster care with a re-feeding plan to help him gain weight and recover from malnutrition.
What our fosters have to say:
"I stay involved with fostering because I love watching the dogs blossom in a home environment! I've also met some amazing, like-minded people who have adopted my fosters. Some of these people I would call friends today. I live for the pupdates that come from adopters who share pics and videos of my former foster dogs living their absolute best lives."
Erin L.
"Life was never gonna be 'perfect' for fostering. I realized it doesn't need to be perfect, but I CAN provide a safe loving home for some dogs who need it. So I showed up to CAC and picked up my first foster, a skinny senior gal named Glossy. It's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I've also met some of my best friends through volunteering and fostering with CAC."
Brandy B.
Big dogs need fosters too!
We always have small dogs (under 44 lbs) come through our doors – but they come and go quickly! Our medium and large dogs are most in need of foster while awaiting their future homes. Consider fostering a big dog today!
