Are you in Kyiv, Ukraine and looking for some meaningful volunteer work? Are you a dog lover, bothered by the cold dogs you see on the street or still working at home and have extra free time on your hands? Please consider fostering or adopting a dog with us!
Why foster a former street dog?
A foster home for one of our dogs means the difference between spending years or a lifetime in an outdoor kennel or finally finding a forever home.
Oftentimes, our dogs cannot be fully rehabilitated and be adoption-ready until they have spent some time in a real home. Usually, a foster home is the final step for our dogs before graduating our street dog rehabilitation program. You will be offering a big helping hand to a dog in need when you foster!
What kind of help do the dogs need?
There are all kinds of different situations where we need foster homes. If you are interested in fostering, please look at the dogs’ profiles below or contact us. We can help pair you with a dog that just needs to be toilet-trained, or if you are up for more of a challenge, we have dogs that need more intensive training before they can be adoptable.
Some dogs have just been in one of our partner kennels for a long time , and would be more appealing for adoption if they were already living in a home. Usually this kind of assignment will entail toilet-training. We find that with adult dogs, if you put them on a schedule and do frequent walks in the beginning, it usually takes 1-5 days to toilet-train.
Other dogs have behavior issues that can only be addressed with individualized attention and training. Many of our dogs are at outdoor kennels with many other dogs, and cannot really become socialized until they live in a home environment. In these cases we will provide an obedience trainer to support you and your foster dog.
Sometimes we have dogs that need surgery or are coming from a clinic and would do best with a home to recover in.
If you are interested in having a puppy around but don’t want to commit to keeping it forever, we have puppies too, who will get adopted much more quickly with a little help from a loving foster home!
What kind of support will I receive when I foster a dog?
We will provide a crate to help with toilet-training and eliminate the chance of damages while you are gone or sleeping.
If needed, we provide obedience lessons and support from a trainer.
We ask for help with food and basic supplies, but we cover 100% medical costs. If the costs become too much, of course we can cover anything you need.
How long are the foster assignments?
Sometimes we need foster homes for dogs that we have already planned to bring to America on a certain date. These assignments would have a definite end date. We usually like dogs to be in a home at least 4-8 weeks before coming to America.
The second scenario, which is the most common, are for dogs we have determined can probably be adopted locally. Unfortunately, in Ukraine, it can sometimes take a few months to find a forever home, so you should have at least 3-4 months that you could keep your foster dog in these cases. If you are planning a vacation though, please don't let that deter you from fostering. We will provide boarding if you go out-of-town.
What if I go on vacation or cannot keep the dog anymore?
If you are planning a vacation, please let us know, and we can arrange and pay for boarding while you are gone.
If it doesn't work out for any reason, we will take the dog back.
If you are interested in one of our available foster dogs, please send us a message from the CONTACT US page.
Thank you!
Why foster a former street dog?
A foster home for one of our dogs means the difference between spending years or a lifetime in an outdoor kennel or finally finding a forever home.
Oftentimes, our dogs cannot be fully rehabilitated and be adoption-ready until they have spent some time in a real home. Usually, a foster home is the final step for our dogs before graduating our street dog rehabilitation program. You will be offering a big helping hand to a dog in need when you foster!
What kind of help do the dogs need?
There are all kinds of different situations where we need foster homes. If you are interested in fostering, please look at the dogs’ profiles below or contact us. We can help pair you with a dog that just needs to be toilet-trained, or if you are up for more of a challenge, we have dogs that need more intensive training before they can be adoptable.
Some dogs have just been in one of our partner kennels for a long time , and would be more appealing for adoption if they were already living in a home. Usually this kind of assignment will entail toilet-training. We find that with adult dogs, if you put them on a schedule and do frequent walks in the beginning, it usually takes 1-5 days to toilet-train.
Other dogs have behavior issues that can only be addressed with individualized attention and training. Many of our dogs are at outdoor kennels with many other dogs, and cannot really become socialized until they live in a home environment. In these cases we will provide an obedience trainer to support you and your foster dog.
Sometimes we have dogs that need surgery or are coming from a clinic and would do best with a home to recover in.
If you are interested in having a puppy around but don’t want to commit to keeping it forever, we have puppies too, who will get adopted much more quickly with a little help from a loving foster home!
What kind of support will I receive when I foster a dog?
We will provide a crate to help with toilet-training and eliminate the chance of damages while you are gone or sleeping.
