Foster
Foster caregivers provide temporary care for cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies in their homes. Some animals need only a few weeks of care, while others may require a longer stay. Fostering is flexible, allowing you to choose the animals that fit your lifestyle. By offering your time, love, and home, you make a lasting difference in an animal’s life.
How Foster Care Works
What We Provide: The Atlanta Humane Society provides all veterinary care, medicine, food, and supplies needed for foster animals, as well as a supportive network of other foster parents and volunteers.
What You Provide: A foster parent offers a safe, nurturing home filled with warmth and love.
Animals in Need of Foster Care
Kittens and Puppies / Nursing Moms and Litters
We often have animals who are too young for spay or neuter surgeries. They need a safe and comfortable place to grow up and socialize. When there is a Mom, she’ll provide most of care, you’re her safe space.
Typical duration: 1-8 weeks
Pets Recovering from Illness or Injury
These animals may require medications or vet follow-ups. For this reason, we typically ask that you live within 30 minutes of our Atlanta location for easy transportation with appointments.
Typical duration: 1-2 months
Shelter-Stressed Animals
These are dogs and cat who need calm homes to decompress and feel safe.
Typical duration: 2-4 months
Virtual Adoption Ambassadors
You can help market our adult dogs and cats from home until adoption. To view dogs and cats who have been at the shelter a while and who could use a break with an adoption ambassador, visit this page.
Typical duration: 1-2 months
Animals in our Pets in Crisis Support Program
These animals come from loving families who are experiencing housing insecurity, domestic violence, or medical emergencies. You foster so they can go back home after crisis. To learn more about this program, click here.
Duration: Up to 90 days
Service Dogs in Training
Through our partnership with Dogs for Better Lives, we’re training shelter dogs to help with PTSD, vision issues, and autism out of our Marietta location.
Duration: 6 months
Get Started
Your first step in becoming an Atlanta Humane Society foster caregiver is signing up for one of our virtual foster caregiver orientations or watch a pre-recorded version. Live orientations are held virtually once a month.
Why Foster?
When foster parents share their experiences with the Atlanta Humane Society, the word they use most often is rewarding. Hear their stories—and hopefully find inspiration to create your own—by watching this video.
Foster Orientations
Start your foster volunteering by signing up for one of our upcoming orientations.

Virtual Foster Orientation
Sunday, June 22 from 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Foster caregivers provide temporary care for shelter cats, dogs, kittens and puppies in their own homes. Sometimes the animals in need are too young to be adopted.
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