The heart of our rescue organization is our network of foster homes. This is where each dog begins the recovery from being abandoned or surrendered, and where he or she starts to learn about a new life with loving and caring people. We hope you will consider opening your heart and your home to foster a SWESR dog.

All of our rescued dogs are placed in foster homes until they are adopted. Foster care allows us to evaluate a dog’s personality, skills, activity level and challenges (if any) in a home setting. This helps us make the best match with an approved adopter. We do our best to rescue all the English Setters that are at risk within our reach, so more foster homes means more lives saved. We are always looking for foster homes throughout the Southwest US which includes Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California.

Fostering provides a richly rewarding and deeply gratifying experience. In return for your time, affection and care, as a foster you receive the special love of a dog who somehow knows you are his or her rescuer, as well as the lasting satisfaction of knowing the huge difference you have made in a dog’s life.

We support our fosters by reimbursing all pre-approved medical expenses, including medications and monthly heartworm preventative and necessary veterinary care. We also provide all available information about the dog and support you in introducing a new foster dog to your home. We have a private Facebook page for fosters and our team answers questions and provides guidance for any obedience or behavioral problems.

Fosters are asked to share your observations and complete a Foster Dog Questionnaire so that together we can find the best possible home for each dog. We ask that you feed a high-quality dog food and provide toys, lots of love and training for basic house manners, A stable and loving environment is critical to build a rescue dog’s confidence and to help recover from the stress of being abandoned, lost, housed in a shelter or rehomed. Foster homes should treat your foster dog as you would your own, with patience and love.

The time in foster care varies from a few weeks to many months. Some dogs get adopted very quickly, while others need more time and attention to be ready for their forever homes. If your circumstances allow for fostering one of our special-needs dogs, we’re sure you will find the experience especially worthwhile. Helping a dog recover from neglect or injury to once again know the joys of simply being a dog is one of the most rewarding experiences a foster will have. Our fosters play a key role in evaluating applications to adopt your foster dog. Our foster homes have the final word on whether an approved family is the right match for your foster dog.

Many considering becoming a foster family express concerns about the heartache involved in letting go and placing a dog with an adopter after you become attached. It can be sad to say good-bye, but those who foster know the joy and satisfaction of placing a foster dog in an excellent forever home and then opening your home to another dog in need. Knowing the difference you made in a dog’s life makes it all worthwhile.

We hope this helps you to understand why many choose to open their homes to Setters in need and encourages you to consider helping by doing the same. If you wish to learn more about fostering for Southwest English Setter Rescue, please contact us at Info@swesr.org, or fill out an application. (It is the same application as our adoption application. Please indicate ‘Foster’ when asked about a specific dog you are interested in.)