Mobile, AL 36605
Phone: 251-478-9743ANIMAL RESCUE FOUNDATION
Post Office Box 50065
Mobile, AL 36605
Phone: 251-478-9743
ARFanage Hours: Saturday 11-3 and By Appointment
Foster Opportunities with ARF
ARF has limited space for rescues to live at the adoption shelter facility, and therefore rely on volunteer foster parents to care for our rescued cats and dogs. Foster parents have the unique opportunity to personally help our rescued animals heal both emotionally and physically from whatever trauma they have been through.
Fostering is a very rewarding experience for everyone involved. Not only do foster parents nurture and care for their charges; they really "share" the experience with the animals, "receiving" lots of nurture and care right back!
ARF rescues dogs and cats that are least likely to survive the shelter environment and places them in foster homes. There are many reasons why animals end up in the shelters; the previous guardians moved away and abandoned or surrendered them, they are born to an unspayed animal or to a stray and turned into the shelter, they are found on highways, in dumpsters, on doorsteps, in vacant lots, or injured on the side of a road.
Choosing to be a foster parent is a serious undertaking. It will change your routine and your own companion animals will need to be okay with it. Many people faced with homeless animals tell themselves, "It's not my problem", "It's not my fault", "It's so sad, but there's nothing I can do". Well, fortunately, there is something you can do without making a lifetime commitment.
So why in the world would any sane human being volunteer to be a foster parent for an animal that isn't their responsibility? Why would someone take on that responsibility? Why would anyone want to give up their spare bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, etc. and take on responsibility for a pet they will eventually place in someone else's home?
People who choose to foster do so because they know that if they don't step up to the plate, the fate of these animals is either sub-par living conditions or death. They feel good knowing they are making a difference, every minute and every day, in the life of an innocent soul; that a few months of inconvenience turns quickly into a rewarding, educational, challenging, and fun experience they will never forget. While it's true that fosters do get very attached to their animals, they also find a special joy in sending a pet to a wonderful new family.
Many families foster as a way to teach their children about compassion and responsibility in a creative and collaborative way. We have had parent-child partnerships take on nursing bottle babies or moms with litters, as a tag-team effort with joyous results. Parents who homeschool have also found that fostering is a great teaching endeavor for their family.
If you would like to foster a dog, cat, kitten, or puppy for ARF email us at info@animalrescuemobile.org or call us at (251) 478-9743. We provide training, food, and animal supplies as well as pay all medical costs! There are few acts more heart-warming than helping to save the life of a loving innocent creature in need.
Read a letter from our 9 year old Foster Parent
Foster Frequently Asked Questions
What does a foster family do?
As a foster family you will be the ultimate provider of security, love, companion and a nurturing home environment that a rescued dog needs to thrive. Please note that all of the above requirements cost nothing and offer a second chance to a rescue in need.
While fostering you will be required to:
Evaluate your rescued foster's behavior, temperament and energy level.
Determine if your foster is housebroken
Identify personality traits, such as dominance, submissiveness, patience with children?
Any sign of aggression? Around food? Other dogs? Cats?
Basic obedience? ...and anything else you would like us to know that would aid us in finding the best match for your foster...
In return we will put your foster's picture and description on ARFs website and our Adoption Coordinator will lead the effort to find your rescue's new forever home.
Ensure that your foster dog is available to meet potential adopters
When a match has been identified, a completed application, phone and home visit notes will be readily available to you. All you have to do is review the information, set up an introduction and showcase your foster to their possible future family!
What ARF provides foster families?
ARF can provide a food, crate, collar, leash and any necessary medical care for the duration of their stay in a foster home. While ARF cannot be held responsible for any damage to personal property that a foster could possibly cause, we will cover all illness-related medical expenses caused by a foster or results yielded by the unlikely event of a foster becoming hostile.
If you want to know more about fostering an ARF pet;
please email us and our Foster Coordinator will contact you shortly.
