Adopt

For the most up-to-date list of Havanese available for adoption from HALO, click here.

  1. Foster Application

  2. Foster Handbook

  3. Foster Agreement

“I said ‘Somebody should do something about that.’ Then I realized I am somebody.”
- Lily Tomlin

HALO cannot rescue a dog unless we have a foster home ready to welcome them.

Many of our rescues come from commercial breeding facilities where they have never known the comfort of a home, the kindness of a family, or the freedom to simply be a dog. A foster home gives them the safe place they need to begin healing, learning, and trusting.

Fostering does take time, patience, and commitment, but you do not need to be home full-time. What you do need is a willingness to help a dog take their first steps into a very different life.

We understand why people hesitate. You may wonder how long the dog will stay, what challenges may come up, how your own dogs will react, how quickly the foster will progress, or how hard it will be to say goodbye.

Those are real questions. And we cannot promise that every day will be easy.

What we can promise is that you will not be doing it alone. HALO provides support, guidance, and a community of experienced foster families who understand the worries, celebrate the progress, and are always willing to help.

The challenges of fostering are real, but so are the rewards. You may be there for the first time your foster relaxes on a soft bed, accepts a gentle touch, plays with a toy, runs in the yard, or looks at you with trust. Because of your care, patience, and love, your foster dog will leave for their adoptive home healthier, happier, and better prepared for family life.

Fostering can also be a meaningful family volunteer experience, teaching children compassion, patience, and generosity in a very real way.

Most importantly, fostering saves lives. Without a foster home, a dog may have nowhere safe to go. By opening your home, you become the reason a rescued Havanese gets a second chance.

Why Our Fosters Keep Saying Yes

We asked experienced HALO fosters why they continue to open their homes and hearts.

“Fostering is a way to give back.”
For me, fostering means giving back to a rescue community that gave me so much through my own two HALO dogs. It is watching a frightened dog slowly learn to trust in ways you never thought possible. It is the first tail wag when you walk into the room, the first tiny kiss on your hand, and the moment you see them becoming a more confident, trusting companion.

Every dog is different, and I enjoy learning what each one needs in order to feel safe. But the best part is seeing the happiness and love on the faces of the adoptive family when they meet their newest family member.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to let go.”
I always thought I could never foster. How could I care for a little soul and then hand them to someone else?

Then I saw a HALO request for fosters for dogs coming from an Ohio puppy mill. I thought someone else would volunteer. Then I realized that if these dogs had survived years in a mill, I could survive the sadness of saying goodbye.

I have never regretted that decision. Watching a foster run in the yard after years in a cage, or show the courage to take a treat from your hand, is almost impossible to describe. Yes, there were tears when my foster left with her adopter, but they were mixed with joy because she was going to the loving life she deserved.

“Why foster? Why not?”
Why not give back to these special dogs who ask for so little and give so much? Time, patience, and love can change the life of a dog who has never known them.

It is one of the best feelings in the world to watch a foster go from frightened and hiding to becoming a loved, active part of family life. They deserve the chance to be free. Why not be the person who gives them that chance?

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