Foster Program :

Why is Animal Care Foster Rescue so important?

AC&C is contracted by the City of New York to provide animal care and control service. It is the only animal rescue organization in the City that is required by law to take in all homeless pets. This means our doors are always open to over 120 animals each day that have no where else to turn or who may otherwise be left on the street. Because of this, we usually have many more animals than our shelter can hold. Animal Care Foster Rescue is designed to function as an internal rescue within the organization – we save foster animals lives by placing them into foster homes, and simultaneously create more space at the shelters for adoptions to occur.

AC&C foster animals consist of fully-adoptable animals that have not yet found a permanent home, but lack of space at the shelter places the animal at risk of being euthanized. Animals that are too young for adoption, sick, elderly, disabled or arrived together and are attached can all benefit from a foster home as these factors decrease their chances of being adopted directly from the shelter. Finally, there are many animals that cannot be placed within a rescue organization, usually because the rescues are full or the animal is not a pure-breed, whose lives would be saved by being placed in a foster home.

What are the goals of Animal Care Foster Rescue?
Our goal is to create a network of dedicated and responsible foster parents to care for foster animal(s) in their own homes until a permanent adoptive home is found for each animal. Foster parenting is rewarding, and also challenging. Our foster parents are willing to bring their foster animal(s) to AC&C adoption events and conduct their own adoption efforts. AC&C will work in conjunction with all foster parents to assist them while they are fostering and to find a good permanent home for their foster animal(s).

As we generate this – hopefully, eventually vast – network of individuals, our goal is to greatly reduce (and eventually eliminate) euthanasia due to lack of space at the shelters. Likewise, our goal is to exponentially increase the number of AC&C animals that are adopted into permanent homes.

How can I help Animal Care Foster Rescue?
If you are interested in becoming a foster parent for AC&C, please fill out the application available for download on this webpage, and return in the manner listed on the application. If you know of anyone that you think would be able to help AC&C out – please tell them about us!

If you would like to help Animal Care Foster Rescue and have experience with animals (any life experience, training or medical experience counts!), but are unable to have animals in your home, or unable to physically care for an animal, consider becoming a Foster Captain, a Foster Medical Captain or a Foster Behavioral Captain. A description of each of these volunteer positions is available for download on this webpage.

If you have any further questions, please consult the Foster Care Manual available for download on this website. Alternatively, please contact the Animal Care Foster Rescue team at fosters@nycacc.org.

Upcoming Foster Events

Foster Informational Session! If you are a current foster or are interested in fostering, please attend this question and answer session for the Animal Care Foster Rescue program.

  • This month’s session at the Manhattan shelter is on Tuesday, August 18th at 7pm
  • This month’s session at the Brooklyn shelter is on Wednesday, August 19th at 6pm
  • You must RSVP, in advance, to this session by emailing fosters@nycacc.org

 

Bottle Baby Seminar! Bottle babies are kittens that arrive at our shelter without their mothers, but are too young to eat on their own. They require round the clock care and feedings every 2-3 hours. If you are a current bottle baby foster or are interested in fostering bottle babies, please consider attending this educational seminar, and learn all about caring for these little kittens!

  • Due to the abundance of kittens coming into the shelter, Iris Lugo will be holding WEEKLY Bottle Baby Seminars at the Manhattan shelter (326 E. 110th Street, b/t 1st and 2nd Avenues) on Sundays. Please email fosters@nycacc.org AND Iris at lugo@fegs.org directly to RSVP with your name and the Sunday that you can attend the seminar.

 

Pit Bull Seminar! Approximately 70% of the dogs at AC&C are pit bulls and pit bull mixes. Public perception of these wonderful dogs has damaged their reputation and made many fearful or hesitant around these animals. To save as many pits as possible through our foster program, it is necessary to debunk this perception. Please come to this informational seminar, presented by Animal Farm Foundation and AC&C, to learn about the breed, how to properly care for them, to dispel inaccurate myths about these loving dogs – and how to manage a multiple dog household. If you know anyone else that could benefit from this seminar, please tell them about this fabulous educational session.

  • Our first ever Pit Bull Seminar was a smashing success! We will have a video available showing the wonderful presentation by Bernice Clifford of Animal Farm Foundation, available for download on this webpage shortly.
  • Due to holiday schedules, we will be planning our next Pit Bull Seminar for the end of January/beginning of February – please check back for updates!