• All foster homes must submit an application and have a home visit performed prior to being approved
• All current pets are altered
• Ability and willingness to assume financial day to day care of foster pets
• Acceptance of SCMR POLICIES
• Internet access to review applications
• Good vet reference and home visit
• Access to digital camera

• Acceptance of incoming animals must be approved by an Executive Board Member PRIOR to intake.
• When a dog is pulled from a shelter or rescued under SCMR, all SCMR Policies shall prevail.
• There can/will be problems with any foster you bring in and issues that will need to be worked through and resolved. If there is an aggression issue, these issues need to be resolved within the animal's current foster home. Please realize that once you commit to fostering an animal that we need you to foster that animal until he is adopted. We have limited space and depend on our foster homes to follow through. We realize that emergencies do sometimes happen so if for some reason you absolutely can no longer keep an animal in your home (which should rarely occur), please contact an Executive Board member directly to discuss your options.
• SCMR retains ownership of all approved animals rescued by and/or placed into a foster home until their adoption to a qualified guardian.
• All foster homes shall be added to the SCMR Discussion Board List. If the decision is made to permanently or temporarily not foster for an extended period of time, your name will be removed from this List and moved to the SCMR Vols list. .
• SCMR does not want to put limits on the number of animals that a foster home can take in. We ask that you carefully consider your circumstances and discuss with an Executive Board member if you want to take in more than 3 SCMR fosters. Always remember your role as a foster parent is to ready these discarded pets for a successful new life in their new home. Therefore, you will need to be prepared to housetrain, crate train, leash train, teach general manners, get dog back to health etc. If you have too many dogs it will be difficult to do these things successfully!
• If a foster home receives a dog which is pulled directly from a shelter, this dog needs to be kept separate from the other dogs if at all possible. Many times animals from the shelter come down with kennel cough or other illnesses after being brought into the home. It is important that your personal pets are kept up on vaccinations (i..e., rabies, DHP, bordatella).

• House train, crate train, nurse back to health, socialize etc. etc.
• Foster homes with children should use caution in agreeing to foster and provide adequate supervision at all times to safeguard both the pet and the child. Foster care persons agree that SCMR Board members will not be held responsible or suffer any legal action for any damage caused by the dog(s) including but not limited to, property damage, personal injury and or death.
• Digital pictures are used to post dogs on Petfinder and other sites so fosters need to have access to a digital camera. Pictures and information on each new foster dog needs to be promptly sent to scmr1@yahoo.com so the animal can be placed on our sites.
• Fosters will participate in qualifying forever homes; this will involve phone calls, perhaps some toll calls. This will be a foster home expense.
• Approved adopters must be willing to pick up their animal, make sure that the adopter is aware of this. It is up to the foster home whether they want to help the approved adopter by driving the animal closer.
• Once the foster home has a qualified applicant, the application should be forwarded to scmr1@yahnoo.com requesting Executive Board Approval. Approved adopters will be notified via e-mail by the Executive Board. The adoption contract and a cashier's check in the amount of the adoption fee should be mailed to SCMR, P.O.B. 355, Hixson, TN 37343. Once received, the foster home will be notified and the adoption can then be finalized.
• Foster dogs are to be fed a healthy diet. We strongly discourage the feeding of table scraps. Many SCMR foster homes feed a premium dog food. Some "dress it up" with a bit of canned food and water, especially for those needing to gain some weight. If the vet recommends/prescribes a special diet, that diet needs to be followed.
• Foster dogs shall be on lead anytime they are outside of a safely enclosed area.
• We ask that each foster home furnish any necessary bedding, crates, toys, etc., that the animals require while in their home. Some homes may have extra crates that can be borrowed if one is needed.
• Foster homes are responsible for providing monthly heartworm and flea prevention and the animals should be started on prevention as soon as possible.
• It is recommended that foster dogs be transported in crates or in a seatbelt harness/restraint at all times.
• Foster homes should assess foster dogs for temperament, adaptability, reaction to children and cats, eating habits/preferences, play behavior, crating preferences, housetraining, and any unusual behavior. Please be prepared to discuss these issues with potential adopters.
• Fosters parents should work with their foster dog(s) on their housetraining/paper training issues. SCMR encourages the use of belly bands on males that find the need to mark.
• Foster homes should take precautions when introducing/placing a new arrival with their own dogs/existing fosters, giving everyone time to adjust and get acquainted.
• SCMR encourages crate training of foster dogs and getting them accustomed to being confined behind a baby gate. This will help prepare them for their new homes.
• If possible, foster dogs should have a quiet place accessible to them, with food and water available, especially during the introductory period or should their personality so call for one.
• Foster homes are to provide loving, nurturing environment, and if a foster dog is deemed terminal due to health reasons or certified poor temperament / high risk biting dog, foster parent should be prepared to euthanize, in best interest of the dog
• It is very important to build positive relationships with adoptive families/applicants. Foster parents need to understand that each interaction with an applicant is building a relationship, strive at all times for relationships to be favorable.

