Volunteer and Foster
Whether you are a first-time dog-carer or have tons of experience, if you would like to get into fostering, our supportive program could be for you. We also always need volunteers to transport dogs for us, from shelter to vet in particular. If you have some spare time and would like to help, just by driving a dog for us you can be saving a life.
Volunteer
Transport! We are regularly in desperate need for someone to transport dogs for us. Sometimes we hear of a dog in a shelter who needs urgent medical attention, and we might have funds and even a foster home ready, but none of us can get there to pick the dog up and take them to the vet.
Skill-set specific volunteering is a great way to help while doing what you already do best. Donate your skills in Photography, Illustration, Grant Writing, Fundraising, Marketing, Design, Craftmanship. If you have a skill you’re willing to share for the rescue dogs, we’re open to hearing about it!
Others available to volunteer time regularly can inquire to work with rescue dogs. This can mean walking, hiking, a car ride, and sometimes just sitting and ignoring depending on what that dog needs.
The Blue Man Dog Foster Program
At Blue Man Dog, we pride ourselves on providing a supportive and well-managed foster program. We work very closely with our fosters and provide all the supplies and training they need to set the dogs up for successful transition from shelter to adoption. You won’t be lumped with a dog and left to figure it out - to the contrary.
We will:
Select a foster dog that suits your lifestyle and experience
Give you very precise, step-by-step instructions for this dog
Provide you with training sessions to teach you how to better understand dog behavior, communication, and become a better dog handler
Be with you through the process of vetting adopters and we will handle finalizing the adoption.
What is Fostering? Fostering means temporarily providing a home for a dog until a permanent home can be found. All costs for the dog are covered by us. We provide supplies, food, and training - you provide your home and time to care for the dog.
Fostering can be exceptionally rewarding and is ultimately about how you can help a dog on the journey to a forever home. New dogs are often dirty, scared, untrained, confused, and in need of kindness by way of stability and patience.
Why is fostering important? By fostering, you free up shelter space and thereby save another dog from being euthanized to make room. You are essentially buying these dogs more time. With the dog in your house, you are also able to get to know them, learn their personality, and can teach the dog how to live in the real world, all of which makes the dog more adoptable than if they sit alone in a shelter kennel for weeks or months.
To find out more about how fostering works and what to expect, read our Fostering Info document. (Also see our 10 Tips For Fosters To Get A Dog Adopted handout.)
Interested In Dog Behavior & Handling?
Our Foster or Volunteer Programs are an excellent way to learn and get a lot of practice with different dogs and different behaviors. We are experienced trainers (read more about us on our Training page) and are more than happy to share our expertise with fosters. The goal is to give more dogs - especially those with some behavior issues - a chance of being successfully adopted.
We also do a weekly Pack Hike in Griffith Park and we always need skilled dog handlers. Training will be provided. So if you would like to learn and practice how to properly walk a dog on a leash in a structured and controlled way, get in touch!