New Course Clears Up Finder-Foster Program Questions

Finder-foster programs are one impactful way to serve animals in the Right Place and the Right Time, to the Right Outcome: Animals found by community members can be quickly and legally moved from stray to foster status, and, if they can’t be reunited with their owner, adopted out, all without ever entering the shelter.

But when do holding periods apply? What if the animal needs routine care? What would a finder-foster agreement look like, and is it necessary? If you’ve been wanting to introduce or fine-tune a finder-foster program at your shelter, but you’ve got questions, the new self-paced Finder-Foster Program course is for you!

As part of the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse program, Bruce Wagman, Lead Counsel for San Francisco SPCA’s Shelter Policy and Legal Services (Shelter PALS), covers the concepts, legal issues, and suggestions for the development and operation of finder-foster programs for animal shelters in the state of California (and other states).

You’ll learn how you can reunite more animals with their families, promote animal well-being and minimize stress by reducing time spent in the shelter, and as a result of these programs, reserve resources for animals in need of shelter services—all by engaging people who are already helping animals in your community.

This short course has been approved for 1.0 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) and by National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA). It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit until July 25, 2024, in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.

Although the specific information in this course is applicable to and based on considerations of California state law, the basic concepts will be applicable anywhere, subject to modifications necessitated by state or local laws. Shelters in other states are encouraged to check their state and local laws and ordinances to see how this information can be adapted for use in your location.

#ThankstoMaddie, this course is offered at no cost! Enroll today, and check out other free SPOT mods (Self-Paced Online Training modules) and cohort-style Bootcamps available at the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse.