We are available 7 days a week at KHS!

Monday-Friday 

11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday

11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

All foster visits require an appointment. 

We are located at 241 Steedly Dr, Louisville, KY 40214.

All medical care and foster appointments are done here. To ensure the best care and support is provided to each of our foster families and the pets they’re caring for, we require all fosters to make appointments for any visits to the shelter with the exception of urgent sick visits. 

• Please ensure you are scheduling and receiving confirmation of appointments for all general visits such as vaccines, foster pickups, returns, etc. 

• If you have sick animals that you feel need to be seen right away, please bring them to the shelter. You are welcome to email the foster medical team ahead of time. However if you haven't received a response through phone or email after a short time, please go ahead and bring them in. While we schedule appointments whenever we can, we don't want to wait until symptoms of illness become an emergency.

• Stool samples should be obtained for any animal with stool concerns.

Being on time to appointments is very important.

• We frequently schedule appointments every 30 minutes and sometimes are double booked. Any late appointment can throw off our entire schedule and many times cause us to miss lunch or even leave work late. As much as we love our wonderful jobs, our staff does need lunch breaks and to be able to get home to their families on time. 

Communication

Please ensure all communication is going through the three methods below. Email is the most effective method of communication as it is consistently monitored by all members of our foster team. 

Approved Communication Methods: 

• Email: 

  • all general questions- foster@kyhumane.org

  • all medical concerns- fostertech@kyhumane.org

• Call Line: 502-366-3355 ext 4007

• Text Line: 502-208-9155

Facebook Messages will not be responded to as a form of foster communication.

We have several staff members monitoring our foster email. Other forms of communication cause confusion among our team and create situations where important details can be missed. Keeping all communication in email will ensure that you receive a timely response and that all foster staff members are aware of your needs. Our goal is to provide our foster parents with the best care and support possible, and proper communication will ensure this happens!

Medical Concerns 

While the shelter thoroughly checks and treats all animals upon arrival to the shelter, most illnesses have an incubation period, meaning they can begin showing signs after arrival to their foster home. Your foster has received all of their initial vaccines, including dewormer and flea preventative. 

Please observe animals carefully and note any changes in their behavior or habits. If you notice any of the following symptoms, contact the foster team immediately.

Important note for all kitten fosters: 

Kittens should be WEIGHED DAILY, REGARDLESS OF THEIR AGE.

Any weight loss or signs of illness (noted above) should be reported immediately. Any illness left untreated can progress very quickly, especially with kittens. It’s very important that they receive timely medical care at the first sign of illness.

Behavior Concerns

While animals are in foster, take note of any behavioral issues you observe, and contact the foster coordinator for assistance with training or if behavior becomes severe or dangerous in any way. Any sign of aggression should be taken seriously and KHS should be notified immediately so that we can begin modification on the behavior concerns. Behavior concerns include:

• Growling, Lip curling, head-whipping, snapping, biting over ANY handling of the animals body, including collar grabs and leashes. 

• Possessiveness of food (in or out of bowls), treats, toys, found items, etc. Please also note guarding of space or people. 

• Aggression shown towards other animals. 

• Any form of aggression shown towards people in the home or towards strangers that enter the home.  

• Any bite (with or without broken skin), even if it occurs during play.

• Any other behavior concerns as they occur. 

Positive Reinforcement Training

KHS solely endorses the use of positive reinforcement training, free from scolding and harsh correction. Decades of research supports positive reinforcement training as the most humane and effective form of training.

Please do not use ANY negative, fear or punishment based training with your foster pet. 

Please note:

• All cats and kittens must remain indoors at all times. When traveling, they must always be contained in a car carrier for transport.

• All dogs and puppies must be on leash at all times unless in a completely fenced area. Foster dogs and puppies are not allowed to visit dog parks.

After Hours Emergency Line

In the event of an emergency, after hours ONLY, please call our emergency line at 502-515-3135 and leave a message. For emergencies occurring during office hours, please bring the animal directly to our Main Campus. Some medical concerns that constitute an emergency are shown below: 

• Continuous diarrhea for longer than 12 hours, or any diarrhea that’s causing lethargy, dehydration or resulting in the foster not eating/drinking. 

• Continuous vomiting longer than 12 hours, or any vomiting causing lethargy, dehydration or resulting in the foster not eating/drinking.

• Loss of appetite resulting in rapid weight loss (to avoid this emergency situation please weigh fosters daily and notify us of any weight loss resulting from a foster not eating after 24/36 hours). 

• Any trauma (hit by a car, dropped, limping, etc.) 

• Bites or fight wounds 

• Difficult or labored breathing 

• Seizures lasting 3-5 minutes 

• Burns, Choking, Drowning, Electric Shock, Poisoning 

• Severe allergic reaction 

• Unresponsiveness

• Lethargy with or without fever

To avoid the occurrence of emergencies, be aware of your foster pet’s behavior and report any significant changes in their wellbeing to the foster team quickly.  Please be aware that KHS has a policy in place that makes us unable to reimburse foster parents if they take animals to a personal vet or clinic outside of our veterinary network.

Thank you for fostering! Please contact us with any other questions or concerns!