Learn how to care for and foster dogs and cats from the Humane Educational Society!

Have you ever wondered how you can help the overburdened shelter system in the Chattanooga area, wished you could adopt a new pet but don’t have the resources or time, or wanted to gain more experience with dogs and/or cats of different ages, personalities, and breeds? If so, animal fostering is for you!

In this class, you will join veteran fosters and volunteers from the Humane Educational Society as they share all of the many different paths you can take as a foster parent to dogs, cats, or even other critters that make their way to the shelters. We truly believe there is a perfect fit for everyone who has an interest in fostering, and finding that match is part of what our foster coordinators and volunteers excel at. You’ll learn about all the resources and support offered to foster families, as well as how to best market and promote your foster as you help them find the perfect forever home.

Not sure about fostering, but want to help animals in the community in other ways? This class will also include information about volunteering at HES, ways to connect with other local shelters and rescues, and opportunities to ask questions of knowledgeable, experienced, and enthusiastic members of Chattanooga’s animal welfare community!

About the instructors:

Emilee Johnson

Humane Educational Society, Foster Coordinator

Emilee has been with Humane Educational Society since August 2019. She has worked tirelessly for the animals in their care and it's paying off more and more with each passing month. Under her leadership, HES has expanded its foster program to over 340 foster families who provided homes for over 1700 animals in 2023. Emilee makes each family feel valued and strives to match each animal with a family who can meet the needs of the cat or dog. She is a great animal advocate who always has at least one shelter animal in her office each day that needs a break from the kennel.

Katelyn Dix

Humane Educational Society, Volunteer

ChainFree Chattanooga, Board President

Katelyn Dix is an active volunteer and dog foster at the Humane Educational Society as well as the board president of ChainFree Chattanooga, which provides fencing and supplies to families with outdoor dogs. Since 2022, Katelyn has been walking dogs, working with the training team, and facilitating adoptions at HES; she began fostering in the winter of 2023, and despite initially thinking that her reactive dogs wouldn’t tolerate a constant stream of new dogs in the house, both she and her dogs have loved fostering! Katelyn fosters adult dogs who tend to be too afraid or timid to thrive at the shelter, and loves seeing them relax and build confidence once they are in a home. She loves the HES foster program and wants to see it grow even more!