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FOSTER PARENT EXPECTATIONS

What You Need to Know Before You Foster

Thank you for considering fostering a dog with Fly To Freedom Dog Rescue (FTFDR). Foster families make our lifesaving work possible by opening their homes to dogs while they wait for permanent families.

Fostering is incredibly rewarding, but it is also a commitment and comes with important responsibilities.

We want every foster parent to understand what to expect before accepting a dog into their home.

These expectations are intended as a plain-language guide to your responsibilities as a foster parent. They supplement, but do not replace, the terms of the FTFDR Foster Parent Agreement you sign.

FOSTER PARENT EXPECTATIONS

Clear guidance for a safer foster experience

01

Understand That You Are Fostering A Rescue Dog

Many of our dogs come to us from Anguilla and occasionally Saint Martin. While we provide veterinary care and gather as much information as reasonably possible, we may not know everything about a dog’s history.

A dog may behave differently after arriving in a new environment.

You may encounter:

  • Fear or anxiety
  • House-training accidents
  • Barking or crying
  • Chewing or destructive behavior
  • Resource guarding
  • Separation anxiety
  • Difficulty walking on a leash
  • Fear of unfamiliar people, children or other animals
  • Unexpected reactions or behaviors

 

Fostering requires patience, reasonable judgment, supervision and a willingness to allow a dog time to adjust.

No rescue organization can guarantee how any dog will behave in every situation.

02

You Are Responsible For Supervision And Safety

While a foster dog is in your home, you are responsible for providing reasonable supervision and maintaining a safe environment.

You are expected to:

  • Keep the dog safely indoors as a member of your household.
  • Never allow the dog to roam freely or remain unsupervised outdoors.
  • Secure doors, gates, fences, leashes and harnesses.
  • Supervise interactions with children, visitors and other animals.
  • Introduce resident pets slowly and carefully.
  • Feed the foster dog separately from other animals.
  • Separate animals immediately if you observe aggression, resource guarding, significant stress or incompatibility.
  • Use reasonable caution in unfamiliar environments.

 

Do not put yourself, another person, another animal or the foster dog into a situation you believe may be unsafe.

03

Your Personal Safety And Medical Care Are Your Responsibility

This is extremely important.

If you, someone in your household, a visitor or another person is bitten, scratched or otherwise injured, do not wait for FTFDR to tell you whether to seek medical care.

You are responsible for making decisions concerning your own health and safety.

If you believe an injury requires medical attention, seek appropriate medical care from a physician, urgent care center or emergency department.

If there is a serious or potentially life-threatening emergency, call 911 immediately.

FTFDR:

  • Does not need to authorize medical treatment for a person.
  • Does not provide medical advice.
  • Cannot diagnose an injury.
  • Cannot determine whether you need medical treatment.
  • Should never be used as a substitute for a licensed healthcare professional or emergency service.


Never delay necessary medical care while waiting for someone from FTFDR to respond.

Once immediate medical and safety needs have been addressed, notify us of the incident as soon as reasonably possible. You can contact Leigh Fazzina, President of FTFDR at leigh@flytofreedomdogrescue.org and also your Foster Parent Liaison, Tara or Cindy by phone.

04

Ftfdr Is Not A 24-Hour Emergency Service

Fly To Freedom Dog Rescue is a volunteer-operated, foster-based nonprofit organization.

We do not operate:

  • A 24-hour emergency hotline
  • A staffed call center
  • A physical animal shelter
  • A kennel or boarding facility
  • An emergency medical service


Our Board members, foster parent liaisons, transport coordinators and other team members are volunteers. They have jobs, families and personal responsibilities and may be sleeping, traveling, working, in appointments or otherwise unavailable when you call or text.

We will respond and assist as reasonably and promptly as possible, but you should never delay necessary action involving immediate human health or safety while waiting for FTFDR to respond.

05

If A Dog Bite Or Aggressive Incident Occurs

Your priorities should be:

Protect people → Address injuries → Secure the dog → Notify FTFDR.

