07/02/2026
🐾 Foster FAQ! 🐾
Our fosters are the heart of our rescue. ❤️ As a small, foster-based organization, every dog we save depends on someone opening their home. For many of our Texas dogs, a foster home is literally what saved them from euthanasia.
A Friend in Need is a tiny, volunteer-run rescue. We are a husband-and-wife team, and we're also our own primary fosters. We personally meet and foster the majority of the dogs we rescue ourselves, so we understand both the joys and the challenges that come with fostering. We work hard to support our fosters every step of the way. 🏡🐶
That said, we ask our fosters to remember that we are volunteers too. No one here receives a salary—every donation goes directly to the dogs, and when donations fall short, we cover the difference out of our own pockets. 💙
🩺 Every Foster Comes With Some Risk
When you bring any new dog into your home, there are inherent risks, and we ask our fosters to use common sense and take reasonable precautions
We are completely transparent about any medical or behavioral concerns that we know about. However, in many cases, the only information we receive comes from a shelter kennel card.
It is common for newly rescued dogs to develop mild respiratory illnesses such as kennel cough, experience shutdown behavior, have accidents while adjusting, or reveal personality traits that simply weren't visible in the shelter.
If you have resident dogs and are concerned about contagious diseases, it is your responsibility to protect them. Please vaccinate your dogs against Bordetella and separate new foster dogs from resident pets for the first several days whenever practical.
Likewise, veterinary care for your own resident pets remains your responsibility.
🤝 Rescue Is a Partnership
Please have realistic expectations about what a small rescue can and cannot do.
We are not a government agency or a large corporation with paid staff available around the clock.
If a conflict develops between your foster dog and your resident pets, we will do everything we reasonably can to find another placement as quickly as possible. However, arranging transportation and locating another approved foster often takes time. While we can usually resolve these situations within a day or two, it is rarely possible within a matter of hours.
Until new arrangements have been made, the foster dog remains your responsibility. Foster dogs may not be abandoned, given away, transferred to another person, or returned to a shelter without our approval.
🚗 Fostering Is Not a Consumer Service
Although fostering is volunteer work, it is also a commitment.
We are always happy to accommodate reasonable requests whenever possible. If you cannot transport a foster dog to a veterinary appointment, we will often arrange transportation or find another volunteer to help.
However, there are limits.
For example, if transportation has already been arranged for the dog, we are not going to hire an Uber so a foster parent can attend the appointment simply because they don't feel like driving. We are a dog rescue—not a chauffeur service. 🚕❌🐶
Every decision we make has one goal: using our limited time and resources to save as many dogs as possible. ❤️
If that mission is something you believe in, we would be honored to have you join our foster family. Rescue isn't always easy, but together we can give dogs a second chance at life. 🐾
Thank you for your patience and continued support! ❤️
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