If needed, we provide obedience lessons and support from a trainer.
We ask for help with food and basic supplies, but we cover 100% medical costs. If the costs become too much, of course we can cover anything you need.
How long are the foster assignments?
Sometimes we need foster homes for dogs that we have already planned to bring to America on a certain date. These assignments would have a definite end date. We usually like dogs to be in a home at least 4-8 weeks before coming to America.
The second scenario, which is the most common, are for dogs we have determined can probably be adopted locally. Unfortunately, in Ukraine, it can sometimes take a few months to find a forever home, so you should have at least 3-4 months that you could keep your foster dog in these cases. If you are planning a vacation though, please don't let that deter you from fostering. We will provide boarding if you go out-of-town.
What if I go on vacation or cannot keep the dog anymore?
If you are planning a vacation, please let us know, and we can arrange and pay for boarding while you are gone.
If it doesn't work out for any reason, we will take the dog back.
If you are interested in one of our available foster dogs, please send us a message from the CONTACT US page.
Thank you!
CHERNUSHKA
Name: Chernushka
Age: 4 years old
Breed: Mixed Breed- I look a lot like a Finnish reindeer herding dog called a Lapponian Herder.
Height/Weight: 55 lbs
Location: A private outdoor kennel near Syrets metro
Rescue Story: Chernushka came from a family of wild dogs who live in a parking lot. A TFASD volunteer lives near to them and feeds them daily. One day she noticed Chernushka was sick, so she brought her to a veterinarian. It took some time for her to heal, and once she was recovered, we did not have the heart to put her back on the street.
Future Goals: Since she was born wild, and lived in a parking lot where not all the humans who saw her were nice, she is still learning to trust people. I am learning to walk on a leash and become more socialized . Chernushka is a special case. She is one of our dogs that must find a foster home to ever have a chance at a forever home.
Ideal Foster Home:
We recently had a trainer evaluate her to tell us how we can go about getting Chernushka home ready.
In Chernushka’s case we would recommend you coming to see her and feed her with your hands a few times. This way you can get to know each other and you can earn some trust before bringing her home.
This is what the trainer said about her:
If we can find a foster home for Chernushka or not is absolutely crucial for her. It will mean the difference between her possibly spending the rest of her life in an outdoor kennel (where her rent could go to a currently suffering street dog) or having the chance for a forever home. Would you please consider giving Chernushka a chance?
Age: 4 years old
Breed: Mixed Breed- I look a lot like a Finnish reindeer herding dog called a Lapponian Herder.
Height/Weight: 55 lbs
Location: A private outdoor kennel near Syrets metro
Rescue Story: Chernushka came from a family of wild dogs who live in a parking lot. A TFASD volunteer lives near to them and feeds them daily. One day she noticed Chernushka was sick, so she brought her to a veterinarian. It took some time for her to heal, and once she was recovered, we did not have the heart to put her back on the street.
Future Goals: Since she was born wild, and lived in a parking lot where not all the humans who saw her were nice, she is still learning to trust people. I am learning to walk on a leash and become more socialized . Chernushka is a special case. She is one of our dogs that must find a foster home to ever have a chance at a forever home.
Ideal Foster Home:
We recently had a trainer evaluate her to tell us how we can go about getting Chernushka home ready.
In Chernushka’s case we would recommend you coming to see her and feed her with your hands a few times. This way you can get to know each other and you can earn some trust before bringing her home.
This is what the trainer said about her:
- She took food from the hands of the trainer after 5 minutes of meeting
- She wants to interact with humans, but scared at first
- She can try to nip when putting on a collar or if you back her in a corner. She needs an experienced foster that knows how to approach rescue dogs. The trainer said that after 2-3 weeks of earning trust with a caregiver, this behavior would subside.
- Her ideal foster home would not have any other pets and either no children or children over 8-10 years old.
If we can find a foster home for Chernushka or not is absolutely crucial for her. It will mean the difference between her possibly spending the rest of her life in an outdoor kennel (where her rent could go to a currently suffering street dog) or having the chance for a forever home. Would you please consider giving Chernushka a chance?
ELI
Name: Eli
Age: Approximately 11 months old- February 2021
Breed: Mixed breed
Height/Weight: 39 lbs/ 18 kgs
Rescue story: Eli is very afraid of everything, because as a puppy, he lived through some very big trauma. When TFASD volunteers rescued him, he was at a very bad shelter and was close to death. The volunteers cried the first time they left him, so they came back and rescue him from there.
