Our four-legged friends need your help!
Save a life and earn 60 service hours per month for fostering a shelter dog or cat!
LA Animal Shelters are drowning in young, healthy dogs and cats. The shelters are 3X over capacity and unable to provide the care the animals need and deserve. Fostering is a wonderful way to get an animal out of the shelter, give him or her the love and care they deserve, and help them to find their forever home. Students play an important role in caring for their foster pet while learning to be responsible and even gaining valuable communication and marketing skills. Additionally, students become life-long animal advocates!
Get started now!
Step One:
Apply to be a foster through L.A. Animal Services. It may take a while to be approved so be patient but persistent! Select HARBOR as your shelter. Don’t worry about selecting an animal unless you know which one you want. Start here!
Step Two:
Once your application is in, please fill out our questionaire so our volunteers can match you with the perfect furry foster! Start questionaire here Then browse our dogs on IG via ARFHarborShelter or go here and choose Harbor to start getting an idea of whose life you want to change.
Step Three:
Take your new furry friend home! We’ll give you a crate, leash, collar, food/water bowls, harness and tag. You can start caring and networking your foster to find its forever home while earning service hours! It’s fun, important and rewarding work! Plus, we’ll check in regularly to ensure all’s well and we’re a phone call away!
Pets change
our lives.
We're on a quest
to change theirs.
Fostering is an important part of the decompression cycle for shelter animals. It’s rewarding but it is work, which is why we’re able to award students 60 service hours per month for fostering through our amazing partner, Pedro Pet Pals, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Students will need to fill out our log book showing what tasks they did every day to help their furry friend for their hours. If they are not affiliated with a service organization, we can submit hours for them in order to earn the Presidential Service Award.
Contact us!
We are a group of dedicated Harbor volunteers who realized we need creative solutions to get our furry friends out of the horribly crowded shelter. We are here to answer any questions you may have. Send us a DM or email and we will answer as quicky as possible!
call or text 310-650-1089
foster4servicehours@gmail.com
view our
featured
fosters
Dusk who came in with an old front injury. This doesn’t slow sweet Dusk down though. He’s a happy, affectionate, dog with puppy-like energy. Dusk knows his sit command and is such a patient, gentle treat taker. He enjoys time in the yard with volunteers and is learning to play fetch. Dusk is curious and eager to please and would make a great addition to your family.
He has the cutest face, wayward ears and a huge smile. He is always happy to meet someone, climb on their lap and give them a few kisses. He doesn’t know his size and sometimes invades your personal space but he is a good natured goofy boy.
This big, silly, bouncy senior boy is affectionate and so young at heart. He’s also a nonstop tail wager who knows his sit command, loves treats, enjoys short walks, and is bound to make you laugh.
Hagrid is friendly, engaging and loves attention and pets. He knows his sit command, is treat motivated and playful. He is currently kenneled with another dog and often used for dog testing. Hagrid is a young, sweet boy who has spent half his life in the shelter.
Introducing Maya our sweet husky. This well behaved girl is ready for her next adventure. So far, she has been to an adoption event and on a field trip and enjoyed both. She is curious, easy on leash, a gentle treat taker, and travels well in the car. Maya would make a wonderful hiking/walking companion
Looking for a friendly, funny, fluffy dog? Come meet Tracy. This sweet girl is now kenneled in the big yard where she is growing increasingly stressed by the current shelter conditions. Once out of her kennel, Tracy is affectionate, easy on leash, and a gentle treat taker. She longs for a home where she’ll get lots of exercise and love.
Introducing our happy girl Stella. She is a friendly, tail wagging girl with a beautiful chestnut coat and light brown eyes. She LOVES going for walks, heels by your side and knows her sit and shake commands. Stella is a sweet girl and she would make a wonderful family dog or companion.
This handsome boy is friendly, engaging, affectionate, and quick to drop his head in your lap for a bit of lovin’. Cash would be a wonderful family dog or companion and he would love to go for hikes/walks and then snuggle on the couch with you when the day is done. Cash is smart, sweet and may be the dog of your dreams
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I’ve never fostered before. Can you explain what’s involved?
A: Of course! It’s all spelled out right here.
Q: How old do I have to be to become a Foster Parent?
A: You must be at least 18 years old to apply to be a foster parent. While minor children can be in your household, the applicant and primary caregiver must be at least 18 years of age. Students can begin earning service hours at 5-years-old.
Q: Can I receive court-mandated hours by fostering?
A: No, only hours required for school students are offered.
Q: Can I have other pets in my household while I am fostering?
A: Yes, however, your pets must be healthy and should be kept separate from your foster pets initially. We STRONGLY suggest following the 3-3-3 rule. Here is a great video on how to introduce animals. Please view it!
Q: Can I foster if I live in another county?
A: Realistically, we need you to be within an hour of the shelter so you can do check-ups for your animal. But we can make exceptions for strong candidates. Please send us an email.
Q: Does L.A. Animal Services provide food/medicine for foster pets?
A: Pedro Pet Pals provides starter kits for the care of our foster pets upon pick up along with a collar, leash, harness, and crate. Medical care is generally provided by the foster but we can work with you. We’ll provide a starter food kit as well.
Q: Can I adopt the pet once the foster period is over?
A: Absolutely!!! We call this a “foster fail” but it’s actually a win for everyone. As a foster parent you will receive priority to adopt along with family/friends. All foster pets must be returned to our Adoption Center to complete paperwork.
Q: Can I let someone else foster my foster pet?
A: No, your foster pet(s) must remain under your supervision at all times. If you need to transfer your foster pet to another registered foster, you MUST alert the Foster Team before doing so and gain approval.
Q: What if someone I know wants to adopt my foster pet?
A: That’s great! Let us know and we’ll help facilitate the process.
Q: How many service hours does my student need to get the Presidential Service Award?
A: It depends on their age. Learn everything abou the President’s Volunteer Service Award here.
Q: Tell me more about the service hour component.
A: Will do! Once you foster your new friend, we’ll send you a log sheet. Your student will need to fill this out on a daily basis tracking what activities he/she did to help care for and network your foster. We’ll sign off on it whenever your service organization needs us to. If you are not affiliated with a service organization and still want to earn the Presidential Service Award, Pedro Pet Pals is happy to be the Certifying Organization. We want everyone to be able to earn this distinguished award!
Q: I have more than one student in my household. Do they each get 60 hours?
A: No, service hours are 60/month per pet. Students may split those hours, though.
Q: What activities might my student be responsible for?
A: Glad you asked! Taking care of an animal is a big responsibility and promotes all sorts of wonderful things from increased empathy and responsibility to reduced loneliness (see article below). Students can be responsible for everything from feeding, grooming, walking, cleaning, playing, training (we can help with this), networking and promoting the foster pet to finding its forever home. We believe students who get involved with the care of their animals will become life-long animal advocates, especially for the shelter pets who need it.
Q: I still have questions! Can I talk to someone?
A: Yes, please. Reach out any time. We are here for you and want to make this program successful. Call or text 310.650.1089 or info@foster4servicehours.org
Extra resources we love!
15 Ways Volunteering Can Boost Your College Application
20 Benefits of Raising Kids Around Animals
How to introduce your dog to another dog
Thank you to Pedro Pet Pals for making this program possible!
Please follow Pedro Pet Pals and ARF Harbor Shelter on social media!
