• Provide a temporary home for kittens and puppies too young to be adopted
• Provide care for animals recovering from injuries, illness or surgery
• Socialize shy or fearful animals
• Provide a safe place for shelter animals in times of overcrowding
• Ensure foster animals are brought to the shelter for their scheduled medical treatments, vaccinations or deworming

The Regina Humane Society looks towards foster families to care for animals outside of the shelter environment for various reasons, which can include:

Rehabilitatable Pets (Health)

Some common medical foster cases are:

• Animals recovering from surgery (amputations, dental surgeries etc.)
• Pets requiring medical treatments and medicating (i.e. ear, eye or bladder infections etc.)
• Cats and kittens with upper respiratory infections (colds). This is currently constitutes the highest volume of medical cases requested to go into foster. Removing these felines from the shelter environment reduces the risk of the cold spreading to other healthy cats within the shelter environment.
• Note: There is no obligation to foster a medical case that is beyond your comfort level. All foster requests are sent by email, and a response is only required if you’re interested in the specific animal.

Rehabilitatable Pets (Behaviour)

Some common cases that would fit into the category are:

• Fearful dogs or puppies requiring socialization.
• Feral barn kittens requiring some forced love to learn people aren’t scary
• Note: The RHS would not place knowingly dangerous animals into foster care. Your safety is important to us.

Safe Places Program

The Safe Places program is a program geared towards men or women leaving domestic violence situations to go into a shelter environment. Studies have shown people will delay leaving an abusive situation if there is no place for their pet to go because they fear their significant other may harm or injure their pet out of spite. By fostering through this program you will not only help keep the pet you’re looking after safe, but help someone on their journey to a safer environment.

Note: The location of the animal and your name will be 100% confidential, even to the animal’s owner. All transitions will be done through the RHS for your safety and privacy.

Shelter Capacity

At times, the RHS becomes quite full and requires a few extra spaces to house animals in order to ensure some space is available for all of the incoming animals. During these times often we rely on foster families to hold onto animals in their homes until an adoption event occurs. This program reduces the risk of having to euthanize healthy animals for space.

Note: Once space is available, the animal will be brought back to the shelter. Adoptions visits are never done at a foster home for safety reasons. All adoptions meets, and adoptions paperwork will be completed at the Regina Humane Society.

• Must be within a 30-minute drive to the Regina Humane Society (for emergency purposes)
• Must be over 18 years of age
• Must provide a criminal record check from Regina Police Service or the RCMP
• Any other animals within the household must be up to date on vaccinations (a vaccination certificate will need to be provided)
• All approved foster applicants must attend Foster Orientation at the Regina Humane Society and read the Foster Manual.
• After Foster Orientation is completed a phone interview with the RHS Enrichment Coordinator will be arranged to finalize applicant as a registered foster

• Basic training
• All animal care supplies
• Medical care for the animal and access to someone to answer all your questions

Most communication within the Foster Program is done through email. When an animal is in need of fostering, the Life Saving Coordinator will send an email out to registered fosters in hopes of finding an available foster family for that particular animal. If a foster person is interested they simply reply to the email, and then arrange a time for pick-up. Whoever responds to the foster call-out first will receive the animal as a foster!

You can be a superhero and save lives by providing a temporary home for animals in need! Fostering is one of the most impactful ways the public can help save the lives of animals. To apply to be a foster, please fill out the form below.