Crisis Foster Care
A temporary haven until you can bring your pet home.
Hardship happens. You shouldn’t have to lose your pet because of it.
If you’re suffering from a housing, domestic, or health crisis, we can help provide a temporary home for your dog or cat for up to 60 days.
Simply fill out the form below and we’ll work to find a foster family in the area to care for, love, and protect your pet until you can bring them home.
Please note: Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate more than 2 pets per family, puppies or kittens under 1 year old, pets who show aggression, and pets with unmanageable health conditions.
Financial
Struggling with living expenses
Health
Healing from illness or injury
Domestic
Living in an unsafe environment
Other
Recovering from hardship (disasters, grief, more)
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, if your pet needs housing for longer than 60 days, our Crisis Foster Care program is probably not the best fit.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate puppies or kittens under 1 year old, pets who show aggression, and pets with unmanageable health conditions.
Due to limited capacity, we can accept no more than 2 pets per family into our Crisis Foster Care program.
Your pet’s veterinary care will be provided by PAWS Chicago as needed with no cost to you, the owner. Upon entering the program, pets receive spay/neuter surgery, microchipping, and vaccinations if not already complete. During their time with us, PAWS will also provide all necessary medical care to keep your pet happy and healthy, including medications, dental procedures, emergency care, and more.
Our team will treat you and your pet with utmost respect, kindness, and care. During your appointment, we will ask you to sign Crisis Foster Care forms while our team gives your pet a medical exam and behavioral evaluation to help identify their unique needs and place them in the perfect foster home.
Unfortunately, owner visitations are not allowed to prevent stress for the pets and to protect the privacy of our foster parents. However, we will send weekly notes and photos to keep you updated on the pet you love.
Extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis. Without an approved extension, pets who are not picked up by the agreed upon end date will be considered abandoned.
Yes, but it is very rare. If a pet is too aggressive for our staff to safely care for or too sick for our veterinarians to treat, we may end the Crisis Foster Care period early and require that owners pick the pet up or relinquish ownership.
Our priority is always to reunite pets with their owners. However, we can process a pet surrender at any time if circumstances change and you are unable to reclaim your pet.