We typically have 30 to 40 dogs and several cats in foster here in NJ! A great way to mee them are at our amazing adoption events. We frequent breweries, festivals, pet stores, farmer's markets, yoga studies and more all in the hopes of meeting with potential adopters. If you see a dog you are interested in, fill out an adoption application ASAP and you will be connected to their foster family for a meet and greet. Sometimes a dog or cat might have multiple applications and you might not be able to meet them. The foster will review all applications and determine the best fit for the dog or cat. If it doesn't work out, don't worry! There are always new cats and dogs being added to our website for adoption.
If the dog or cat you like is still in Louisiana or NC or elsewhere out of state, once your application is approved you will be put in touch with our placement team and learn all about our foster-to-adopt program. We offer a foster-to-adopt trial to approved applicants where the dog you select comes to you on a trial basis right from the South. If it is not a forever match, you act as the foster family for that pup or kitty and get to help choose their forever home. This can be very rewarding. Our foster-to-adopt program has an excellent success rate. Think of it like online dating but with dogs! You can see from our transport photos on Facebook and Instagram, most families are thrilled with the pup or kitty they selected and eager to make them a permanant family member. Most of our dogs come from foster homes in Louisana, NC etc. so they already have some basic skills and are used to living in a home. Some dogs from NC or NYC are coming right from the shelter and may take a little more time and effort to get the basics but they are so worth it!
If you have a little room in your heart and your home you can foster! Our fosters provide lots of love and care while their foster dog or cat is with them in their home. Our fosters work on some basic training and socialization but we are not professional trainers. Our events team does a great job at planning fun adoption events where we bring our dogs to meet with potential adopters. We visit breweries, yoga studios, pet stores, festivals etc. in hopes of meeting up with potential adopters.
Fostering is FREE! We have several vets across Monmouth and Ocean County that we use for vetting and we have a Wag On Inn account at each one so fosters are never asked to pay for medical bills. We are also very lucky that The Hungry Puppy in Farmingdale, NJ supplies adult dog food for the dogs in our care. Puppy food and supplies are primarily ordered through Chewy, Tractor Supply, Petsmart or Petco and mailed directly to our fosters or if needed, arranged for same day pick up. Most of our dogs coming from the South arrive fully vetted and only need a visit if they become sick or injured. When we take dogs from local shelters or surrenders, vet visits may be needed to ensure they are up to date on all vaccines, fixed, microchipped, etc.
Approved applications are emailed to our fosters to review and contact each applicant in a timely manner, generally within 72 hrs. Fosters conduct a home check (virtual or in person) and a meet and greet to see if the family is a good match for the dog or cat in their care. Our fosters are trusted to handle each adoption collecting the adoption contract, fee and family photo. Our treasurer is available to answer any questions on fees and contract which can then be mailed or emailed in for our files. Adoption fees are typically PayPal or Venmo. If a check is given, the foster mails the check to our PO Box.
Fosters are asked to work with our Promotions team to get pictures and videos of their fosters up on our social media and/or update their profile. Our team is pretty amazing amassing over 17,000 followers on Facebook and over 6,000 on IG! Fostering is fun but it can be hard to say goodbye. Knowing you saved their life and seeing them off to their forever home is worth it though! And there is always another pup or kitty waiting for you! Fostering truly saves lives! We could not do this without our fosters!
Fosters are supplied with a Foster Guide and are scheduled for a video call with our orientation team so review fostering requirements and basics. We also provide the WOI adoption contract and several resources. Our team is pretty amazing! Please join us!
If you need to surrender your dog or cat please fill out a surrender form @ https://wagoninn.rescuegroups.org/forms/ and our volunteers will be in touch. We are not a shelter and we do not have a kennel, so we can only take dogs when we have a foster home in place. If you are able to foster your dog or cat until it is adopted that is typically best for all involved. Once we recieve your form, we will ask for medical records and arrange a meet and greet with the animal. Then we will post for adoption and/or foster if needed. We may require a surrender fee on a case by case basis.