If a bite or aggressive incident occurs:

  • Move people and other animals away from the dog.
  • Seek appropriate medical attention for anyone injured.
  • Safely secure or separate the dog if you can do so without putting yourself at further risk.
  • Use a crate, separate room, closed door, baby gate or other secure barrier when appropriate.
  • Keep the dog separated from children, visitors and other animals.
  • Do not punish, hit, corner or physically confront the dog.
  • Notify FTFDR as soon as reasonably possible and provide an accurate description of what occurred.


If you cannot safely control the situation without risking additional injury, prioritize human safety and contact the appropriate emergency authority when necessary.

06

Human Medical Care And Dog Veterinary Care Are Different

Please understand this important distinction.

FOR A PERSON:
You do not need permission from FTFDR to seek medical care for yourself or anyone else.

FOR THE FOSTER DOG:
FTFDR retains authority over routine and non-emergency veterinary decisions.

Do not independently schedule or authorize routine veterinary care, medications, vaccinations, tests, procedures or surgeries for the foster dog without FTFDR approval.

If the dog experiences a genuine life-threatening veterinary emergency requiring immediate care to prevent serious harm or death, follow the emergency provisions of your Foster Parent Agreement, make reasonable efforts to contact FTFDR and notify us as soon as reasonably possible.

07

We Cannot Immediately Remove A Dog From Your Home

FTFDR is a foster-based rescue. We do not have a physical shelter.

If you decide you can no longer foster a dog, we cannot simply send someone immediately to pick up the dog.

A replacement foster home must be:

  • Located
  • Available
  • Appropriate for the particular dog
  • Screened and approved when necessary
  • Coordinated for transfer


You may also be required to transport the dog to the new approved foster home or transfer location.

Finding another placement can take 24 hours, several days or longer, depending on the circumstances and foster availability.

Until an approved transfer is arranged, you are expected to continue providing safe, humane care and use appropriate management measures such as separation, gates, crates or closed rooms when necessary.

You may not independently surrender, abandon, give away, board or transfer an FTFDR dog to another person, shelter, rescue, veterinarian, animal-control agency or other organization without FTFDR’s authorization.

08

Fostering Does Not Have A Guaranteed End Date

When you agree to foster, you are agreeing to care for the dog until:

  • The dog is adopted into an approved permanent home, or
  • FTFDR arranges another approved placement.


Some dogs are adopted quickly. Others take longer.

We cannot guarantee that a dog will be adopted within a particular number of days or weeks.

Please consider your schedule, travel plans, household circumstances and ability to make this commitment before accepting a foster dog.

09

If You Have Other Pets

Your resident animals should be healthy and appropriately vaccinated before bringing a foster dog into your home.

Introductions should be gradual and supervised.

Never assume that two dogs will automatically get along.

Watch carefully for:

  • Growling or snapping
  • Resource guarding
  • Stiff body language
  • Fear or avoidance
  • Escalating play
  • Stress around food, toys or people


Always feed the foster dog separately from other animals.

If you see concerning behavior, separate the animals safely and contact FTFDR.

10

If Your Foster Dog Gets Lost

Act immediately.

Do not sit and wait for FTFDR to organize the search.

Immediately:

  • Begin searching the surrounding area.
  • Ask family, friends and neighbors to help.
  • Notify FTFDR.
  • Contact local animal control, shelters and veterinary offices as appropriate.
  • Post on local social media and lost-pet platforms.
  • Distribute lost-dog information within the community.


The first hours after a dog escapes can be critical. Foster parents are expected to actively participate in recovery efforts.

11

Food, Supplies And Daily Care

Unless otherwise arranged with FTFDR, foster parents are expected to provide appropriate food and basic supplies for their foster dog.

You are responsible for:

  • Food and fresh water
  • Appropriate exercise
  • Safe shelter inside your home
  • Basic supplies
  • Daily supervision
  • Humane and attentive care


Follow any feeding or care instructions provided by FTFDR.

12

Help Us Get Your Foster Dog Adopted

Fostering is more than providing a place for a dog to stay. You play an important role in helping us find the right permanent family.

