What You Need to Know About Fostering

Maybe you've been following Saskatoon Dog Rescue for a while. You see the dogs come through, you've liked a few too many posts, and some part of you keeps thinking… I could do that. But then the questions start piling up. Do I have the right setup? What if something goes wrong? What if I get too attached?

Those questions are normal, and they mean you're already taking this seriously. Here's an honest look at what fostering actually involves, and why it's probably more doable than you think.

Why fostering matters more than you might realize

SDR has been rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming dogs across Saskatchewan since 2012. We're 100% volunteer-run with no central shelter, no kennels, no building full of crates. Every dog we bring into our care lives in someone's home.

That means the number of dogs we can save is directly tied to the number of foster homes we have. Right now, foster space is our biggest limitation, and there are dogs waiting for exactly the kind of home you might be able to offer.

When you foster, you're not a support role. You are the rescue.

So what does a foster actually do?

Fosters provide a safe, loving, temporary home while a dog is prepared for adoption. In practice: walks, meals, couch time, basic training. Not that different from having a dog of your own.

But your home is where a dog goes from surviving to thriving. Many dogs coming into SDR's care have faced neglect, uncertainty, or difficult living conditions, and some have never experienced a calm home before. Consistency, patience, a routine, the sound of a house: it's more powerful than it sounds.

Every dog receives a full vet exam through our partner clinics and a behavioural assessment. Your job is to give them stability and love while that process unfolds. Our team handles the rest.

The honest answers to the questions holding you back

Do I need experience with dogs? Not at all. Some of our best fosters started with zero experience. Patience, consistency, and a willingness to ask for help matter far more. We'll set you up to feel confident before your first dog arrives.

Do I need a fenced yard? Nope. A fenced yard is a bonus, not a requirement. Plenty of fosters live in apartments or homes without fences. You'll keep your foster on leash for outdoor time and we'll help you figure out the rest.

What if I have other pets at home? Totally fine. A confident resident dog can be a wonderful mentor for a nervous foster. Just be upfront on your application about your current pets and their personalities, and we'll make sure the match works for everyone.

Who pays for food, supplies, and vet costs? We do. SDR covers everything: food, supplies, and all medical care. All we ask is that you provide a safe, loving space and help prepare them for their future family. No financial commitment on your end.

What if I have vacation plans? No problem. Give us as much notice as possible and we'll arrange a sitter (or sometimes, a boarding kennel) while you're away.

I live out of town. Can I still foster? If you're within 60 km of Saskatoon, yes. We ask that out-of-town fosters use our local partner vet clinics and make it into the city for adoption events and fundraisers. We don't cover mileage or local vet clinic costs.

What to expect when your foster dog first arrives

The first week matters, and the decompression process is worth understanding before day one.

Most rescue dogs arrive stressed. They've been through multiple transitions, and whether yours bounces in confidently or shuts down and sleeps for three days, both are completely normal. For the first week, we ask that you keep your foster separated from other pets using a baby gate and use a different part of the yard for outdoor time. It protects your animals while you watch for any signs of illness, and it gives your foster the quiet landing they need to start adjusting at their own pace.

Think of it less as isolation, more as a soft landing.

Most fosters follow something close to the 3-3-3 rule: three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the routine, three months to feel truly at home. Watching that progression unfold, a closed-off dog becoming curious, then comfortable, then fully themselves, is one of the things experienced fosters talk about most when they describe why they keep doing this.

The support system behind you

Every SDR foster is connected with a foster support, an experienced foster volunteer you can lean on for real-time guidance and practical advice. If your foster dog is showing behaviours you're not sure how to handle, you reach out and someone who's been there helps you work through it.

When needed, we also connect fosters with trainers, and SDR's network includes photographers to capture your foster dog's best self and help them find their family faster. You're plugged into a whole community of people who care about the dogs and about you.

The goodbye part (yes, let's talk about it)

The most common thing people say about fostering: "I could never do it. I'd get too attached."

What experienced fosters will tell you: yes, you'll get attached. That's sort of the point. The connection you build is exactly what helps a dog heal, and the fact that saying goodbye is hard just means you loved them well.

Research consistently finds that while the goodbye is genuinely difficult, fostering is overwhelmingly rewarding: high satisfaction, low burnout, and the vast majority of volunteers say they'd do it again. The fosters who've done it dozens of times describe the same shift. The goodbyes don't get easier exactly, but the sense of purpose gets clearer. Letting go is the goal. It means there's a home waiting, and space for the next dog who needs you.

Many fosters stay in touch with adopters for updates. Others open their door to the next dog right away. Most find it helps to think of themselves not as the end of a dog's story, but as the chapter where everything changed.

And sometimes? You don't say goodbye at all. Fosters get first priority to adopt their dog, provided no other applications are pending. We call it a foster fail, and it's the best kind.

How placements work

Can I meet my foster dog first? For regular intakes, we post the (limited) information we have about each dog, usually including a photo, to our private Foster Facebook Group. You browse, find a good fit, and comment to raise your hand. Once we have a confirmed foster, we arrange to bring the dog into our care.

For large community intakes, we need committed fosters before we hit the road. We do our best to accommodate preferences around age or size, but we especially appreciate fosters who are open to taking whatever dog needs them most.

How long will I have my foster dog? It varies. Puppies are with us for a minimum of two weeks; adults, around a month, though longer stays happen when medical or behavioural needs arise. Flexibility goes a long way.

Ready when you are

No foster home means no intake. Every dog we bring in needs a place to land, and that place could be yours.

Apply to foster at saskatoondogrescue.com/foster

Not ready to foster? There's another way in.

If you love dogs but the open-ended commitment feels like a stretch, dog sitting might be the perfect fit. SDR dog sitters step in when a foster family is away or unavailable. The time period is pre-defined, and the dogs you're sitting for are already settled into foster life, so you're working with known, well-supported animals from day one. For a lot of people, it's the on-ramp that eventually leads to fostering.

Dog sitting is a volunteer role with its own application. Head to our website and indicate dog sitting as your area of interest.

Apply to volunteer at saskatoondogrescue.com/volunteer