With the current respiratory disease that is circulating, we are doing our best to avoid exposure to Malley Valley and other dogs when we bring in new rescues. Many new rescues come from unknown situations, or other kennels. In order to minimize the risk of them bringing any disease to Malley Valley or to another foster’s home, we need to quarantine these dogs for at least 2 weeks. Most of our regular fosters have existing dogs and we do not want to ask them to put their own dogs at risk. If you do not have other dogs, you are in a unique position to help us with these dogs. Without being able to place a new rescue with a quarantine foster, we may be unable to take in any more Malamutes until there is an effective treatment and/or a vaccine for this respiratory illness. By fostering for us, you are allowing us to continue our rescue mission to help the Malamutes we all love.

Please start by filling out the foster application. Be sure to note on that application that you are applying to be a temporary/short-term foster. A WAMAL volunteer will then be in touch with you and if your application meets our criteria, we will arrange for a home visit. After the home visit, we will ask you to take an online training course which our insurance provider requires. It takes one to two hours, and can be done at your convenience. Once those things are done, you will be on our list as a short-term/backup foster and we will contact you when we have a dog that needs placement with you.

As with any WAMAL fostering assignments, the foster provides the basic necessities such as food, toys, leash, bed etc. WAMAL will pay for or reimburse you for any veterinary expenses. Fosters are responsible for keeping the dog safe, secure, entertained and exercised – but in the case of a quarantine foster you must also keep the dog “socially distanced” to the best of your ability, maintaining a distance of at least 15 ft. from other dogs. Do not visit dog parks or allow the foster dog to interact with other dogs during the quarantine period. You will observe the dog for any onset of symptoms such as:

• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Nasal Discharge
• Lethargy
• Fever

If any such symptoms are observed, notify your Foster Coordinator immediately.

We’re looking for a two-week minimum placement. However, we may need you to keep the foster dog for a little longer (maybe a week or 2) while we address issues such as transport or the next placement. You should also be prepared for the possibility that Malley Valley may have to close to intake for all dogs if any of our dogs there get sick. There’s always a possibility that the next foster or adoption placement might fall through. In such cases, we may need you to keep the dog for a little longer, although hopefully not more than a few weeks. If you have a hard deadline, please let us know that before committing to taking a dog so that we can make contingency plans.

We certainly hope that does not happen but in the rare event that it does we will need you to be prepared to care for the dog and keep it isolated until recovery. This means taking the dog to veterinary appointments (which WAMAL will help arrange), administering any prescribed medication, and working closely with your WAMAL foster coordinator. WAMAL will cover all veterinary expenses.

You will be working with our volunteer foster coordinators, who will maintain contact with you and be available to help address needs, answer questions, and provide guidance.