We ALWAYS Need Volunteers!
We have a great events committee who plan fun adoption events for us so foster dogs and foster families can socialize, have a little fun and hopefully meet with adopters. We are always looking for new places to bring our pups. We need volunteers at these events and to help get foster dogs to events when fosters can't make it. We also need volunteers for transport and for data management, application review, etc. If you are intersted in volunteering please fill out a Volunteer Applications https://wagoninn.rescuegroups.org/forms/
Fundraising!
We are always looking for new ways to raise some funds! Saving lives is VERY expensive and we are lucky to have an animal loving community behind us. But we need to keep on Fundraising and make sure we can continue saving dogs and cats for years to come.
Not able to foster? We have many other ways you can help, speaking with potential adopters, helping with outreaches, and transporting animals. If you're interested in helping out, apply here.
VISIT OUR eBay STORE!
We have lots of donated items available and all proceeds go to Wag On Inn!
A LITTLE ABOUT US... Wag On Inn Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue that was founded in 1998. We are a foster-based rescue, and primarily care for dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs, and rats in foster homes with love and care from our amazing volunteers. We pair with sister rescue groups in Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina and North Carolina to save animals victim to pet overpopulation in the South. We also take local owner surrenders and assist shelters in NY, NJ and PA. Each animal is fully vetted prior to adoption, and all animals, with the exception of guinea pigs, are spayed/neutered prior to adoption in an effort to curb the pet overpopulation crisis. In recent years, through the efforts of an amazing group of volunteers, we have grown our team allowing us to save even more animals!
What We Do Best!
Sometimes we are asked why we help dogs in Louisiana, NC, Texas etc. when there are dogs right here in NJ who need help? Well, the answer is easy....
#1 We absolutely help NJ dogs, primarily via our owner surrender program which bypasses the NJ shelter altogether. Our team is amazing and has been successfully running this program for a few years now. Our fosters are also permitted to pull any dog from any NJ shelter as long as they are willing to foster it and there is no bite history.
#2 NJ shelters are well funded, well maintained and provide basic care to their residents and even spay neuter. Meanwhile Louisiana shelter look much like the photos below. Budgets do not exist, basic vaccines are not given, many house dogs outside with little respite from the weather. Dogs die from parvo and other diseases due to the lack of vaccines and sanitation. Some shelters are better but some are worse. Think of the last NJ shelter you visited and look at the photos below. We need to help. And we still help NJ shelters.
#3 The Map of Animal Welfare - check out bestfriends.org
NJ has a save rate of 89.5% of animals with 1,876 dogs and cats euthanized in 2024. Louisiana is at 79% with 11,616 euthanized; NC is at 73% with 38,093 euthanized; Texas is 76% with an abhorrent 82,681 euthanized.
Since we started working with Louisiana in 2019 we have watched their statistics improve year after year. We know that our work is making a difference.
Each year we work towards saving dogs and cats, growing our foster group, and improving the lives of animals throughout this country. If you haven't already, please join us.
FRIENDS
RESOURCES
A big thank you to all our friends! We are grateful for your help. Clickhere for information about companies that donate time and services to us.
Several companies will donate to Wag On Inn if you use their services - an easy way to generate income for us.
Oscar is a male lab/pit mix and roughly about 4 years old. He thinks he's a lap dog and underestimates his size (about 65 lbs), but will try and cuddle with you no matter where you are laying or sitting. He loves cuddling and snuggles and hugs! Oscar does a cute little ho and is so ha...read more about Oscar - Ohh so handsome!
wagoninn.rescuegroups.org
Monty was adopted from us back in 2022. We received notice on June 16th that Monty was dumped in Flower Mound, Texas. Monty is now back in a NJ foster home.
Monty is a sweet boy who is dog friendly. He previously was also good with cats and also with kids. He is...read more about Monty - Miles of Smiles!
