Become A Foster Family

Fostering is an incredibly rewarding experience. A foster home is a short-term safe haven for a rescued Lab. A foster home provides a loving environment for a dog to learn new skills and to prepare for a permanent, loving home.

Why should I foster?

It saves lives!
- We rescue dogs from homelessness, from shelters, from owner surrenders, and from death row
- We save dogs who need medical attention and help restore their quality of life
Seeing the turnaround is indescribable!
- Helping shy and timid dogs come out of their shell
- Guiding them to learn to trust again and feel safe
- Showing them they are loved
- Allowing them time to heal from medical issues
- Teaching them how to play with toys and eat peanut butter
You'll give a dog a chance to shine!
- Training a dog to know it's basic manners and become a successful part of the family
- Providing structure and a routine in which they can thrive
You'll make new friends!
- Your resident pets will have a temporary playmate or snuggle buddy
- You'll get tons of extra love, kisses and snuggles
- You'll have a walking partner
You'll make someone else's family complete!
- You'll have the final say on their forever family
- You'll see the joy on kids faces as they love on their new family member

Things to know:

The average foster time is 2-6 weeks
The rescue covers all approved medical bills and medications
Your resident dogs must be up to date on vaccines and spayed/neutered
You can foster even if you don't have resident dogs
If you need to go out of town, the rescue arranges and provides care for your foster
If you fall in love, there is always the potential for you to adopt according to our policies
If you are away from the home for 8 or more hours a day, then a midday break would be required for your foster dog.
Fostering is flexible
- The rescue can partner you with fosters who meet certain criteria (i.e. only senior dogs, only female dogs, etc.)
- We welcome seasonal fosters or part-time fosters

If your intension is to adopt or foster to adopt, you must fill out an adoption application

You will find the adoption application under the Adoption Center Tab

Are you ready to give a dog a safe place to stay until their Forever home is found?

Foster Application

Lab Rescue of Greater Richmond (LRGR) operates completely on a network of enthusiastic, compassionate, heartfelt, dedicated, hard-working, wonderful, dog-loving folks with labs being their number 1 love. They volunteer their time and energy to ensure the best possible “fur-ever” home for the dogs we rescue. There is no “bricks and mortar” to this organization—our volunteers are the foundation!

Our volunteers range from those who transport a dog in need from a shelter, to their temporary foster home, to those who conduct home checks after our rescues have found their new family. We have folks who serve as adoption coordinators, reviewing applications from those interested in adoption, as well as volunteers serving as a foster parent, opening their homes (and hearts!) to a dog for a short time during the transition period. We are grateful for every single one of our volunteers, because we could not do this without them! We think they are all special, and we want you to get to know them.

We asked Megan Lanum, one of our volunteers, a few questions to learn more about her and why she volunteers with LRGR:

How did you learn about LRGR and how long have you been volunteering?

I learned about LRGR one day after a random search regarding dog fostering. After reading the LRGR website and chatting with Christine, I was hooked. I started fostering in November 2018. Our first foster Cami holds a special place in our hearts.

What volunteer role do you perform with LRGR? Why did you pick that role?

I chose to foster after researching volunteer options for my daughter. She was 8 at the time and wanted a way to give back. Sadly, at that age she didn’t have many options she could call her own. After a family discussion it was decided we had the perfect home to share and a lot of love to give. LRGR was our next call!

What do you do when you are not volunteering for LRGR?

It’s rare we aren’t giving a sweet pup a safe place to call home, but in my other life, I’m just “mom”. I spend a lot of my time on a sports field and catering to children. We love to travel and explore and spend most summers on the water.

Which special dog stories and/or memories you would like to share?

We have a special story and memory for each dog we’ve rescued (20 +). When I asked my family their favorite memories regarding our fostering times, Duke dog was the star of our show! He came to us with a very difficult past, and we fell in love with him immediately. We quickly saw his potential for trust. With love and patience, he became a part of us. We knew then all he needed was a family to call his own. Duke, now formally known as Rolo, was adopted on April 8th, 2019, and spends his days chasing deer and loving his family. We can him our greatest foster accomplishment. We meet great families along the way and we've been privileged to remain in contact with most!
What's your advice for potential adopters considering a rescue from LRGR?

Patience and love. Adopting a rescue pup is hard work and at the end of the day, all they want from you is your patience and love.

Why should others consider volunteering for LRGR?

Knowing that you were the necessary link in finding a pup’s forever home is incredibly humbling.

Anything else you would like to share about yourself, your dogs, or your time with LRGR?

Throughout my time fostering' I’ve come to see the resilience of our homeless and/or abandoned dogs. I’ve watched the spirit of so many come to life. Realizing now, I needed them more than they needed me.