I'm lazy this morning so I'm just gonna copy & paste our fostering page (
from our site) here for you to read. lol Like you said, different shelters and rescues do things differently so whoever you foster for, it's important to ask them about their own policies and guidelines. We also provide a "fostering handbook" to new foster homes that gives more detailed information and guidelines as to what we would like our fosters to do with the dogs while in their care. We just finished putting together a "form" progress report to send home with each dog to better enable foster "parents" to keep track of behavior issues that arise, training they do to prepare the dog for adoption, health issues and any other notes that would prove helpful in determining the dogs personality and finding the best match in a permanent home for the dog.
Foster A DogNew Hope Pit Bull Rescue is a foster home based rescue, which means that our dogs are NOT kept closed up in kennels while waiting to be adopted. We rely on foster homes to help us rehabilitate, train, socialize and prepare dogs in our program for adoption. Our waiting list is very long due to the number of emails and phone calls we receive daily from folks needing to rehome their dogs and shelters who are full of wonderful Pit Bulls in need. If you feel that you have enough room in your heart and home to care for one of these most deserving dogs, we would LOVE to hear from you. Without the generosity of dog lovers like you, many precious lives are lost.
NHPBR provides on-going support for our foster homes regarding training, crate training, medical questions, house training and much more. NHPBR will sometimes be able to provide you with a crate to use for your foster companion. To become a foster home for NHPBR, please fill out our Foster Home Application . We will contact you within 24 hours.
NEW HOPE PIT BULL RESCUE (NHPBR)
FOSTER HOME POLICIESFoster homes may NOT accept dogs into our program with intent or promise of rehoming through NHPBR. Any dogs taken in must be evaluated and approved by our Intake Coordinator and 2 board members before acceptance into our program. Any dog received beyond this policy will not be subject to the care of NHPBR, and parties receiving the dog will be responsible for ALL expenses incurred without reimbursement.
Where does NHPBR get their dogs?Most of the dogs that we accept into our program come to us from local animal shelters, SPCA's, and sometimes even other rescues who need our help. We try to help those who contact us needing to rehome their dogs, either find a way to keep their dog or rehome the dog themselves. Because our shelters are overflowing with Pit Bulls in need, our primary focus is those dogs. We will, on occasion, take in an owner surrender or stray that is found by a kind soul after all measures have been taken to locate the dogs owner. To learn more, please read our Intake Policy .
What is a foster home?Foster homes are temporary INSIDE homes for the dogs accepted into our rescue program. The foster families care for the dogs as their own until the dog is adopted. A length of time cannot be determined as dogs can remain in foster care from one month to a year or more. The foster home provides shelter, food, toys, socialization, training (basic obedience and manners) and monthly parasite prevention such as Advantage Multi. At times, NHPBR can provide food and parasite prevention if needed. Sometimes fosters will need to administer medical care, such as giving medicines, changing bandages, or applying salves or special shampoos.
Does it cost money?Being a foster to a dog in need does come with slight costs, such as what one would incur in the daily routine care of their own pet dog. NHPBR pays for the dog's routine veterinary care, medicines, medical supplies (salves, special shampoos, bandages, etc.), and provides the dog with it's vaccinations and microchip. Any additional medical care must be approved in advance as stated in the foster home agreement in order to receive reimbursements EXCEPT in case of life or death emergencies. All dogs will be spayed and neutered at the expense of NHPBR prior to adoption.
What are foster homes responsible for?NHPBR has a foster home agreement, which both the foster and an approved NHPBR representative sign before a dog is placed into the foster home. The main points of the agreement are that the foster home will provide:
* fresh food every day
* clean, fresh water every day
* shelter
* a clean, dry place for the dog to sleep
* clean bowls to eat and drink from
* Advantage Multi flea, heartworm and parasite preventative
* baths, brushing and toenail clippings as needed
* provide regular pictures and updates to NHPBR about the dog's temperament and personality, and what type of home would be best for the dog
Who finds the adopters?While foster homes play a big part in our decision about what type of home setting would best suit a particular dog, NHPBR is responsible for taking applications and screening potential adopters. The foster home takes care of the dog while NHPBR looks for, screens, interviews, completes home checks, and approves the permanent homes. NHPBR has many ways to find homes for foster dogs.
How long do dogs stay in foster homes?It's not possible for us to predict how long a dog will be in foster care before its permanent home is found. How quickly a dog can be placed depends on a number of factors, such as physical beauty, age, health and training.
For many dogs, we've found that foster families who provide basic training (obedience and good manners) to their foster dogs make those dogs easier to place, and they tend to get adopted more quickly. Foster families who let their foster dogs get away with undesirable behavior tend to have the dogs for a longer time.
We're all about sharing information if it helps put good dogs into great homes. 
I look forward to learning much here