Foster Tales is headquartered in Bakersfield, California, and we rescue dogs from Kern County, home to two of the highest-rate kill shelters in the state. Our adoptable dogs live in foster homes throughout California and Nevada. We strive to find dedicated foster parents willing to care for dogs in need regardless of the foster’s location, which allows us to save as many lives as possible. Many of our dogs are adopted by families in Northern California, and our adoption process is designed to cater to the needs of adopters in this region. Since our inception, we have successfully placed nearly 200 dogs into loving homes, predominantly in the Bay Area.

Our process starts with a virtual meet and greet which allows you to learn much more about the dog you are interested in. While we do not expect any adopter to make a final decision without physically meeting a dog, we do require adopters to successfully complete our adoption process before an in-person meeting occurs because of the significant resources needed to transport the dog to one of our meeting locations near adopters.

Our adoption fee covers a comprehensive range of services to ensure your new pet is healthy and ready for their forever home. This includes:

- Spay/neuter (for mature dogs over the age of 6 months)

-Treatment for common shelter diseases

- Rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella vaccines

- Microchip

- Deworming

-Health check by veterinarian

- Flea and tick medication

- Fresh groom prior to adoption

- Collar and leash

- An adoption day goodie bag including 3 meals of current high quality dog food

- One hour and a half of one-on-one time with a trainer for adoption counseling (a $200+ value)

-Transport to on of our meeting locations, depending on adopters location

These services help ensure your new pet starts their new life with you in the best possible condition.

Yes, for any dog deemed a longterm resident at Foster Tales, we reduce the adoption fee to $450 in the hopes we can incentivize adopters to choose them over other dogs. Dogs are deemed longterm residents by the Foster Tales Adoption Team, and current longterm residents are featured on the homepage.

The adoption fee reflects our commitment to providing the highest quality care for our dogs. Since COVID, veterinary costs have nearly tripled, and inflation has impacted every aspect of rescue work. Our fee helps cover essential expenses, including veterinary care, grooming, training, transport, food, treats, and supplies. These fees are crucial for maintaining a medical fund for emergencies and unexpected medical issues that can cost thousands.

If you call around and get pricing for spaying/neutering, vaccinating, deworming, and treating for fleas, you will find that our fee is often below what you would pay to get everything done on a dog yourself, further indicating the significant investment we make on our dogs.

Unlike many shelters that receive millions of taxpayer dollars, we are a self-sustaining organization dedicated to handling dogs with significant medical needs. Your adoption fee directly supports our mission and enables us to deliver exceptional care and services to our dogs and adopters.

We pride ourselves on being a quality operation. Our high level of communication with adopters at every stage of the process sets us apart. We are transparent about our dogs and ensure they receive the best care without compromise. Our fee includes access to certified trainers and over an hour of personalized adoption counseling for your specific dog.

While our fee might be higher than some other rescues, it reflects our dedication to quality, transparency, and providing the best possible experience for our adopters. We believe that investing in the well-being of our dogs and the satisfaction of our adopters is invaluable. Your support makes our work possible, and we are grateful for your understanding.

No, our adoption fee is set to ensure we can provide comprehensive care for our dogs, covering essential expenses such as veterinary care, grooming, training, transport, supplies, and high-quality food. These fees are critical to our ability to continue rescuing and caring for dogs, especially those with unexpected medical needs. Unlike municipal shelters, we are not subsidized by taxpayer dollars.

Just as you wouldn’t expect a corporation like Target to negotiate the cost of a big-ticket item, our adoption fee is non-negotiable for a reason. It reflects the quality of care we provide and the financial stability required to maintain our operations.

It's important to understand that dogs are a significant financial commitment, and veterinary care is now considered a luxury expense. If you find the $675 adoption fee prohibitive, it may be wise to reconsider adopting at this time. The costs of a basic annual checkup, including bloodwork and flea and tick medications, will likely exceed $500. Our adoption fee also serves as a way to ensure adopters are financially prepared to meet the ongoing needs of their new pets.

We appreciate your understanding and support, which allows us to continue providing the best possible care for our dogs.

Yes, we do consider out of state adoptions. However, the process will include extra costs for transportation of the dog. We work with a transport company that averages about $850 for an out of state adoption. We prioritize finding the best possible homes for our dogs, regardless of location.

Yes. It usually takes us about 10 minutes to mark a dog as “pending” which removes them from our Petfinder, making our listings extremely up-to-date. Dogs listed as available may already have meet and greets scheduled, but you are still abe to put your name on the list in the event a meet and greet doesn’t go as planned.

If you adopted more than 30 days ago and need assistance, we are here for you! How you go about contacting us depends on what you need.

• If you need another copy of your dog’s records, please send a email titled “RECORDS REQUEST: [FOSTER TALES DOG NAME]” to info@fostertales.org.

• If you are having a behavioral issue with your dog past 30 days of adoption, please complete our Post-Adoption Inquiry Form. A trainer will be in touch with you to gather more information in order to assist you.

• If you are experiencing a medical situation with your pet and would like our rescue team’s insight and support, please text our main line at 661-364-8844.

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