Foster Dogs or Cats

Kim (Bolingbrook, IL)

I called my Facebook page “It Started With One Foster Cat,” implying that, as time goes by, the number of foster cats will increase as well! After adopting a cat from A.R.F. in 2016, I wanted to volunteer in some way so I began helping at adoption events. It took me almost two years to convince my family to bring in a foster cat, so now I finally get to do that, too.

Laura (Winfield, IL)

I started fostering with A.R.F. about 13 years ago. My family and friends said I couldn’t do it, and my husband said I would foster a dog and adopt it until we had our limit. Well, here we are now! We’ve fostered dogs from 3lbs to 148 lbs. We’ve fostered pregnant mommas and many puppies. My most memorable foster is still Rosie. I think she was my fifth foster. She came from a puppy-mill. Rosie was afraid of everything, including the breeze. I’m still friends with her adopter. I truly love fostering! I have made life long friends and have many new family members at A.R.F. We used to count how many fosters we had that came and went. We gave that up a few years back.

Gloria (Wheaton, IL)

I enjoy having cat butts in my face. But no really, I adopted my kitty from A.R.F., then started volunteering to help with social media and marketing. A bit later, I also became involved in dog adoption events, though my first love is cats (sorry dogs…. #NotSorry). When A.R.F.’s cat coordinator asked for emergency fosters a while back, I raised my hand to foster one. After rescuing over 200 fosters, I’m so happy I continued to foster and didn’t stop at one. Seeing updates on the lives of my fosters after they are adopted makes the challenges worth it. Fostering isn’t always easy, but it is always rewarding.

Maria (Roselle, IL)

I’ve been fostering since 2022, and now I can’t imagine not fostering. The highs outweigh the lows, and this is the most rewarding thing I have ever done aside from being a mom. As much as I love fostering pregnant mamas, the need to spay and neuter all pets is so important to help control all the homeless animals. Adopting a fur baby is a lifelong commitment! You can go to Adventures in Fostering on Facebook to follow my journey as a cat foster!

The G Family (Downers Grove, IL)

It all started for us about 4 years ago with a dog named Buttons. We stopped in to PetSmart for some dog food and stumbled across an adoption event where my daughter met Buttons. She grabbed an A.R.F. flyer, learned of other adoption events and needed to check on Buttons. After visiting several events, we were asked if we’d like to volunteer and it wasn’t long after that we were approached to foster.

It has been a wonderful experience and our family has helped over 75 dogs find new homes. Each foster is a little different and watching their personalities blossom each day as they settle in and feel safe and loved is so rewarding. You would think the hardest part of fostering is letting your fosters go, but it is actually not being able to rescue the many, many more that are caged up in shelters. If you have ever thought of being a foster, give it a try. You won’t regret it.