• Foster dogs need to be fully vetted as soon as reasonably possible. No animal will be placed for adoption until vetting is completed. This includes but is not limited to: Spay/Neuter, Rabies, DHLPP Booster, Bordatella (nasal) Vaccine, Dental, HW test, Deworming. If any of these procedures pose a threat to the health of the dog, please have noted by the veterinarian in the dogs file. If proof of altering and or vaccines is provided, they may be skipped but a record needs to be made in dogs file. An Executive Board member should be provided a list of any procedures not mentioned above that the vet or foster mom feels is necessary.
• Foster homes are responsible for finding a vet in their area who will work with rescue by providing a discount. This may mean that you will not use the vet that you are currently using. Contact an Executive Board member for vet approval. We ask that a pricing list be provided and approved by an Executive Board member so we can have an idea of expected expenditures for different procedures.
• Pre-approval via a voucher being faxed to the vet is required prior to vetting an animal unless it is a life threatening sickness or injury. The foster home should e-mail an Executive Board member at scmr1@yahoo.com for approval and to have a voucher faxed to the vet.
• If a foster animal has a life threatening sickness or injury and is taken to an emergency facility, an Executive Board member needs to be notified as soon as possible.
• Any unauthorized vetting expenses will NOT be reimbursed.

• If a vet is designated in the fostering area you are located and you decide not to use this vet, SCMR will only reimburse the amount that would have been charged by the approved vet up to the adoption fee. Any amount above the adoption fee will have to be approved by the Treasurer if reimbursement is expected.
• Receipts are required to be submitted for all reimbursements.
• SCMR will reimburse for approved shelter fees and vetting of all SCMR animals. We try and help our foster homes as much as possible. When funds allow, we will send leads, deworming medications, antibiotics, as well as other medications to assist our foster homes with the care of these animals. We are also on call 24-7 in case you are in need of help or advice.
• SCMR will not reimburse foster homes for monthly heartworm & flea prevention, food, grooming, bedding, crates, toys, treats, and phone calls made, incidentals, and gas used for SCMR business.
• Any donations of money are the property of SCMR and should be sent to an Executive Board member for deposit into the SCMR account. If a foster home is given supplies for an animal such as bedding, food, crates, etc., the foster parent can keep these items while fostering SCMR animals or send these items with the animals when adopted. If at any time the decision is made not to foster, we ask that crates and/or bedding be forwarded to us for use at another foster home.

NOTE: SCMR is a 501(C)(3) organization. Foster homes may be able to take many of the above items off of your taxes.

