Contact and initial screening
The owner, family member, case manager, treatment provider, social worker, or referral partner contacts Second Leash with the situation, timing, location, and information about the dog.
How It Works
Temporary foster care is built around safety, communication, realistic expectations, and reunification.
The process
From first contact to reunion
Needs and safety review
We review the dog’s health, behavior, routine, housing needs, legal ownership, expected care period, transportation, and communication plan.
Foster matching
When capacity exists, we seek a volunteer foster whose household, pets, experience, location, and schedule fit the dog’s needs.
Temporary care agreement
Written expectations help define ownership, care decisions, veterinary authorization, communication, supplies, timing, and the planned path to reunification.
Support during placement
Second Leash helps coordinate communication, supplies, approved veterinary care, problem-solving, and updates based on available resources.
Reunification planning
When the owner is ready and the return plan is safe, we coordinate the dog’s transition home.
Need help now? Request temporary care online or submit a partner referral.
What temporary foster care is
- A temporary placement intended to protect the owner-dog bond
- Case-by-case support based on available fosters and resources
- A partnership involving honest information and communication
- A plan that prioritizes safe care and responsible reunification
What it is not
- A guarantee that a foster home will be available
- Free indefinite boarding
- A substitute for emergency veterinary care
- A way to hide ownership disputes or avoid lawful animal-control processes
- An adoption or surrender program
Situations we may consider
Requests may involve incarceration, inpatient treatment, hospitalization, temporary housing instability, reentry, recovery, domestic disruption, or another short-term crisis. Every case is reviewed individually.
Placement decisions
Decisions may consider foster availability, the dog’s behavior and medical needs, expected length of care, geographic location, transportation, ownership documentation, legal restrictions, household compatibility, vaccination status, and Second Leash resources.
Do not delay emergency help. For immediate danger, contact 911. For urgent veterinary needs, contact a licensed veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic. For stray, abandoned, injured, or dangerous animals, contact the appropriate local animal-control authority.