Foster and Adopt a Dog

Fostering a dog through Texas Service Dogs means providing a temporary home for one of our dogs while they await more permanent placement. Foster homes are a crucial part of our program — they allow our dogs to experience a loving household environment and help us evaluate dogs before they are matched with a permanent handler. Foster commitments typically last several weeks to a few months.

Adopting, on the other hand, means providing a permanent home for a dog that is not going through our service dog program. These may be dogs that completed evaluation but were not selected for service dog training, or former service dogs that are retiring from active duty. When you adopt from Texas Service Dogs, you are giving a well-trained, socialized, and healthy dog a forever home.

Both fostering and adopting are deeply meaningful ways to support our mission. Foster families help us move more dogs through our program, while adopters give individual dogs a secure and loving permanent placement.

If you are unsure which option is right for you, we are happy to discuss both. Some families start as foster homes and later decide to adopt permanently — a path we fully support when it is in the best interest of the dog.

To become a foster home, you should have a stable, safe living environment — ideally with access to a secure outdoor space where the dog can exercise and relax. Your home should be free of hazards common to working dogs, and all members of your household should be on board with the fostering commitment.

We ask that foster families live in or near Austin, Texas, as proximity to our training staff makes weekly check-ins and any needed interventions much more manageable. Our staff visits foster homes regularly to assess the dog's progress and provide guidance, so geographical accessibility is important.

Prior experience with dogs is helpful but not required. We provide comprehensive orientation materials and ongoing support to every foster family. What matters most is your commitment, your patience, and your ability to follow our training guidelines consistently.

Foster families must also be able to accommodate the dog's basic needs: proper nutrition, veterinary care, regular exercise, and daily social interaction. We cover the costs of food and veterinary care for foster dogs, so the primary commitment is your time and attention.

The adoption process begins with contacting us directly. You can reach us through the Contact page on our website or by emailing our adoption coordinator. Once you express interest, we will send you our adoption application form along with a list of dogs currently available for adoption.

Our adoption process includes a review of your application, a phone or in-person interview, and a home visit to ensure our dog will be placed in an appropriate environment. We take this process seriously because we want every placement to be successful — both for the dog and for the adopting family.

Adoptable dogs from Texas Service Dogs may include dogs that completed our evaluation process but were not selected for service dog training, dogs who have retired from service work, and occasionally dogs whose original handlers can no longer care for them. All adoptable dogs are spayed or neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and have received extensive socialization and basic obedience training.

Adoption fees vary and are used to offset the costs of veterinary care and training. Please contact us for current fee information and available dogs.

The dogs available through our foster and adoption program vary over time. We work primarily with Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Standard Poodles — breeds commonly used in service dog work — but we also evaluate and accept dogs of other breeds and mixed breeds from rescue shelters.

Dogs available for fostering are often puppies or young adults who are between phases of training, dogs who need socialization in a home environment, or dogs awaiting matching with a permanent handler. These dogs are generally well-behaved, as they have received some level of training before entering foster care.

Dogs available for adoption include those who have been career changed from our training program, which is not uncommon. Career changing does not mean the dog has a behavioral problem — it simply means the dog's temperament or drive was not a perfect fit for the specific demands of service dog work. These dogs often make exceptional family pets precisely because of the extensive training and socialization they have received.

Some dogs available for adoption may be senior dogs or those with manageable health conditions. We are transparent about each dog's history and health status, and we work with adopters to find the right match.

We believe our responsibility to the dogs in our program does not end when they leave our direct care. For foster families, we provide ongoing support in the form of regular visits from our training staff, a dedicated point of contact for questions or concerns, and access to training resources.

For families who adopt one of our career-changed or retired dogs, we offer post-adoption support to help with the transition. Our staff is available to answer questions about the dog's behavior and can provide guidance on maintaining the training the dog has already received.

We also maintain a network of alumni foster and adoptive families who share experiences, advice, and camaraderie. Many families who have fostered or adopted through us remain engaged with our mission long after their initial placement.

If at any point you find that you can no longer care for a dog you have adopted from us, we ask that you contact us first. We will work with you to find the best solution for the dog, which may include taking the dog back into our care for re-homing.