Q: What is the first step to becoming a foster for Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue?

A: Saying YES! We want this to be a good match and a good experience for you, and the pet you foster. Saying yes only obligates you to TRYING the experience.

Q: Why should I foster?

A: With the pet overpopulation crisis on the rise, kill shelters are completely overwhelmed with dogs. Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue is committed to saving as many pets as possible from an untimely death in these shelters. We rely on our foster homes to help us in our rescue mission. The more foster homes we have available, the more lives we can save!

Q: Do we need to train our foster pet, and what are our responsibilities?

A: Basic training, such as leash skills, crate training, and reinforcing housebreaking are certainly welcomed and will help the pet in the transition to their forever home, but stability and love are the most important things for a foster to provide.

Q: What if I get too attached to the foster pet and can’t let them go?

A: A lot of our foster parents have adopted one, or more, of their fosters. It’s never easy to let them go, but we continue to do so knowing that they are going to good forever homes, and knowing that because of us, they are alive. Also, every time you let one go to their forever home, another can take their place in your home, so by fostering, you are really saving two lives 🙂

Please keep in mind that we do not have a foster to adopt program and if you are interested in adopting, please see our Adoption Process tab.

Q: How do the adoptions work?

A: Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue holds adoptions at Peppermint Pig Thrift and Gift every Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. Foster parents are welcome, and encouraged, to bring their foster in and drop them off during this time. [Edit: during Covid, we are only having fosters who are scheduled for meets at the store on Saturdays] All potential adopters are screened by our Rescue and Adoptions Coordinators the week prior to our Saturday adoption day. Our Rescue and Adoptions Coordinators will keep maintain communications with you to let you know if and when your foster has a scheduled meet. Feedback from our fosters is extremely important in our screening process to help us match your foster dog with the right adopter.

Q: Do I have to live in a house or have a big yard?

A: We have fosters in all living environments, as long as fostering is welcomed by landlords and all occupants of the home. We try to match the needs of the dog to the right environment. Since most of our fosters will adopt (foster fail) one of their fosters, we do require that they meet the same vet and fence requirements as our adopters. We ask for this information in our foster application.

Q: How long, on average, will the pet be in our home?

A: We post our adoptable animals to our website, Facebook page, and to Petfinder as soon as possible after we rescue them. This helps ensure that potential adopters can view them and apply to adopt them right away. Our screening process typically takes several days, so you could have the foster in your home for a few days leading up to our adoption event, but up to a month or so. However, we will never expect a foster to keep a dog longer than they are comfortable with.

Q: What if the foster dog doesn’t work out in my home?

A: If, for any reason, the foster dog is not working out in your home, we do not expect you to keep them there. We will fond another foster home to place them in, or we will place them in a boarding facility until another foster home opens up for them. You are always welcome to try a different dog, or sometimes we can have you trade with another foster.

Q: What kind of costs and expenses are there for me to foster?

A: Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue provides ALL of the pet’s needs; all vet care, food, & crates when needed. Each pet will come to you with current, age appropriate vaccines, deflea-ed/dewormed, current flea and heartworm prevention, and spayed or neutered. Some dogs may need you to drive them to the vet for their spay or neuter, heartworm test, and/or rabies vaccination, but these vetting expenses are all covered by PPAR. Any ongoing treatments such as dewormer for young puppies going through the deworming process, medications for any ailments, will be provided to you by PPAR or PPAR’s vet.

Q: How do I get started?

A: To get started, please submit a Foster Application today! 🙂