Future Goals: We are looking for a foster home for Eli so he can work on his issues with a trainer and increase his chances for adoption. Eli is a very noble dog who really just wants love and attention, and will do very well if someone would just give him a chance.
Ideal Foster Home:
We recently had a trainer evaluate him to tell us how we can go about getting Eli home ready.
In Eli’s case we would recommend you coming to see him and feed him with your hands a few times. This way you can get to know each other and you can earn some trust before bringing him home.
The trainer said he is very scared and shy, but she didn't see any sign of aggression. She recommended moving him to a home where he could be surrounded by people. We have had other fosters take a dog like this, and they would set up the dog’s crate/bed/toys/food in the busiest part of the house so the dog is forced to socialize.
The trainer also recommended that a foster with a calm, confident and socialized female dog for Eli to learn from would be ideal. If you are interested in Eli and do not have another dog, this could be accomplished by meeting friends with other dogs or we could even organize play dates with graduates from our program.
The trainer was not sure about children, so Eli would be best in a home without children or with older, calm children.
If we can find a foster home for Eli or not is absolutely crucial for him. It will mean the difference between him possibly spending the rest of his life in an outdoor or having the chance at a forever home. Also, we must pay a monthly rent for Eli to stay at the private kennel which keeps him safe and healthy. If Eli can find his foster home, be rehabilitated and finally find his forever home, that makes room for us to save another dog who is currently suffering on the street. So if you can give Eli a chance, that gives another dog a chance as well.
Age: Approximately 11 months old- February 2021
Breed: Mixed breed
Height/Weight: 39 lbs/ 18 kgs
Rescue story: Eli is very afraid of everything, because as a puppy, he lived through some very big trauma. When TFASD volunteers rescued him, he was at a very bad shelter and was close to death. The volunteers cried the first time they left him, so they came back and rescue him from there.
Future Goals: We are looking for a foster home for Eli so he can work on his issues with a trainer and increase his chances for adoption. Eli is a very noble dog who really just wants love and attention, and will do very well if someone would just give him a chance.
Ideal Foster Home:
We recently had a trainer evaluate him to tell us how we can go about getting Eli home ready.
In Eli’s case we would recommend you coming to see him and feed him with your hands a few times. This way you can get to know each other and you can earn some trust before bringing him home.
The trainer said he is very scared and shy, but she didn't see any sign of aggression. She recommended moving him to a home where he could be surrounded by people. We have had other fosters take a dog like this, and they would set up the dog’s crate/bed/toys/food in the busiest part of the house so the dog is forced to socialize.
The trainer also recommended that a foster with a calm, confident and socialized female dog for Eli to learn from would be ideal. If you are interested in Eli and do not have another dog, this could be accomplished by meeting friends with other dogs or we could even organize play dates with graduates from our program.
The trainer was not sure about children, so Eli would be best in a home without children or with older, calm children.
If we can find a foster home for Eli or not is absolutely crucial for him. It will mean the difference between him possibly spending the rest of his life in an outdoor or having the chance at a forever home. Also, we must pay a monthly rent for Eli to stay at the private kennel which keeps him safe and healthy. If Eli can find his foster home, be rehabilitated and finally find his forever home, that makes room for us to save another dog who is currently suffering on the street. So if you can give Eli a chance, that gives another dog a chance as well.
HATTIE
Name: Hattie
Age: 8 month old (as of February 2021)
Breed: mixed-breed
Height/Weight :35 lbs / 16 kgs
Rescue story: Hattie was rescued from a dangerous place with her mom and siblings when they were little puppies
Future Goals: Hattie walks well on a leash but needs toilet-training. Now that Hattie is not a little puppy anymore, her best bet at a forever home in Ukraine would be if someone could take her in and get her home-ready.
Ideal Foster Home: Hattie needs foster parents who have experience with puppies and toilet-training. We would provide a crate and would ask that you crate-train her to eliminate the risk of damages and again, increase her chances of adoption.
She also needs fosters who are very active and would be able to bring her on many walks and bring her out for activities to wear out some of her puppy energy.
Hattie would be fine with children but would be better to be the only dog in the house. If you would like to have a puppy for a while, but not commit, please consider fostering Hattie. The quality of her future life literally depends on if we can find a foster home for her or not. Would you please consider giving Hattie a chance?
