Animal Services is searching for special people willing to help young animals with a short-term place to grow and mature. Often, particularly during the spring and summer months young puppies and kittens come into the care of Hillsborough County Animal Services. Shelters typically cannot provide appropriate environments for these especially vulnerable young animals.Won't you consider opening your home - and heart to a needy animal?

Generally speaking, fostering is the placement of special-case animals into temporary homes until they are suitable for adoption. Despite that deceptively simple description, fostering is an extremely complex and demanding undertaking. Providing for the needs of these young animals is intense. But most of these animals can be brought to the point of adoptability if they can be partnered with a person who can share his or her environment for a short time. While there is work involved, the joy in seeing these litters thrive and learn to play is incredible. Starting them off in life and then watching them move on to a permanent home can be very rewarding.

It is important to understand that fostering isn't a solution to pet overpopulation or irresponsible pet ownership. It is however, a humane and responsible response to its effects.

If you are a Hillsborough County resident and have an interest in providing a mother and her young litter with the necessary care and attention in a healthy environment please submit a Foster Home Application . A representative of the department will contact you for other basic information we'll need prior to your becoming a foster home for these animals.