Our Mission

Michigan Animal Initiative (MAI) is passionate about reducing the number of misplaced pets in the Metro-Detroit area through education, serving our community, developing partnerships with local shelters, and foster-based rescue.

Why Should You Foster?

Fostering is a very rewarding experience. When you open your heart and home to an animal in need, you are providing them a second chance at life. Some foster animals can be put up for adoption shortly after coming into the rescue, while others may need time to overcome illnesses or injuries, become more confident, or complete required training before being adopted. You’ll help your foster pet learn how to thrive in a safe, secure environemnt by providing lots of love, care, and basic necessities; a critical step in helping them find their forever home. By fostering with Michigan Animal Initiative, you are filling the most crucial role in our organization. We do not have a shelter, so every animal that we rescue must enter a foster home. Thank you for being a foster parent!

Our Promise

The Michigan Animal Initiative Team worked diligently to create a foster program that is welcoming, supportive, and efficient. Below are some things Michigan Animal Initiative promises to provide our foster families with:

1. Transparency. We value being open, honest, and having free-flowing communication with our foster families. We want our fosters to feel comfortable coming to us with any questions, concerns, or feedback.

2. Growth. Our team promises to take your feedback on our foster program into careful consideration. We value our fosters, and want to make your experience with us the best! We are committed to growing as an organization, and your feedback helps us do just that!

3. Responsiveness. Our team is here for you! We try our hardest to be available 24/7. We provide our fosters with a contact sheet in case of an emergency. We also have a Facebook group dedicated to our foster families. In this group you can ask questions, chat with other foster parents, and share your foster’s journey.

4. Medical support. Michigan Animal Initiative will incur the cost of your foster’s medical care. 

5. Supplies. Michigan Animal Initiative will provide our fosters with any and all supplies we have at the time. All supplies are donation based, so we can not guarantee we will have all the supplies needed on hand. In the Foster Handbook, there is a list of supplies we recommend purchasing prior to bringing your foster home.

What We Need From You

1. Tell us about your foster. It will be primarily your responsibility to market your foster for adoption. As a foster parent, you must take clear pictures of your foster and write an informative and eye-catching bio for our team to post on social media. You can find information on writing a bio and taking pictures of your foster in the Foster Handbook. If you still need a little help, we’re here for you - just email us!

2. Consistent and timely communication/engagement with potential adopters.  This includes responding to their emails, comments, or personal messages with a sense of urgency and being intentional when scheduling meet and greets.

3. Transporting your foster to/from veterinary appointments. (Transportation can be arranged for you in the event we have enough advanced notice.

4. Timely responses and a clear line of communication with our Foster Team. 

5. Honesty when communicating with our Foster Team in regards to your foster’s behavior. We expect to be contacted immediately when your foster shows a concerning behavior. We expect honest and fact-based reporting of ‘incidents’ as they relate to negative situations with your foster. 

6. Compassion. Providing your foster with love, patience, and care.

7. Using the resources we provide.  This will give your foster the best opportunity to thrive in your home. This means reading and understanding the Foster Handbook with an emphasis on decompression and slow introductions to other pets and children in the home.

8. Feedback about how our program can improve - we are a new organization and are building our processes from ground up.  We are looking for our volunteers and fosters to let us know what’s working for you, what isn’t, and providing ideas about what you think should be changed and why.  Feedback is a gift!

9. Patience. We are a new organization that is still learning and growing. Bear with us as we get in the groove of things!

10. Force-free training. Michigan Animal Initiative does not allow adverse or punishment-based training. This includes the use of prong collars, choke chains, shock collars, spray bottles, or scolding/hitting your foster pet. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in removal from our foster program. Michigan Animal Initiative only allows the use of force-free training- commonly referred to as positive reinforcement based training.

11. Supporting compassionate euthanasia. Michigan Animal Initiative does believe in the practice of behavioral or medical euthanasia. Our team believes that being compassionate, understanding, and merciful to our animals who are struggling is the right thing to do. If you have any questions regarding our stance on behavioral or medical euthanasia, please contact us. 

If you are interested in becoming a Michigan Animal Initiative foster parent, please fill do the following:

Complete the Foster Application here

View and sign the Foster Parent Waiver (coming soon!)

Read through our Foster Handbook HERE (coming soon!)

*Michigan Animal Initiative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that services our community by providing foster-based rescue and community outreach services