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Foster a dog

If you would like to foster a dog, click here to fill out our Foster Application.

Upon completion of the Foster Application one of the Foster Coordinators will contact you. If you have questions about Volunteering in San Diego County please contact us at information@coastalgsrsd.org.

Few things in rescue are more rewarding than knowing a dog is alive because you were there, because you had room in your heart, room in your home, and were willing to share that home with a dog who had already given up, a little love to a dog who never knew what it meant to be loved. Coastal GSR could not continue to rescue dogs without the selfless families who take these dogs into their homes and send with them a piece of their hearts when they move on to their adoptive family.
 
The sad reality is there are many more dogs in high-kill shelters than we are able to place in our boarding facilities. One foster home means that one of those dogs will be able to have a second chance at life instead of dying alone. As individuals, we each have something different to offer, a different kind of home, some more time to devote, others more experience. Coastal prides itself in matching each and every dog with the foster home in a way that works for everyone, family and dog. Whether you are able to foster for a short term and give a dog in the kennel a respite from the loud and noisy kennel life or you’re able to take in a dog until it is adopted, you will be helping that dog and more. By bringing a dog into your home, you are able to learn so much more about him or her and give valued input to the rescue, helping ensure that their forever home is the perfect fit. These are a few of the success stories of fostering.
 

EMMY

Some of our dogs have special needs and require a home that can provide more than a typical dog would need. Emmy was one of those dogs. Emmy and her sister were turned in to a shelter by their owners. One look at Emmy and the shelter knew that rescue was her only chance.

Emmy had a condition known as demodex that had gone untreated. When Emmy walked, she left a trail of blood behind. Her feet were swollen to almost twice their normal size, covered in sores. Putting Emmy in the kennel was not an option. She spent three weeks in the hospital, waiting for the right foster home to come along. Throughout everything, there was one thing for sure: Emmy did not know the meaning of giving up. Despite her looks, with her personality, she was able to brighten any room.
 
This is Emmy today. Coastal gave Emmy a second chance at life. Her foster parents nursed her back to health and made sure that life was worth living.
 
 
 
 
 

VANDER

Vander had known one thing in his life, abuse. Used as a bait dog in illegal dog fight gaming, he had outlived his worth to his owner. Vander was taken across the border to get his ears checked due to an ear infection. Sadly, they decided to cut off his ear, and sew it shut, without properly treating the infection. He had wounds all over his body, from the tip of his nose, his back, his belly, his legs, all the way to the tip of his tail, none were attended to, tattered and torn, he had been left to die.

 
Safe in rescue, Vander needed a home, a place for his body to heal. Even more, Vander needed someone to help heal his spirit and teach him what love was all about. This is Vander today, healthy, happy, and loved.
 

 

 

LANEY

Sometimes a foster dog comes as a package deal. Laney had been found as a stray, doing her best to feed her nine little babies. Her body was so emaciated that you could count her ribs. After just a few days in the shelter, Laney and her family were scheduled to be euthanized. As though she knew their fate, Laney refused to leave the box her pups were in. She had to be coaxed just to go to the bathroom. Coastal was only able to take her because there was a foster home awaiting her arrival.

When Laney arrived at her foster home, you could see her spirits change, as though the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. She had a safe place to raise her puppies and someone to care for her while she cared for them.

It took time, but Laney became healthy once again, thriving in her new home, watching over her little ones, knowing they were finally safe.

Laney and all nine of her babies have since been adopted and live happily ever after. Her foster parents have generously opened their home to Jayde, a mom who was scheduled to be euthanized with her nine babies. And the successful cycle of fostering repeats. There are many more stories about how fostering makes a difference. Why not make one of the stories your own?