"What if I don't think I have enough room for a foster pet?"

You might be surprised by how quickly they work themselves into the family situation and your hearts: all they really need is a small space to recuperate until they are ready for their forever homes, and they are touchingly grateful.

"What if I really like my foster and want to adopt her?"

This does happen. Sometimes the "perfect pet" comes along, and everyone in the family just seems to agree that theirs is the "perfect home." Fortunately, qualifying as a Foster Home usually qualifies you as an Adopter as well. BlueMoon is concerned to place our pets with their needs and preferences as important as the adopters'. Sometimes the pet tells us which home is right; and we respect that. Should this happen, and we all agree, then the foster home will pay the adoption fee, complete the Final Adoption Agreement, and assume ownership of the dog. Please think about this carefully, though, as often adoption means the family feels it no longer has foster space available, and we desperately need those homes.

Can I change my pet's name?

Adoptive homes, of course, are free to change their pets' names, but foster homes must not do so as the name is the one we use for all our medical records, web site, and program statistics. In addition, the majority of these pets are orphans with a great deal of history and fond memories of their name. Our Orphans are already under a lot of stress from losing their beloved owner, s and changing their name only adds to that stress.

Can I as a foster family, accept a pet into the program?

A BlueMoon Admission Coordinator is the only person who can accept a pet into the program. However as part of the BlueMoon family you can direct all eligible pets directly to Admissions attention.

What if a close friend or family members wants to adopt my foster?

If you have a family member or friend interested in adoption, or you meet a potential adopter, by all means, encourage him or her to apply and provide him or her with the phone number and/or web site, explaining that in addition to completing the adoption application, the prospective home must arrange for a home check by one of our volunteers and an in-home visit with the dog.

Besides caring for my foster, what other duties will I have to perform?

We will ask your for periodic updates on your foster for our records and website. Of course if you are handy with a digital camera, updated pictures for the website are a PLUS! If you do not own a digital camera or need help, we can help with that.

Foster homes need to administer prescription medications and HW preventative (provided by BlueMoon), crate a dog going through HW treatment, follow all veterinarian directions, alert BlueMoon officials of any medical emergencies or if the pet is being taken out of town or out of state for family visits or recreation.

Foster homes also need to observe the pet's behavior and report any concerns, including if the dog seems to be a runner or actually escapes so we can assist in recovery. If the latter happens, the foster family must call us immediately as time is of the essence in capturing our dog.

Foster homes also needs to inform the Adoption and Website team of the pets habits, likes and dislikes, quirks, etc.   We take all of these facts into consideration when screening potential adoptive homes for the dog. The foster home will be occasionally asked to help screen a potential home (home visit) and attend or make their pet accessible to attend an adoption event.

"What if I'm afraid my foster pet who is ill might die?"

We ease foster homes into the work very gradually and never give a heartworm patient or other very sick or injured dog to a home until they feel ready to take on that responsibility. To be honest, though, we can tell you that if you foster long enough, you may very well eventually lose a foster even with all our efforts to save him or her. Tragically, most of us who have fostered for a long time have gone through the pain of loss because, after all, most rescues are in the program because they have been neglected, abandoned, and abused: and that includes previous owners not giving them heartworm pills or other medical care. The illness is not the dog's fault, and sometimes the weeks or months he or she is with us are the only medical care, peace, and love the rescued dog has ever known. We have held them in our arms when they crossed over and wept tears for them. It happens. But in every case, if we hadn't intervened, the dogs would have had a far worse experience, dying on a cold steel table at the end of a needle in an overworked shelter putting down dozens of animals every day, or alone, frightened, and sick on the streets. The dogs we do lose in our program knew we loved them and did the best we could for them; and we are humbled by their sweetness and understanding even as they cross over. It is, in fact, a very humbling experience, and we're never sorry we tried to help these dogs. However, it's also important to remember that through loving foster care and the best medical care we save over 90% of even the sickest dogs. Most of your fosters are not only going to make it, but are going to thrive, become unbelievably gorgeous, go on to a wonderful new life, and make you very proud.

Will I be involved in the pet's adoption process?

YES! Foster family know their pet the best and what's best for them. We always permit our fosters to veto an adoption for valid reasons. You do need to clearly state why the family is not right for your foster to our Adoption Coordinator. BlueMoon has a very involved adoption process which includes intense screening of all applications; but we are also like a match making service. We strive to make all our "matches" into life-long forever marriages, to do that it requires "chemistry" or "that "special connection" that can not be seen on paper. We go through great lengths to place each orphan with the "right connection" or family. We find if something just does not feel right for the foster family, the match might not be the right one.

Will I know about my foster's history?

When your foster dog arrives, BlueMoon Admission and/or Foster coordinator will tell you everything they know about the orphan and his/her history. All of our pets are orphans and most of the time we know a great deal about their past lives. The pet will be vaccinated, wormed and altered( if needed) ; any health problems or behavior issues will be fully discussed.

"What type of support does a foster family receive?"

The foster coordinator will keep in touch with the foster homes through E-mail and by phone. If you have a problem or a question, call the Foster Coordinator, a Board member or Trustees. We also have a lead behaviorist/trainer for each type of pet. If the dog bites someone (actually breaks the skin), you must call BlueMoon Coordinators immediately. Though some biting can be corrected, no dog will be allowed to remain in the program if he has become aggressive. If the dog escapes the fence, fights with other dogs, won't leave your cat alone, or has other behavior problems, we need to know this and will probably move the dog to another home, giving you a new foster.