How to onboard new fosters: application, agreement and the first week
Updated · 7 min read · By the Second Tail team
Make it quick and clear: a short online application, a reply within a day or two, a quick screening call or video walk-through, a signed foster agreement, and a first placement with an easy, healthy animal plus a written care sheet. Then check in during the first 48 hours. Most new fosters who quit do it because they felt unsupported in the first week, not because of the animal.
The onboarding process, step by step
- Application. A short form online, ideally one link you can share anywhere. Ask what you need to decide, not everything you might ever want to know.
- Reply fast. Within a day or two, tell them what happens next and when.
- Screening. A 15 minute call or video walk-through of the home. Confirm landlord permission and that resident pets are vaccinated.
- Foster agreement. Signed before any animal goes home. Keep the signed copy where the whole team can find it.
- Match. Start with an animal that sets them up to succeed: healthy, easygoing, and a good fit for their home and schedule.
- Handoff. Supplies, the animal's care sheet, the emergency plan and how to send updates.
- First week check-ins. A message within 48 hours and again at the end of the week. Answer their first update quickly so they know someone reads them.
What to ask on the application
Long applications lose people. Split what you need to approve someone from what you can learn later in the screening call.
| Ask on the form | Save for the call |
|---|---|
| Name, contact details, address | Their daily routine in detail |
| Who lives in the home, including other pets | How resident pets do with new animals |
| Rent or own, and landlord permission | Where the foster animal will sleep and stay alone |
| What they can take (species, age, size, needs) | What they would find hard, honestly |
| How long they can foster, and any travel coming up | Whether they might want to adopt |
What the foster agreement covers
The agreement protects the animal, the foster and the rescue by writing down what everyone already assumes. Most cover:
- The animal remains the rescue's property, and the rescue makes adoption decisions.
- What the rescue pays for, what the foster pays for, and how reimbursements work.
- Who approves vet care, and the emergency procedure when nobody answers.
- House rules: off-leash time, dog parks, contact with other pets, pet sitters.
- How to return the animal or end the placement, with how much notice.
- What happens if the foster wants to adopt.
- A liability release.
This is not legal advice. Have a local professional review your agreement, especially the liability language.
The first week matters most
New fosters worry they are doing it wrong. They wonder whether the diarrhea is normal, whether the hiding will stop, whether they are bothering you by asking. Head that off: tell them which things are normal for the first few days, which things mean call right away, and that questions are welcome. Give them a care sheet so the answers are written down, not remembered from pickup.
Then make updates easy and predictable. A photo and a line on a set day is plenty. The longer version is in our guide on coordinating foster homes.
Where Second Tail fits
Second Tail gives each rescue a branded public application page for recruiting fosters, one link you can put in your bio or website. New applications show up on the rescue's home page with how long they have been waiting. The rescue uploads its own foster agreement, and fosters sign it from a link with no account, getting a signed copy by email while the rescue's copy stays on the foster's profile.
Once approved, fosters use a free app on their phone to post updates with photos, ask for supplies and message the rescue, so the first week's questions land somewhere the whole team can see.
Common questions
What questions should be on a foster application?
Contact details and address, who lives in the home (adults, children, other pets and whether those pets are vaccinated and fixed), whether they rent and have landlord permission, their schedule and time at home, what kinds of animals they can take (age, size, species, medical or behavior needs), how long they can foster, any past fostering or rescue experience, and a reference.
What should a foster agreement include?
That the animal belongs to the rescue, what the rescue pays for (usually food, supplies and approved vet care) and what the foster covers, who can approve vet visits, the emergency procedure, rules about off-leash time, other pets and leaving the animal with someone else, how and when to return the animal, what happens if the foster wants to adopt, and a liability release. Have a local professional check it against your state's rules.
Should rescues do a home visit before approving a foster?
Many do, in person or by video call. A short video walk-through of the space where the animal will stay catches most issues (fencing, other pets, hazards) without asking a volunteer to drive across the county.
How long should foster onboarding take?
Aim for days, not weeks. People apply when they are excited, and a long silence after the application is the most common way rescues lose new fosters. Reply within a day or two, even if it is only to say what happens next.
What should a new foster get on the first day?
The animal's care sheet (food, medications, routine, quirks), the emergency vet and a phone number that is answered after hours, the supplies they need, how and how often to send updates, and one named person to ask questions.