Fostering, along with appropriate veterinary care, is the backbone of Lab Rescue of North Carolina. Fostering is hard work, but tremendously rewarding. The information below is a brief description of how fostering fits into our organization and what fostering entails.

Where We Get Dogs

Lab Rescue NC gets Labrador Retrievers from a variety of sources, but most often from shelters and good Samaritans who have found a lost or homeless Lab. We often have only very general information about the dog’s history and give priority to senior labs in shelters. We do not accept Labs with aggression problems towards humans, and are very wary of dogs with serious aggression issues towards other dogs. To save as many Labs as possible, we focus on dogs with the classic Lab temperament.

Healthcare Issues

Health concerns generally play no role in our decision whether to take a dog. We have a fantastic relationship with a vet in the Winston-Salem area, and very good relationships with several in Raleigh. Many dogs come in with heartworms, a very serious and costly parasite. We also see joint, allergy, and other problems.

Before placing a dog in foster care, we spay or neuter the dog and provide as much vet care as needed until the dog is stable. The foster home is provided with a complete copy of any medical records and any medications (including heartworm prevention and flea/tick repellant). We do not expect foster homes to contribute to vet care unless a foster home chooses not to use one of our approved vets. We will reimburse a foster home for up to the amount we would have been charged by our vets (we do get a substantial discount).

How LRNC Supports Foster Homes

We are available 24/7 for emergencies and at any reasonable time for questions or concerns. We encourage frequent contact early on. We will help you get through the first few days and provide you with as much information as we can.

Once a foster dog has settled in and the foster home lets us know that he or she is ready for adoption, our adoption application screeners will give approved applicants your name, phone number, and email address (but not physical address). You will receive a copy of the application via e-mail. All applicants are told that the initial screening process is NOT a guarantee that the particular dog they are interested in is a good match. We rely heavily on foster homes to assist us in decided where a foster dog would best be placed, with activity level and overall temperament in mind. Adoption applicants should come to the foster home to meet the dog (or a nearby park) IF the foster home believes it is a good match AFTER a nice long chat on the phone. Foster homes are not expected to travel unless they choose to do so.

If a match is made, we ask that you get an adoption contract signed (it will be provided) and collect the adoption fee. Both the contract and the fee can be mailed to us at your earliest convenience. We ask that you follow-up with an adoptive home via phone within the first 24-48 hours and then again during the first week post-adoption.