Foster Requirements and Application

Please read through the Foster Requirements listed below. We invest a significant amount of time and money into ensuring our dogs are healthy and happy, and we reserve the right to adopt our dogs and puppies to the safest, loving, and most responsible home available. We provide everything you need (crate, food, medical, etc.) and you provide the love. 

If you do not meet these requirements, do NOT apply. You will not be considered, and you are wasting volunteers' time. 

We are all volunteers with jobs, families, and, of course, dogs to care for, so please allow a minimum of 7-10 days from receipt of an application for a volunteer to contact you. If you do not hear back after that time frame, please email us for a status on your application: tailsofhopedr@yahoo.com.

The applicant must be 25 years of age to foster with Tails of Hope Dog Rescue.

Tails of Hope Dog Rescue only accepts fosters that are local to the Memphis, TN metropolitan area (including North MS and Crittenden County AR) so that dogs can attend adoption events and be treated by our local team of veterinarians. 

We do have fosters that live in apartments, townhouses and condos. Please keep in mind not all dogs are a good fit for apartments. If we do not feel like a dog is a good fit for an apartment, townhome, or condo, we will not place the dog with you to foster. 

We do have fosters that are renters. Please check with your property manager/landlord regarding breed and/or size limitations. Please include property management's name and contact information on your foster application. You must have the consent of your property manager/landlord. They will be contacted to confirm that consent is given.

If you live in a single-family home, your yard must have a fence securely attached to the home, with a door from the home leading directly into the yard. The fence should be in good condition and any holes, loose boards, weak sections, etc. should be repaired BEFORE the home visit and fence check. Electric / invisible fences are not accepted. Fences are not required for apartment or condo dwellers.

Even if you live in a rural area on multiple acres, you must have a portion of your property securely fenced for a dog. The fence must be attached to the home with a door from the home leading directly into the yard. The fence should be in good condition and any holes, loose boards, weak sections, etc. should be repaired BEFORE the home visit and fence check. Electric / invisible fences are not accepted.

All other pets in the home must be spayed/neutered, up-to-date on shots, and current on heartworm & flea prevention. Pets must be available during the home visit to be introduced to the pet you are hoping to foster. 

We will contact your current veterinarian to confirm existing pets are spayed/neutered, up-to-date on shots, and current on heartworm & flea prevention. Please call your veterinarian and give permission to release your existing and/or prior pets medical information to us. 

Puppies aged six months & younger will only be placed in a foster home with at least one other puppy in the litter or an existing adult dog in the home. Puppies get bored, destructive, stressed, and are more prone to separation anxiety when left alone. Puppies also learn from other dogs, which makes them better adult dogs. Many dogs end up outside, dumped at shelters, or returned to Tails of Hope Dog Rescue. This requirement is in place to benefit the family and the puppy.