Help Us Help You Help Them

Finder to Foster Program

You found a pet but our shelter is full — what now? Through our Finder-to-Foster program, we provide everything you need (food, supplies, vaccinations) so the pet can stay safely in your home until they find a permanent one. You can foster until they're adopted, or fall in love and adopt them yourself — we won't be mad.

Apply to Foster Get Started

How It Works

Simple, supported, and entirely up to you. Here's the process from the moment you find a pet.

  1. 1

    Reach out

    Call or email our intake team. Tell us what you found, where, and a little about your home situation. We'll talk through whether Finder-to-Foster makes sense for your case.

  2. 2

    Pick up your starter kit

    Swing by the shelter for food, supplies, and any initial vaccinations or vet care the pet needs. We'll cover all of it for the duration of the foster.

  3. 3

    Foster from home

    Keep the pet safely in your home while we work to find the owner or a permanent family. We'll handle photos, listings, and adoption logistics; you keep an eye on them.

  4. 4

    Choose how it ends

    Foster until they get adopted — or adopt them yourself (we call this a "foster fail," and we love it). It's entirely your call.

What GCHS Provides

You provide a safe home and your time — we handle the rest. Everything below is covered by GCHS while the pet is in your care.

  • Food

    Age-appropriate food for the duration of the foster — including kitten formula when needed.

  • Supplies

    Crate, litter box, bowls, bedding — whatever the situation calls for. We've got a stocked supply closet.

  • Vaccinations

    Initial vaccines, parasite prevention, and microchipping all done in-house at no cost to you.

  • Support

    Direct line to our intake team. Questions, weird poop, behavior worries — we've seen it before.

Two Happy Endings

Both work. We're rooting for you either way.

Foster until adoption

You keep the pet safely at home while we find a permanent family. We handle the photos, the listings, the adoption applications, and the final hand-off. You did the hardest part: being there when they needed someone.

Become a "foster fail"

You find yourself completely smitten. Good news: you can adopt them. Most of our "foster fails" tell us they knew within the first week. We'll walk you through a streamlined adoption — no judgment, just paperwork.