Forget the candy hearts and awkward first dates, this Valentine's Day, we're helping you find a different kind of love. The kind that greets you at the door with a wagging tail, steals the covers at night, and looks at you like you hung the moon. We're talking about your soul dog, and they might be waiting for you right now at our shelter.
Introducing Swipe Right on Your Soul Dog: Foster Week—our special Valentine's program designed to help you meet your perfect match!
How It Works: Your Week of Love
Think of this as the ultimate compatibility test. Instead of swiping through endless profiles or going on speed dates, you'll spend an entire week getting to know a real, living, tail-wagging potential companion in the comfort of your own home.
Step 1: Let Cupid (aka Our Foster Team) Play Matchmaker
Email us at Foster@saccounty.govto get started. We'll send you a questionnaire about your family, lifestyle, home environment and what you're looking for in a furry companion. Are you an active hiker looking for a trail buddy? A Netflix enthusiast seeking a couch cuddle partner? We want to know it all! This helps us play matchmaker and pair you with a dog who truly fits your life.
If you've already fallen for a specific dog you've seen on our social media or website, let us know! We'll do our best to match you with them. Just keep in mind that we don't hold dogs, so if your dream pup gets adopted before your appointment, we'll find you another amazing match that fits all your needs and wants.
Step 2: Schedule Your Pick-Up & Meet Your Date
We'll schedule your pick-up appointment between Feb. 12-15. At your appointment, you'll get some quality time to meet your matched dog in person before taking them home. This is your chance to see if there's that initial spark, ask any questions, and get comfortable with each other before your week together begins. Our team will be there to facilitate the introduction and make sure everyone feels good about the match.
Step 3: Valentine's Week Begins!
Once you've met and feel good about the match, you'll take your foster pup home! We'll provide you with everything you need to make the week successful, food, supplies and support from our foster team. Then the real magic begins: seven full days to fall in love.
Step 4: The Week of Getting to Know Each Other
This is where the real connection happens. You'll discover if your matched pup is truly your soul dog by experiencing everyday life together:
- Morning walks and bedtime routines
- How they fit into your home and schedule
- Their personality quirks and sweet moments
- Compatibility with your family, other pets and lifestyle
- Whether the chemistry is real or just puppy love
Step 5: The Big Decision
At the end of the week (Feb. 19-22), you'll make your choice. Did you find your forever Valentine? If the answer is yes, you can complete the adoption process and make it official! If it's not quite the right match, you can return your foster pup to the shelter with no pressure or guilt. We know that not every match is meant to be, and that's okay—finding the right fit is what matters most.
Why Foster Week Works
Traditional shelter visits are wonderful, but they don't always give you the full picture. A dog who's nervous or overwhelmed in the shelter might be completely different in a calm home environment. That playful pup you met for 20 minutes? Spending a week together reveals whether their energy level truly matches yours, whether they're housetrained, how they handle being alone, and a thousand other little details that matter in a forever relationship.
Foster Week gives you the time and space to make a thoughtful, informed decision. No rushing, no pressure, just quality time getting to know each other. It's the difference between a first date and actually dating someone for a week. You get to see who they really are.
What We're Looking For
We want this program to be successful for both you AND the dogs, so we're looking for participants who:
- Can commit to the full week (Feb. 12-15 pickup through Feb. 19-22)
- Have a safe, appropriate home environment
- Are genuinely interested in potentially adopting
- Will communicate with our foster team if questions or concerns come up
- Understand that fostering is a trial period to determine compatibility
Don't worry if you've never fostered before, our team will support you every step of the way!
The Real Goal: Forever Homes
While we'd love for every foster to become an adoption, the true goal of this program is to find the RIGHT forever homes for our shelter dogs. We'd rather you spend a week and realize it's not the perfect fit than rush into an adoption that doesn't work out.
That said, we're hopeful that many of you will discover what we already know—that shelter dogs make incredible companions. They're housetrained, they know basic commands, they have so much love to give, and they're just waiting for someone to see them for who they really are.
Ready to find your soul dog?
Email Foster@saccounty.gov to get started
Pickup: Feb. 12-15
Decision Day: Feb. 19-22
Let's make this the Valentine's Day that changes everything, for you and for a deserving shelter dog.
Questions? Contact our Foster Team at Foster@saccounty.gov. We're here to help you find your perfect match!