How to Become a Volunteer

Before completing an application to volunteer, please be sure to read the information included here, and visit the What GMDAP Fosters Do page.

Thank you for your interest in fostering with our rescue organization. We are a group of hardworking volunteers, many of whom have jobs, children and our own dogs. We are a care and rescue group, not an adoption program. Our volunteers provide care and love for our moms and puppies in their homes. We do not have any paid staff or a shelter and our funding for food, medicines and veterinary care comes entirely through generous private donations!

We do not have a “foster to adopt” program. If you want to adopt a puppy please do so and then, when your puppy is fully vaccinated and spayed or neutered, we would love to have you volunteer to foster puppies with our program. As a new foster you will not be able to adopt a puppy from GMADP until you have cared for at least three pairs of puppies and fostered with us for 6 months. Please do not offer to foster as a short, one-time event. Fostering is a learning experience and comes with a lot of responsibility. This is a very rewarding experience but it takes time and commitment.

Most of the mom dogs and puppies we care for need special attention because they come from difficult circumstances. Our goal is to provide the care and socialization necessary for our dogs and puppies to become great family pets! We have some wonderful volunteers who are able to provide housing and care for pregnant moms and their litters through weaning at six weeks old. At this point the pups need care and socialization until they are immunized and ready for adoption. Foster volunteers provide a healthy and loving environment during this period.

After completing a foster application, you will receive a Welcome email with Guidelines for Fostering and other information that will help ensure you have everything you need to know to foster through Geauga Mama Dogs and Pups.