The decision to foster a senior or a special needs dog should not be taken lightly. If a foster home requests approval to rescue an older dog or a dog with special needs, they should be prepared to keep that dog forever if it cannot be placed into an adoptive home. SCMR will cover the initial expenses (i.e., shelter fees and vetting needs), but the foster home should be prepared to personally bear the expense of ongoing special medicines and veterinary care. Foster homes are advised to please research cost implications to these special need & seniors to fully understand what they are taking on when they rescue one. Additionally, SCMR can only afford to rescue a limited amount of special needs/seniors because there is less likelihood of recovering expenses through adoption. Please check first with an executive board member before committing SCMR to rescuing a special needs/senior dogs. We would love to save them all but we just do not have the funding to do so.

• All adopters must fill out an application, have references checked, and a home visit performed prior to approval.
• SCMR feels that the foster home knows the animal(s) they are fostering and are the best judge of what home would best suite them. If the foster home is willing, we ask them to process all applications on their foster animals. This includes but is not limited to checking references, corresponding with prospective homes, and requesting home visits. The foster home's selection should be submitted to an Executive Board member for final approval and notification of the approved application. The contract and adoption fee must be received by SCMR before the adoption can be finalized.
• It is important that the foster home be honest about the good as well as the bad qualities of each animal to prospective adoptive homes. We NEVER guarantee any animal to be housetrained. It is very common for animals that have done well at your home to regress in the new home and make messes. It is important that the prospective home is aware of this as well of the fact that a lot of these babies have been horribly abused or neglected. Always be as up front as possible about any animal you are fostering. This will help to ensure that the animal is not returned.
• No one relinquishing an animal to SCMR will be given the name/location of any adopter. No adopter will be given the name of any former owner. No animal coming into SCMR with registration papers leaves with registration papers. SCMR asks the foster home to make a copy and send to the registering agency (i.e., AKC) with a note that "This dog has been altered and placed thru rescue, please void registration". A copy should also be sent to an Executive Board member to maintain in the SCMR files. If so desired, a copy of the paperwork with any previous owner's information deleted may accompany the dog to his/her new home only after paperwork has been marked VOID...ALTERED DOG...RESCUE PLACEMENT.
• Foster homes cannot lower adoption fees, waive reference and home visit requirements for potential adopters without the approval of an Executive Board Member.

Unfortunately, not all placements work out. No matter how honest you have been, you will eventually be fooled by an adoptive home and will be contacted about returning the animal. This sometimes is done in a very nice, friendly fashion. Other times you may get a hysterical e-mail or phone call telling you that this dog has got to be gotten out of there home NOW. The first and most important rule is for you to remain CALM and not to become confrontational with the adoptive home. This can be a very difficult thing to manage. It sometimes can take several days and up to 2-3 weeks to get an animal removed. Calmly tell them that you will immediately begin working on having the animal removed from their home. If they are close enough suggest that they bring the animal back to you. Notify an Executive Board member immediately, and we will assist in having the animal removed and brought back to your home.

PLEASE REMEMBER, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ALWAYS REMAIN CALM AND ACT IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER. DO NOT BECOME CONFRONTATIONAL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. KEEP THE WELFARE OF THE ANIMAL IN THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR MIND.

• The foster home cannot adopt the first dog they foster.
• The foster home does not have priority on adopting the dog unless they indicate before a good application comes in that they wish to adopt the dog (and it is not their first foster dog). See # 4 below.
• If a qualified application is received or an approved adopter is interested in the foster dog, that home has priority for adopting the dog.
• Should the foster home want to adopt the dog, they must notify the Directors immediately for approval.
• The foster home agrees that he/she shall pay for all veterinary bills incurred or the adoption fee whichever is higher. It gives the wrong impression to publicly solicit funds to vet a dog that is then retained by an SCMR member.
• If approved to adopt your foster, the adoption fee or vetting costs and a signed contract will be sent promptly to SCMR, P.O.B. 355, Hixson, TN 37343.

Each foster home is considered to be a representative of SCMR. We ask that you act in a professional manner at all times when performing SCMR business. SCMR has an excellent reputation within the rescue community which we need to strive to maintain and improve.