Become a
Furry Foster
Becoming a foster parent is a rewarding experience as you help animals in need, while also forming bonds with our Much Love community! We work to match foster animals with you based on your preferences and lifestyle. By taking an animal into your home on a temporary basis, the animal is given an opportunity to adjust to a home environment, and we are given additional time to find a permanent home.
To get started, you'll need to fill out an application and then, if approved, a volunteer will visit your home for a brief home check to get to you know better. For more information, please read the FAQ's below and, if you still have questions, email our Foster Committee at info@muchlove.org or fill out our contact form HERE.
Foster parenting is a wonderful way to enjoy the love and attention of an animal without making a permanent commitment. Because we don’t have a permanent facility, Much Love’s foster program is one of the most crucial elements of our rescue organization. By taking an animal into your home, you are allowing it to become accustomed to a safe and loving home life. Although we can’t guarantee how long it will take to find the animal a home, the average is several weeks, however it could be as little as a few days or as much as a few months. During that time, you will help your foster decompress and, if needed, learn how to thrive in a home setting. If at any time you would like to discontinue fostering, you are always given the option to stop.
Yes, whether you’re looking for a mellow kitty cat that sleeps all day or an active, ball-chasing dog that you can take on jogs, our goal is to place an animal with you that fits your needs and wants and is compatible with your lifestyle. We will help determine which of our pets fits that description.
This is one of the most common phrases we hear from people. We share the sentiment whole-heartedly. Because we take these needy animals from dire situations, nurse them back to health if they are sick, rehabilitate and train, and discover and love each of their individual personalities, we know how hard it is to separate from them when they go to new, permanent homes. But because of this strong bond, we also know how rewarding it is when watching their new owner shower them with kisses and love, and know that we had a hand in saving a life and creating a new family unit. Then our homes are opened up to a new dog in need, and we get to experience this beautiful cycle again. Foster parenting is an integral part of the process, and we can only tell you that it is one of the most rewarding things around, and the reason we all work tirelessly to make it happen!
If at any time the fit of the animal in your care is not working for you, we will be happy to take the animal back and try a different animal in its place. Just like people, animals all have different personalities, and our goal is to help find the right animal for your situation. We are very accessible to and supportive of our foster network.
Much Love provides all food and supplies while the pet is in your care, unless you would like to do so yourself. All supplies you purchase for fostering are often times tax-deductible (check with your tax advisor). Additionally, we offer a pet sponsorship program. So maybe you know someone in your life that would be interested in financially supporting your foster dog!
Much Love pays all veterinary fees for animals that are cared for by our kind foster parents. We work with you to schedule appointments with a list of approved veterinarians.
Absolutely, as long as your pets are comfortable with their new short or long-term visitors.
Absolutely not! Although if you have toddlers in your family, we are careful in the choice of animal for your situation.
Living with you often helps the animal prepare best for that permanent home! Not only can they adjust to this environment, they also now have precious time to find the right forever match. Much Love will promote the foster animal on our social media, newsletters, website, and third party sites. We also will participate in mobile adoption events where our animals can interact with the public. We ask our fosters to transport their dog or cat to these events when they occur. If you can’t, we will work with you to have a volunteer transport.
Because our animals have been shuffled from the street or shelters, to vet offices and then to different boarding situations, we prefer that foster parents try to home the animal for as long as they are in our care. Although we can’t guarantee how long it will take to find the animal a permanent home, the average is several weeks, however it could be as little as a few days or as much as a few months. If at any time you would like to discontinue fostering, you are always given the option to stop.
This is the beauty of fostering! Not only are you getting the satisfaction of helping an animal in need, you don’t have to be tied down to it. If you need to go out of town for just a night or for a whole month, we will find another foster parent or a place for the animal to be boarded until you return. Much Love pays for all of the costs, if there are any, for boarding the animal while you’re away.
Our priority is that the animals receive the best care possible and are introduced to a loving environment where they can grow and become accustomed to new situations. Each situation is evaluated and then we determine how many animals it is practical to have in your care. We don’t want to overburden our foster families and also want to be sure our animals, and possibly your own, are all receiving the care and love they deserve. Los Angeles County limits the number of animals at a private residence to three.
Our focus is dogs, and they’re our specialty, but we also rescue cats and kittens.
Mostly LA County shelters, but also shelters further afield. We try to help when shelters become overcrowded. Shelters can be particularly stressful environments, so we prioritize dogs who are having a tough time coping and are unlikely to be adopted straight from the shelter. We also take in strays that come our way.
First, the dog will see one of our vets to get a wellness exam and vaccinations. We spay and neuter as soon as is medically appropriate. Then the dog is placed in a foster home to decompress and await their forever home.
The heart of Much Love is our foster program, which places rescued animals into loving homes until they find their forever family. Much Love is a completely decentralized rescue, relying on our foster network to save the animals that we do. We take particular care in placing our animals in homes where they will thrive, matching the animal’s energy to the family’s energy. We also work with professional trainers as needed to address any behavioral concerns. You'll show your foster love, safety, and basic manners, while we work on finding them their perfect family. We have a team dedicated to making this experience a positive one for both you and the animal. See our foster page to learn more and apply!