Within the first few days, we may ask you to provide:

  • Clear, good-quality photos
  • Videos
  • Information about personality and temperament
  • House-training observations
  • Behavior around people and animals
  • Likes, dislikes and quirks


Please respond promptly when FTFDR requests information about your foster dog.

The more we know, the better we can promote the dog and identify an appropriate adopter.

13

Ftfdr Controls The Adoption Process

You are encouraged to tell friends, family and others about your foster dog, but FTFDR makes all final adoption decisions.

You may not independently:

  • Promise the dog to someone.
  • Approve an adopter.
  • Arrange an adoption.
  • Transfer the dog.
  • Schedule an unauthorized meet-and-greet.
  • Represent that someone has been approved.


Anyone interested in adopting must complete FTFDR’s official adoption process.

If you become interested in adopting your foster dog yourself, notify FTFDR within the timeframe stated in your Foster Parent Agreement.

14

Homeowner’S Or Renter’S Insurance

Foster parents are expected to maintain homeowner’s or renter’s insurance with appropriate liability coverage applicable to dog-related incidents, as required by the Foster Parent Agreement.

Please understand your own insurance coverage before agreeing to foster.

FTFDR does not provide personal insurance coverage to replace your own homeowner’s, renter’s, medical or other applicable insurance.

15

Communication Is Important

Please tell us about problems early.

Do not wait until a manageable issue becomes a crisis.

Contact FTFDR if you observe:

  • Aggression or concerning behavior
  • Resource guarding
  • Problems with resident animals
  • Significant illness or injury involving the dog
  • An escape or missing dog
  • A major change in your ability to continue fostering
  • Any other significant concern


Early communication gives everyone more time to develop a reasonable solution.

At the same time, please remember that FTFDR volunteers may not always be able to respond immediately.

All communication should remain respectful, cooperative and focused on finding the best solution for the dog and everyone involved.

16

Before You Say “Yes” To Fostering

Please ask yourself:

  • Am I prepared to supervise and care for a rescue dog every day?
  • Does everyone in my household agree to fostering?
  • Am I prepared for accidents, barking, chewing or other adjustment behaviors?
  • Can I safely separate the foster dog from my pets if necessary?
  • Am I comfortable managing an unexpected behavioral issue?
  • Do I understand that FTFDR cannot guarantee an immediate replacement foster?
  • Can I continue caring for the dog while another placement is arranged if necessary?
  • Am I prepared to seek medical care on my own if I am injured rather than waiting for FTFDR?
  • Do I understand that FTFDR is not a 24-hour emergency service?
  • Can I help provide photos, information and cooperation needed to get the dog adopted?
  • Do I understand that I cannot independently give away, surrender or transfer the dog?


If you have concerns about any of these expectations, please discuss them with us before accepting a foster dog.

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

We are here to support your foster journey.

FTFDR will make reasonable efforts to support you throughout the foster experience.

We will provide information available to us about your foster dog, coordinate authorized veterinary care, provide guidance when issues arise, promote the dog for adoption, screen prospective adopters and work with you toward a successful placement.

In return, we ask our foster parents to be responsible, communicative, patient and prepared to exercise reasonable judgment while the dog is in their care.

The most important things to remember

If a person is injured

Take care of the person first. Seek medical care when needed. Do not wait for FTFDR’s permission.

If there is immediate danger

Call 911 or the appropriate emergency authority.

If there is a bite or aggressive incident

Protect people, address injuries, safely separate and secure the dog, then contact FTFDR.

If the dog needs routine veterinary care

Contact FTFDR before obtaining treatment.

If the dog has a life-threatening veterinary emergency

Obtain necessary emergency assistance consistent with your Foster Parent Agreement and contact FTFDR as soon as reasonably possible.

If the dog escapes

Begin searching immediately and notify FTFDR.

If you can no longer foster

Contact us as early as possible and continue safely caring for the dog while an approved alternative placement is arranged.

Fostering saves lives.

Clear expectations, responsible decision-making, good communication and teamwork help make fostering safer and more successful for the dogs, foster families and everyone involved.