Setting Up Your Home

Before picking up your foster, be sure to read through this section. The more preparation you have in place, the faster everyone can start learning routines and settling in. Fostering is much more fun if you are prepared and not getting your home ready at the last moment.


  • First, ensure that everyone in the household is on the same page regarding the care, procedures, and routines expected bringing in a new foster pet. Be sure to make sure everyone, especially young children, are prepared for the possibility that the animal may need space and time to decompress before it's ready to play and be their new best friend. All family members should be educated in the basics of animal behaviors in order to be calm, cool, and collected when meeting the new foster to avoid any possible safety concerns.


  • Second, be sure everyone in the household knows the date, time, and plan for introducing the new foster to the home. Try to have a second adult available if you are needing to do pet introductions immediately or be sure that all resident animals are crated or behind closed doors prior to bringing the foster home! DO NOT walk a new animal into the house where new animals are waiting behind the front door to immediately bombard an already potentially nervous animal with additional challenges.



For Dogs and puppies

Review "dog rules" with everyone in the house:

    1. Let the dog come to you for pets instead of trying to touch and pet them right away. A dogs personal bubble should be respected when first getting to know a dog.

    2. Don't approach the dog when it is eating food or treats.

    3. Don't take toys or treats from the dog's mouth.

    4. Create a list of commands so everyone uses the same ones with the dog

    5. Make sure everyone knows the importance of closing doors

    6. Explain how baby gates or x-pens will be used, etc.

    7. If using a crate, stay out of the crate - it is the dog's safe space


  • Determine which room(s) you wish to put crate(s) in. This will depend on several factors including: the potential noise level of the dog, health status, space needed between the animal and other pet (s) in the household, whether you have other animals sleeping in your room at night, etc.

  • Determine where to store dog food and kitchen trash cans, and make modifications are necessary. Some dogs will counter-surf. Prepare for the worst case scenario and put everything away!

  • "Puppy-proof" the home:

  • store shoes and toys

  • hide or block electrical cords

  • remove clutters

  • search for holes, hiding places or escape routes! Look for anything that can be chewed up, swallowed, crawled into or peed on - then make the appropriate modifications to prevent issues!

  • Determine a meal schedule. All pets should be fed separately to avoid conflicts at meal time.

  • Figure out a potty schedule that everyone in the household can agree on. For adult dogs, it's a good idea to start out with potty breaks at MINIMUM 4 times a day (morning, late afternoon, evening, night as applicable to your schedule) and over time, try to decrease this to 3. However, dogs that are young adults or younger, or have little experience living indoors may need to go out initially as frequently as every hour or two during awake hours out of the crate in order to get on track. Young puppies do not have much bladder and bowel control until they are at least 10 weeks old (and the smaller the breed, the older they will be before gaining control,) so you probably will also need to prepare a potty pad area for young pups. Click here for more information on potty training.

  • MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL: if you have other pets, REMOVE ALL TOYS, TREATS, AND CHEWIES before bringing your new foster dog home. The most frequent reason for conflict when a foster first arrives has to do with foster &/or resident dogs competing for resources! Once every person and animal in the home is acclimated, you can gradually re-introduce these items in the weeks after your foster arrives, beginning with "lowest-value" items first.


For Cats and kittens

Note that GPG cats and kittens must always remain indoors.

  1. Remove or lock away any potentially dangerous items (plants, breakables, string, rubber bands)

  2. Check for exposed electrical cords or wires which can be tampered with or chewed

  3. Choose which room in your home (with a door) you plan to start your kittens or cats out in and look carefully at all walls, ceilings, and floors to ensure that there is/are no access to crawl spaces, loose ceiling tiles, gaps, or access behind/into cabinetry, large furniture or vanities that your feline foster can disappear into.

  4. Set up at least one litter box for each (adolescent or adult) cat in the room

  5. Place litter boxes away from food and water

  6. Set up a feeding station and provide fresh food and water daily

  7. If you are fostering a mom or a very young litter, please ensure a warm quiet place away from other animals. Plenty of soft blankets, heating pads and the most isolated location you can provide is best. Make sure mama is happy and fed; she typically takes care of the rest but please monitor kittens to ensure they are gaining weight and staying warm.