Fostering Non-Adoptable Pets
At Cincinnati Animal CARE, we believe in offering a lifeline to animals during their owners' toughest moments. Our Harbor and Surrender Prevention programs provide a temporary safe haven for pets whose families are facing unexpected crises, ensuring that these animals are cared for when their owners are unable to. These situations can be overwhelming for pet owners, but knowing their beloved pets are safe with us can bring some peace of mind.
Fostering pets that cannot be adopted, such as those involved in cruelty cases, on harbor hold, or in our surrender prevention program, is a unique and impactful way to make a difference. By opening your home temporarily, you provide them with care and support during their most vulnerable times.
Types of Non-Adoptable Fosters
Cruelty Cases
Animals involved in cruelty cases are treated as ‘live evidence’ and thus cannot be adopted. We cannot legally share photos of their faces in order to keep them safe. The court process can take months on end while we advocate for them in court and work to win their case. But no animal deserves to wait in shelter purgatory while their future is decided. Our cruelty case fosters play a vital role in these animals’ journeys. If you're not big on social media, marketing, or attending events – you may want to try fostering a cruelty case animal! Open your home to a cruelty case foster today.
Harbors
The length of stay for a harbor hold is typically 10 days if we have all up-to-date owner information. The majority of the time, we do not actually have direct contact with the animal's owner at the time the animal is taken into custody so we rely on information from other agencies. If we do not have owner information, we usually only hold for 3-5 days, equal to that of stray time. Any harbor could potentially transition into a surrender prevention setting depending on the individual circumstances. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.
Surrender Prevention
Surrender prevention is a program designed to help those in emergent crisis. The most common crisis is being unhoused, but we have also taken pets into our care for other situations including domestic abuse, rehab, scheduled hospital stays, and scheduled short-term incarceration. All surrender prevention clients must sign a contract and agree to have their pet microchipped, vaccinated, and spay/neutered. All pets must undergo a behavior assessment prior to services to ensure the safety of our staff and fosters. If you're interested in helping people AND pets, consider fostering an animal on surrender prevention!
What our fosters have to say:
"I once had a cruelty case foster that was dumped in the main lobby with a broken front leg. Despite having one toe and no paw pads, he didn’t let that stop him and he was still the happy, energetic sweet boy he always was, running around my apartment splint-free! He was soon after adopted by a staff member’s mom and is now living a happy, healthy life!"
Amanda D.
"Fostering dogs is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Almost always, they are fearful, starving, and exhausted when they first come to your home. But with patience, they slowly unfold and because the dog that they were meant to be. They seem to know that you rescued them and they are grateful."
April S.
Foster FAQ
Do you have questions about our volunteer program not answered here? Contact us at foster@cincycare.org!