Age: 8 month old (as of February 2021)
Breed: mixed-breed
Height/Weight :35 lbs / 16 kgs
Rescue story: Hattie was rescued from a dangerous place with her mom and siblings when they were little puppies
Future Goals: Hattie walks well on a leash but needs toilet-training. Now that Hattie is not a little puppy anymore, her best bet at a forever home in Ukraine would be if someone could take her in and get her home-ready.
Ideal Foster Home: Hattie needs foster parents who have experience with puppies and toilet-training. We would provide a crate and would ask that you crate-train her to eliminate the risk of damages and again, increase her chances of adoption.
She also needs fosters who are very active and would be able to bring her on many walks and bring her out for activities to wear out some of her puppy energy.
Hattie would be fine with children but would be better to be the only dog in the house. If you would like to have a puppy for a while, but not commit, please consider fostering Hattie. The quality of her future life literally depends on if we can find a foster home for her or not. Would you please consider giving Hattie a chance?
LIVI
Name: Livi
Age: 8 month old (as of February 2021)
Breed: mixed-breed
Height/Weight :35 lbs / 16 kgs
Rescue story: Livi was rescued from a dangerous place with her mom and siblings when they were little puppies
Future Goals: Livi walks well on a leash but needs toilet-training. Now that Livi is not a little puppy anymore, her best bet at a forever home in Ukraine would be if someone could take her in and get her home-ready.
Ideal Foster Home: Hattie needs foster parents who have experience with puppies and toilet-training. We would provide a crate and would ask that you crate-train her to eliminate the risk of damages and again, increase her chances of adoption.
She also needs fosters who are very active and would be able to bring her on many walks and bring her out for activities to wear out some of her puppy energy.
Livi would be fine with children but would be better to be the only dog in the house. If you would like to have a puppy for a while, but not commit, please consider fostering Livi. If Livi can be placed in a foster home, and then subsequently a forever home, we would then rescue another dog currently suffering on the street. So giving Livi a chance, also gives another dog a chance. Could you please help?
Age: 8 month old (as of February 2021)
Breed: mixed-breed
Height/Weight :35 lbs / 16 kgs
Rescue story: Livi was rescued from a dangerous place with her mom and siblings when they were little puppies
Future Goals: Livi walks well on a leash but needs toilet-training. Now that Livi is not a little puppy anymore, her best bet at a forever home in Ukraine would be if someone could take her in and get her home-ready.
Ideal Foster Home: Hattie needs foster parents who have experience with puppies and toilet-training. We would provide a crate and would ask that you crate-train her to eliminate the risk of damages and again, increase her chances of adoption.
She also needs fosters who are very active and would be able to bring her on many walks and bring her out for activities to wear out some of her puppy energy.
Livi would be fine with children but would be better to be the only dog in the house. If you would like to have a puppy for a while, but not commit, please consider fostering Livi. If Livi can be placed in a foster home, and then subsequently a forever home, we would then rescue another dog currently suffering on the street. So giving Livi a chance, also gives another dog a chance. Could you please help?
MARS
Name: Mars
Age: 2 years old
Breed: Shepherd Mix
Weight: 20kg/45lbs
Location: Currently at a private kennel in Kyiv, Ukraine near Syrets metro
Rescue story:
At the beginning of the pandemic, a former foster mom for TFSAD started to see Mars wandering around the park. He was hungry and skinny and had nowhere to go. So TFASD hired a dog catcher to catch him and bring him to one of our partner kennels. Mars had a hard time adapting at first to life in a kennel, this is why we have not placed him in a home yet.
My future goals:
Our big hope for him is to find a foster home that would be willing to get him ready for adoption. He has started walking on a leash but he needs to be toilet-trained and learn some obedience and home to live with a family.
Ideal Foster Home:
We recently had a trainer evaluate Mars to tell us how we can go about finally finding his forever home.
In Mars’ case we would recommend you coming to see him and feed him with your hands a few times. This way you can get to know each other and you can earn some trust before bringing him home.
What our trainer said about him:
If you think you could be up to the task of getting Mars ready for his forever home, it would be a very rewarding job. Mars is one of those dogs, that if we do not make an effort to get him into a home and train him, he could spend his life in an outdoor kennel. Would you please give Mars a chance?
