All of our foster homes go through the same screening process as a prospective adopter. They fill out an application, have references checked and receive a home visit. If you are already an ATRA adopter who has gone through this process, you need not do it again. However, if something has changed in your situation since your application, you should make us aware of it. You also need to consider the pets currently living in your home. They should be able to accept an unfamiliar dog coming into their living space.

You should be Airedale experienced. In other words, you have owned an Airedale. Knowing and living with the breed helps you to understand some of their personality traits and prepares you for what to expect. You also need to understand safety issues involved with rescue Airedales. They are often times adult dogs in unfamiliar surroundings, frightened and liable to bolt and run away at every opportunity. You will need to make every effort to keep the dog safe!

ATRAs foster program allows us to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home even more Airedales. As a foster parent, you will take one or more pets to your home and nurture them until they are adopted. Fostering is important because it:

• Offers puppies a safe place to grow until they are available for adoption
• Gives sick or injured Airedales a quiet home where they can recover
• Allows our Airedales to gain more one-on-one attention and socialization than they would receive in a facility
• Provides important additional information about our Airedales to help us match them with potential adopters who will provide forever homes 

• EXERCISE

You should be ready to provide the foster dog with daily walks on a leash for proper exercise and to help him/her get accustomed to leash walking. We don’t require that you have a fenced yard but do require that your foster dog is leashed and supervised at all times when taken outside.

• FEEDING

Providing proper nutrition to your foster dog is a vital part to keeping him on a healthy and happy road to his new home! Regular feeding schedules and treats will teach him to trust and rely on you for food.

• TRAINING

Basic commands like sit, stay and come should be practiced so that your foster dog learns, grows and matures into a great companion. We don't want your foster dog to be crated as a lifestyle, but feel free to break out the crate for your foster dog to be comfortable with a crated on the occasions it may need to be used.

• HEALTHCARE

As a foster parent, you are expected to handle routine healthcare for your foster dog like giving daily medications or taking him to veterinary appointments for check ups, vaccinations, to get microchipped or to be spayed or neutered.

• EMERGENCIES

ATRA is here to help you succeed as a foster parent and we will provide you with a full list of volunteer and emergency contacts.

• KEEP IN TOUCH

We want to know how things are going! You are responsible for sending your foster dog’s Placement Coordinator frequent updates: your foster dog’s likes, dislikes, temperament and personality, quirks and idiosyncrasies, etc. You should also send photos of your foster dog eating, sleeping, playing with toys and being overall cute and well-adjusted (please no people or kids’ faces!). This information helps us make the right match for him when a potential adopter expresses interest.

• COMMIT

Foster care can last anywhere from a week to a few months, there is no way to determine how long it will take for your foster dog to find a new home. Making the commitment to provide foster care should be taken very seriously.