We use social media, newsletters, in-person adoption events, and word of mouth to find applicants. We also post our available animals on various adoption website. We conduct thorough interviews and a virtual home check. Potential adopters will visit with the animal prior to adoption to ensure it's a good match. Fosters are also asked for their input on potential applicants as we understand you may know the animal's needs best. We ask adoptive owners to sign a detailed contract obliging them to give the animal a loving home.
Sadly, many dogs are abandoned or surrendered to shelters because medical care is so expensive. The majority of Much Love’s rescue donations goes toward medical care for the animals we rescue. We have relationships with vets all over LA county and make sure every animal gets the medical care it needs.
We are a small rescue, and we get dozens of pleas about animals in need every day. When we can’t help, we refer people to this list of other rescues (see below). If you know any rescues we should add to the list, please email us.
Amanda Foundation (dogs and cats)
https://www.amandafoundation.org
Apollo’s Ark (dogs and cats)
https://apollosarc.org/contact-us
apollosarc@gmail.com
Best Friends (dogs and cats)
https://bestfriends.org/los-angeles
bestfriendsla@bestfriends.org
Bullies and Buddies (dogs)
https://www.bulliesandbuddies.com
bulliesandbuddies@gmail.com
Cat Lounge Rescue & Adoption Center
(858) 886-7083dogs
Deity Animal Rescue (dogs)
https://www.deityanimalrescue.org
deityanimalrescue@gmail.com
K9 Kismet
info@k9kismet.org
Kitt Crusaders
info@kittcrusaders.org
Kitten Critical
(844) 636-9636
Kitty of Angels
https://www.kittyofangels.org/
info@kittyofangels.org
Labelle Foundation (dogs and cats)
laura@labellefoundation.org
Lange Foundation (dogs and cats)
info@langefoundation.org
NKLA (dogs and cats)
(424) 208-8840
Purposeful Rescue (dogs)
https://www.apurposefulrescue.org
Room 8 Memorial Cat Foundation
room8cats@gmail.com
Underdog Heroes (dogs)
(310) 980-0168
This is a long one - but we hope the level of detail supports you in this process.
STEP ONE: First, check the animal for tags and, if it has them, contact the owner immediately. If there are no tags, legally you must take the animal to the shelter nearest the location where the animal was found. Call 888-452-7381 to find the shelter nearest you or go to http://www.laanimalservices.com/. Animal shelters are the first place an owner will look for a missing dog or cat and legally you must take the animal to a shelter for the minimum holding period of five days, or you must try to find the owner on your own with ads, flyers, etc. Many people don’t want to take the animal to the shelter in fear the dog will be automatically euthanized. While it is a fact that Los Angeles has a high euthanization rate, this is the place where many pets and their owners are reunited. Even if the animal does not have tags, it may have escaped from a yard and if it is microchipped, it’s owner could be determined when the shelter scans the animal for the chip. If you want to keep tabs on the animal, get the impound number from the shelter and track it through the shelter system to determine when the animal will be available for adoption, which should be five working days from the day you turn it in if the owner doesn’t show up. You can also place “First Rights” on the animal so that you can adopt it when it does come up for adoption, if you show up between 8:00 am to 9:00 am on the first day it is available for adoption. Remember to check out the shelters where logs are kept of owners looking lost dog or cats and see if any of the descriptions matches your animal’s. If you decide against taking the animal to the shelter, many veterinarian’s offices can also scan the animal for a microchip. If no microchip is found, post information on social media and post “Found” flyers in the are where the animal was roaming. When placing an ad, be vague in your description, note the area the animal was found in and your telephone number. This is to ensure that the people calling are truly the animal’s owner. Make sure they can give a description of the animal and ask for the animal’s name to see how it reacts when called. If so far so good, ask to see proof of ownership in veterinary records, dog licenses or a photo of the animal. Most newspapers will place “Found” ads free of charge. STEP TWO: If you have gone through the steps above, and no owner has been found, you can adopt it yourself, try finding it a home yourself or you can take the animal to a local shelter. If you contact us, Much Love will place a photo and description of your animal as a courtesy on AdoptAPet.com and Petfinder.com. We also recommend contacting many other animal rescue groups. They might post you to their sites as well and allow your animal to be courtesy showings at their adoption sites.
We are pleased to help others who are doing their best to help these loving creatures. We are happy to place an animal in need of a home on www.Petfinder.com and www.AdoptAPet.com – the nation’s largest resources for pet adoptions. Animals can only be placed on these sites by animal rescue organizations, but we can have the interested party contact you directly. STEP THREE: Now you’ve found someone who wants your pet, how do you decide if they are right for the animal? Check out our dog and cat applications to get ideas on what are good questions to ask.