Foster-to-Adopt Program

As the popularity of Shibas continues to rise, so does the need for rescue of this challenging breed. The Foster-to-Adopt program was created in response to this .

Shiba rescues all across the country are unable to keep up with the constant influx of surrender requests from owners and transfer requests from shelters. Our temporary foster homes are always full, and we have a waitlist for dogs that need to come into rescue at all times.

On the flip side, we also have a high volume of adoption application submissions at all times, and therefore a waitlist of applicants looking to adopt a Shiba. The Foster-to-Adopt program was created in response to this increased demand on both sides.

How it works:

We seek to match dogs from our intake waitlist, with applicants on our adoption waitlist, in order to bring dogs into rescue more efficiently.

  • We search the waitlist based on the dog’s key requirements in a home (i.e.- no dogs, no cats, no kids, etc) to identify applicants that may be a good fit.
  • We then reach out to those applicants to schedule a phone screening to review their application (if they have not already been pre-screened), confirm that the timing is good for them to bring a new dog into the home, and discuss the dog’s specific characteristics and needs.
  • We will schedule a meet and greet with the dog and the applicant most suited to be the dog’s forever home. We typically do this in the applicant’s home so that we can also perform the home visit/inspection that is required prior to placement as well.
  • In some cases, we may be scheduling meet and greets with more than one applicant and will choose the applicant that is ultimately the best fit. If all things considered are equal, we will choose the applicant that the dog seems to respond to best.
  • The dog is placed in the chosen applicant’s home as a foster dog. During this time, the dog is not advertised or made available to other adopters, as it is the foster’s intention to ultimately adopt.
  • We require a foster period of at least 60 days before finalizing an adoption. This allows us to get to know the dog well enough to be sure that we have chosen the right home.
  • During the foster period, the rescue will provide all necessary supplies and veterinary care, as well as training tips and coaching to ensure a smooth transition.
  • After the successful completion of the required foster period, we will finalize the adoption. At that time the adoption contract is signed and the adoption fee is paid. A portion of the adoption fee goes towards initial training class or a private session with a COSIR approved trainer for dogs that are under the age of 7.

Given the current trend in Shiba rescue, the majority of our dogs are now placed directly into foster-to-adopt vs. a temporary foster home. This process allows us to bring dogs into rescue quickly and efficiently, minimizing the number of transitions for our sensitive Shibas. It also reduces the time qualified applicants are waiting to be paired with the right dog, and keeps our most experienced temporary fosters available to work with dogs that require significant veterinary care, rehabilitation, or training.

Applicants on our waitlist are eligible and given the time sensitivity of rescue, are most often chosen to Foster-to-Adopt vs. new applications received in response to a dog that has just been posted. For this reason, we encourage adopters to go ahead and apply now, even if there is not a currently available dog that you are interested in, so that we can add you to our waitlist.

If you would like to be added to our adoption waitlist, please complete our online Adoption Application.