Age: 2 years old
Breed: Shepherd Mix
Weight: 20kg/45lbs
Location: Currently at a private kennel in Kyiv, Ukraine near Syrets metro
Rescue story:
At the beginning of the pandemic, a former foster mom for TFSAD started to see Mars wandering around the park. He was hungry and skinny and had nowhere to go. So TFASD hired a dog catcher to catch him and bring him to one of our partner kennels. Mars had a hard time adapting at first to life in a kennel, this is why we have not placed him in a home yet.
My future goals:
Our big hope for him is to find a foster home that would be willing to get him ready for adoption. He has started walking on a leash but he needs to be toilet-trained and learn some obedience and home to live with a family.
Ideal Foster Home:
We recently had a trainer evaluate Mars to tell us how we can go about finally finding his forever home.
In Mars’ case we would recommend you coming to see him and feed him with your hands a few times. This way you can get to know each other and you can earn some trust before bringing him home.
What our trainer said about him:
- Mars is an obedient confident male
- He seems like he wants attention, but he “checked” the trainer to see if he could “rule” her. When he saw that there was no way, he sat down and patiently waited for food.
- He could become a “leader” for inexperienced owners- Mars needs a foster/owner with experience with dogs and/or a strong character.
- Judging from his character the trainer thought he was mixed with German Shepherd.
- Mars would do best in a home where he is the only animal.
- Mars would also do best with access to a fenced yard.
If you think you could be up to the task of getting Mars ready for his forever home, it would be a very rewarding job. Mars is one of those dogs, that if we do not make an effort to get him into a home and train him, he could spend his life in an outdoor kennel. Would you please give Mars a chance?
REX
Name: Rex
Age: 4.5 years old
Breed: German Shepherd mix
Height/Weight :28kg/62 pounds
Rescue Story: Rex came from a village in Belarus where dogs are always under threat of being shot or poisoned on the street by the municipal service. Technically, he had an owner, but he let him wander around looking for his own food, so he was very skinny and sad. Miraculously (for Rex) a TFASD volunteer became stranded in his village during the pandemic and rescued him. When the borders opened she brought Rex to Kyiv to join our TFASD rehabilitation program for street dogs.
Future Goals: Rex is very social and loves people, so we are just looking for a family who will be willing to take a big dog like Rex into their home and shower him with love and attention.
Ideal Foster Home: Rex is a pretty easy case. Whereas many dogs need a foster home to ever have hope of being placed in a forever home, that is not the case for Rex.
The thing with Rex is that he is a little big for most adopters in Ukraine, so there is a chance he would need to wait for a ride to America to find his forever home. So whoever would foster him, would need to be able to possibly keep him a few months.
Also, with Rex, currently he is in a for-profit foster home, so if we can find a volunteer home for him, then we can rescue another dog that is currently suffering on the street.
Additionally, after everything Rex has been through, it would be so nice for him to be in a private home and receive personal attention, instead of at a kennel where there are many dogs competing for attention.
If you like big dogs, and want a new loyal and appreciative friend, would you please consider giving Rex a chance?
Age: 4.5 years old
Breed: German Shepherd mix
Height/Weight :28kg/62 pounds
Rescue Story: Rex came from a village in Belarus where dogs are always under threat of being shot or poisoned on the street by the municipal service. Technically, he had an owner, but he let him wander around looking for his own food, so he was very skinny and sad. Miraculously (for Rex) a TFASD volunteer became stranded in his village during the pandemic and rescued him. When the borders opened she brought Rex to Kyiv to join our TFASD rehabilitation program for street dogs.
Future Goals: Rex is very social and loves people, so we are just looking for a family who will be willing to take a big dog like Rex into their home and shower him with love and attention.
Ideal Foster Home: Rex is a pretty easy case. Whereas many dogs need a foster home to ever have hope of being placed in a forever home, that is not the case for Rex.
The thing with Rex is that he is a little big for most adopters in Ukraine, so there is a chance he would need to wait for a ride to America to find his forever home. So whoever would foster him, would need to be able to possibly keep him a few months.
Also, with Rex, currently he is in a for-profit foster home, so if we can find a volunteer home for him, then we can rescue another dog that is currently suffering on the street.
Additionally, after everything Rex has been through, it would be so nice for him to be in a private home and receive personal attention, instead of at a kennel where there are many dogs competing for attention.
If you like big dogs, and want a new loyal and appreciative friend, would you please consider giving Rex a chance?