Austin Dog Rescue

These are the Faces of Dogs While in the Shelter ... Watch how they transform.

Dim lights

Pretty amazing isn't it? Did you see their smile? Did you see the hope on their face? Did you see the excitement in their eyes knowing they are on their way to a better life?

We get to see this miracle every day and are looking for people that want to experience what we do. People that have a passion. A passion that is deep in your soul and weighs heavliy on your heart. A person that is looking for ways to make changes within themselves and the lives of dogs. A person that is dedicated and ready to step up and take responsibility for homeless dogs that others have chosen to thrown way.

We're not asking you to feel sorry for these dogs. They don't need your pity. They need your help, your love, your patience, your leadership and respect. These things are what will set them on the path to becoming the best dog they can be.

We can tell you this if you don't all ready know it. Dogs are amazingly resilient and we promise the rewards are much greater than any small sacrifice you may make in order to help.

If you have never fostered a shelter dog, you will be amazed how quickly they take to living in a home with a person or family that cares. Most are so easily housetrained, with some it is effortless, others may be more challenging. Once they have lived the good life, it becomes pretty appealing to them and they then live to please you and never want to live outside in a yard ever again. They want a family to love.

What is the Mission of our Foster Care Program?

Our primary mission is to help dogs like these find loving new homes. We rely solely on foster homes to care for the dogs while they await their new family. Most of our dogs are adopted in less than a month. We'll admit, we are selective about the dogs we do accept in to our care because the sooner we can find them a home, the sooner we can go save another and we try not to take on too many "hard" cases because that only means it may take longer to find them a home and in the meantime, other dogs are being killed.

The exception to that may be a dog that has medical issues like heartworms or a skin condition, both which are very common in shelter dogs. But if a dog has a great temperatment and they are going to be killed solely because of that, we do not let that detour us from helping as long as we have a foster home that will accept them. These dogs may take an extra couple of weeks to find a home but they are no less worthy of our help.

What can you do?

The answer is simple. Become a foster caregiver.

We need foster homes in order to save these dogs in limbo. Why would anyone open up their home to an unknown, sometimes untrained dog, you ask? We think the video above says it all. The rewards for your time and effort are manifold.

We ask for a fairly substantial commitment from our foster homes but it is only in the best interest of the animals in our care. Requirements to foster are as follows:

• If you have dogs, they must meet the same minimum medical requirements we ask of our adopters. They must be current on all vaccinations, be spayed/neutered, and show consistency in receiving monthly heartworm preventative.
• You must love and treat your foster like your own while it is in your home.
• You must provide housetraining, crate training (we provide the crate if needed), leash manners and indoor manners training.
• Your foster dog must live indoors with your family.
• You provide a diet of good, nutritional, age appropriate food. (Food can be provided)
• Your yard must be safe and secure for your foster during its time outdoors.
• You must seek advice early and commit to work with your foster through any behavioral issues; Human aggression being the exception, this we will not tolerate under any circumstances and will remove the dog immediately.
• You must give your foster monthly heartworm and flea protection, which is provided by ADR.
• You must provide transportation for your foster dog to one of our APPROVED veterinary clinics (cost covered by ADR with prior approval and arrangements).
• Take your dog on home visits that may include traveling throughout the city and outlying areas of Austin,
• Attend adoption events that take place each month.
• You must work with prospective adoptive families to help your foster dog find a home.
• You must have an email address and check it at least once per day as this is are main way of staying in touch with you

How does it work?

First, dogs at the shelters are evaluated based on basic temperament qualities. We look for dogs that are friendly, outgoing, sometimes stressed and shy, good with other dogs, and could live in most any home. We attempt to pull dogs that have reasonably good manners or puppies that can be quickly taught manners.

After the dog is confirmed on by the intake coordinator, it receives full vetting including vaccinations, de-worming and heartworm test. Most dogs will be spayed or neutered before being placed in their foster home.

ADR only pulls dogs if we have an available foster home and the money to properly care for and provide any medical care the dog may need. All dogs taken in to our program must be evaluated and approved by the Executive Director or other Board Member before confirming on ANY dog coming in to our program.

What dogs do you intake?

ADR works with all breeds and sizes and focuses primarily on mixed breed dogs. We occassionally take pure bred dogs as long as we have a foster that is experienced with that breed. We seldom take in an adult dog weighing less than 30 pounds.

We take into consideration the foster home that is open and choose a dog that will work best in that particular home . We look for dogs that are easily placed in adoptive homes with average dog handling experience.

What support do I get as a foster home?

ADR has a team of experienced dog owners at its core. Many have worked in dog rescue for years and while no one has "seen it all" some of us come close! We are also fortunate to have a group of nationally recognized dog behaviorists, trainers, a wonderful veterinarian, who are always happy to help with questions.

We provide:

• A crate
• Monthly heartworm
• Flea/tick preventative
• Any medications
• We pay for all pre-approved vetting expenses

How do I begin?

Start by filling out a foster application online. If you have a pet, we will contact your vet references to ensure the pets in your care currently receive the minimal required medical care (consistent, current vaccinations, heartworm preventative, and spayed or neutered. We STRONGLY recommend that your pet receive their Bordetella vaccine prior to you bring in a foster dog. Sadly, bordetella (kennel cough) is very common and many of your foster dogs will have it or come down with it.

Next, one of our directors will visit your home and answer any questions, learn more about your level of dog experience and your lifestyle. They will ensure that your home will provide a safe and loving refuge for the foster home. While all of us strive to live in a clean home, this is not a "white glove test". We are more interested in if your fence has holes under it that a dog could slip through than if your TV is dusty. You need to not have a schedule that takes you away for the day more than 9 +/- a day since we require the dog be crated while you are away.

At the time of our meeting, we will go over our fostering guidelines and ask you to sign our foster agreement. This is not an agreement that you'll foster for us or will continue once you are unable to. It is simply a way for us to go over our adoption program and policies to make sure you understand all the steps involved while fostering a dog. This will cover specifics on how to introduce a new dog to your home, how to housetrain your new foster dog, why we encourage crating, etc.

Please Note: Due to the limitations of size and breed placed on apartment dwellers, we are currently not accepting application for those that live in apartment homes unless you can accept a dog up to 50 pounds and have written permission from your management company.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We welcome your inquiry and commitment as a potential member of the ADR Rescue Team!