Foster & Volunteer Applications
Do you love animals? Want to help? Join our volunteer team!
We are 100% foster based. This means we cannot rescue an animal unless we have a foster home to place them. We are looking for fosters who will care for dogs, cats, kittens, birds and small animals such as rabbits or guinea pigs. Can you open your heart and home to an animal in need? Read our foster guidelines for more information on fostering and then fill out the application!
We also need assistance with fundraisers, adoptions, transporting animals, administrative tasks, marketing, special events & more! if you’re looking to make a difference behind-the-scene, become a volunteer!
Meet Our Team
Our President & Rescue Director
Our Secretary & Adoption Counselor
Our President & Rescue Director
Meet Jen! Jen is our founder and serves as President on our Board of Directors. She coordinates with local animal control and owner surrenders for all animals we take into the rescue, finding them placement with one of our awesome fosters. Jen moderates our website, Facebook and Instagram, promoting the animals in our care. Jen and her family also foster, taking home many of our small animals & dogs until they’re adopted. In addition to all of her work with the rescue, Jen is employed full time as an assistant behavior analyst, consulting within CT schools.
Our Vice President
Our Secretary & Adoption Counselor
Our President & Rescue Director
Meet Kevin! Kevin is one of the founding members of the rescue. He serves as Vice President on our Board of Directors. He volunteers his time by fostering, transporting animals, and helps at our community events. As Jen’s husband, he’s involved in all the day to day operations of the rescue. In addition to volunteering, Kevin is employed full time at RHAM Middle School as a Heath/PE teacher & coach.
Our Secretary & Adoption Counselor
Our Secretary & Adoption Counselor
Our Secretary & Adoption Counselor
Meet MaryEllen! She has served as Secretary on our Board of Directors since the rescue was founded. MaryEllen reviews all adoption & foster applications, calling to speak with references and interviewing potential pet parents. She is also our go to when we need information on pet care, researching for us so we are knowledgeable about the needs of our animals. MaryEllen is our lead foster for Guinea pigs, taking care of our mom, babies, & special skinny pigs. MaryEllen is an integral part of everything we do.
Our Treasurer
Our Board Member
Our Secretary & Adoption Counselor
Meet Sue! Sue has served as Treasurer on our Board of Directors since 2023. She’s behind the scenes, making sure our ledger is balanced and we keep to our budget. Sue volunteers at our events and fundraisers. When she is not helping the rescue, Sue is enjoying her retirement by playing pickle ball, riding her motorcycle, and spending lots of time with her beloved dog Genna.
Our Board Member
Our Board Member
Our Board Member
Meet Karen! Karen joined our Board of Directors in 2023 after fostering and volunteering for us. She’s a huge asset to our team, as her full time job involves fundraising for a nonprofit! Karen brings this experience to the board and has helped us plan events. Karen is a huge pet lover, with 4 rescued dogs and 2 cats!
🌟Foster Spotlight🌟
Meet Katie!
Katie is a very special foster. She has fostered a few of our small animals, but her specialty is kitties. She knows just how to socialize the scared ones and nurse the sick ones back to health. She has been invaluable to the rescue! We asked Katie some questions about fostering and here’s what she had to say~
Why did you become a foster for BBBR?
- I became a foster for BBBR to grow my involvement in the rescue community and to be able to give as many animals as possible a chance at knowing what love and comfort is!
How long have you been fostering?
- I have been fostering for almost 3 years! In that time, I have fostered 52 animals, most of them from BBBR! Fun Fact - I pet sit my first BBBR foster Landon (Now Henry) a Guinea Pig, who was adopted in March of 2022 multiple times a year :)
What do you like best about fostering?
- I get to save lives! By fostering, you are giving an animal a temporary home as a mid-point between their abandoned / surrendered point and forever home. It is so rewarding to raise animals and be part of their development, as well as being able to socialize pets that were once abandoned or neglected. Besides, you cannot have a bad day when your lap is full of kittens!!! As long as you have the space and time for the pet, Boomer’s provides you with all the supplies and support you need!
What has been the most challenging part?
- The most challenging part is seeing how many animals need help. As someone that is heavily involved in rescue, I have experienced dealing with loss, illness, and heartbreak. There are so many animals that do not get a fair chance at life, and knowing that we do everything we can to save the animals that come our way is so rewarding. With each animal that gets adopted, we are able to open a door for another to be loved which is truly so special.
Many times, people say they can’t foster because they couldn’t let them go.
- I will be the first to admit that it is difficult (especially your first few fosters) to say goodbye. What helps me is knowing that they are going to incredible, loving homes, and that I will be able to save more animals. I always ask adopters to send me updates and love to see pictures of the babies all grown up!
What advice would you give anyone interested in fostering?
- My advice for anyone interested in fostering is to give it a try! Even if you are beginning to think about adopting an animal, why not start as a foster and see how it goes! Worst case scenario, you provide an animal with an amazing home before they find their fur-ever home. I also recommend discussing a routine with your family to delegate responsibilities ( feeding, cleaning up after, spending time with) as fostering is like having another pet in the home.
P.S - Be prepared for your phone to be FULL of photos of your fosters. When everything a kitten does is cute, you find yourself with 1000s pictures of them lol. If you have any questions about fostering or my foster experience, feel free to send me a message!
Thank you, Katie for all you do. We couldn’t rescue so many without you.♥️🐾
If you are interested in joining our foster team, apply here >>>