The Animal Foundation is asking Las Vegas residents to foster dogs this summer as the region’s only open-admission shelter heads into its busiest season already past capacity. The shelter is taking in nearly 90 animals a day, and fostering a dog for just two to four weeks costs nothing but time.

To sign up, visit The Animal Foundation’s website, fill out a short application, attend a brief orientation, and you can be matched with a dog in under a week. The shelter provides food, a crate, a collar, a leash, and all basic supplies.

The Animal Foundation took in roughly 29,000 animals in 2025, an 11% increase over 2024, with dog surrenders rising 15%. Clark County has approved a new $39 million permanent shelter and a $3 million temporary facility, but neither will be operational this summer.

Summer is historically the shelter’s hardest season, as families move, kids get out of school, and financial pressures lead to more surrenders. The heat makes the situation more dangerous, since pavement temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley can exceed 150°F on a 105-degree day, putting any dog that ends up outside at serious risk within minutes.

Most foster placements run two to four weeks, and your job is to give a dog a break from the noise and stress of a kennel environment. You do not need to be an experienced dog owner or have a specially prepared home.

Dogs that spend extended time in kennels often develop stress behaviors like pacing, barking, and shutting down that can hurt their chances during adoption evaluations. A few weeks in a home environment can change how a dog presents to potential adopters, and directly improves their odds of being placed.

Most dogs from the shelter spend the first 48 hours either overstimulated or exhausted, and both are normal responses to the transition. Give them space, let them sniff at their own pace, and hold off on introducing them to other pets or people right away.

By day three or four, most fosters settle into a routine of morning or evening walks, meals, and downtime. Foster coordinators at the shelter are available throughout the placement, and local Facebook groups connect you with experienced fosters who can answer questions and share supplies.

If a foster family decides to keep a dog permanently, shelters call it a “foster fail,” and they welcome it. Every placement that converts to an adoption frees up a kennel space and places an animal without adding to the shelter’s workload.

If you are considering adoption but unsure whether a specific dog is right for your household, fostering is the most practical way to find out. There is no penalty for returning a dog at the end of a placement if it is not the right fit.

Not everyone has the space or schedule to foster, and there are still meaningful ways to support the shelter. Adopting an adult dog, donating supplies from the shelter’s online wish list, volunteering as a dog walker, and sharing adoptable animals on social media all have a direct impact on placement rates.

Henderson residents can also contact Henderson Animal Protection Services, which runs its own foster program and is facing the same seasonal pressure heading into summer.