A small, family-run company in Southern California. Real people who saw a real need.

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Purebreds, puppies and kittens come through shelters every day. Tap the breed to start searching.

Our mission

To shine a light on the shelter crisis in Southern California, share animals in need so they get seen, and inspire more people to foster and adopt from their local shelter or rescue.

We're not a rescue organization. We're a family business that helps shelter animals get seen, fostered and adopted, working alongside local shelters and rescues.

01Highlightthe shelter crisis most people never see
02Networkanimals in need with fosters, rescues and adopters
03Inspirepeople to foster and adopt locally
22cats spayed or neutered
10adopted into homes
4cats cared for on-site
1still waiting: meet Goofy
Countlessemployees and customers inspired to adopt or foster

Waiting for a home

A family business that took action

Our facility sits near a shelter, so we've seen firsthand how devastating the shelter crisis is. Too many animals need homes for us to sit on the sidelines.

What started with blanket drives and a few stray cats on our property has grown into networking shelter animals and connecting people with local shelters and rescues that need fosters and adopters.

Fostering saves lives. Want to open your home, even for a few weeks? Learn how fostering works.

Read our full story

It started small, with blanket drives and donations. Then stray cats began showing up on our own property. We trapped them, got them medical care and had them spayed or neutered. So far, that's 22 cats fixed. We found homes for six kittens, and four adult cats still live with us, fed, fixed and looked after.

From there, we started helping animals get out of the shelter and into homes. We've stepped in for two dogs who were out of time: Rex found his forever home, and Goofy is still waiting for his. We helped Cinnamon, a 15-year-old cat, land in a loving long-term foster home. And two more dogs, Gigi and Angel, went straight from the Carson shelter into the homes of our own employees.

We're not a big organization. We're real people doing what we can, one animal at a time, and using our platform to make sure more people see the animals who need them.

Tom, a gray cat, in a humane trap on the company property
Tom, one of the cats we trapped on our property, then got treated and neutered.
  1. We step inStrays on our property, or dogs and cats who are running out of time at a shelter.
  2. We get them healthyVet care, vaccines, and spay or neuter.
  3. We spread the wordWe network them with fosters, rescues and adopters, and share their story on Instagram.
  4. They go homeAdopted into a family we've met and trust.

Animals we've helped

A few of the animals our family and team have helped along the way. We're not a rescue, just people who stepped in where we could.

Looking for a home

Goofy lying on the floor, smiling with his tongue out
Goofy standing on the warehouse floor
Hanging out
Goofy playing with a big tennis ball in the yard
Playtime
Goofy on his back, grinning during a belly rub
Belly rubs
Goofy looking out a car window with his tongue out
Car ride
Looking for a home

Goofy

Rescued from a crowded shelter and safe while we network him with adopters and rescues. Could his person be you?

Ask about Goofy

Goofy at the shelter

Watch on YouTube

Their stories

Cinnamon, a fluffy long-haired senior cat, exploring a desk at our office In a loving foster

Cinnamon

A 15-year-old long-haired senior who landed in the shelter through no fault of her own. We helped her find a loving long-term foster home, where she's settled in.

Rex smiling in his kennel at the Carson shelter under a red Final Notice banner
At the shelter
Rex sitting and looking up after leaving the shelter
Out of the shelter
Rex on a boat on the water, looking out at the view
Home: boat days
Rex napping on a couch with a baseball cap on his head
Home: nap time
Adopted

Rex

Rex came into the Carson shelter with his brother and sister. They were adopted, but Rex wasn't, and his time ran out. We stepped in, got him out, and found him a loving home. Today his life is boat days and couch naps.

A pile of four gray and white kittens cuddled together at our shop
A tiny gray and white kitten found on our property, resting in a litter box
Found on our property
A grown gray and white tabby cat sitting at home after adoption by one of our employees
Home with one of our team
A gray and white tabby cat playing on its back inside a small soccer goal at home
Also home with our team
Adopted

Six kittens

Found on our property, vetted and cared for until all six went home to new families. Two of them went home with members of our own team. Their mom still lives with us at the shop, where she's fixed, fed and well cared for.

Adopted

Gigi & Angel

Two little dogs from the Carson shelter. Both went straight home with members of our own team.

Gigi, a small tan dog, at the Carson shelter
Shelter
Gigi in a pink sweater, eyes closed, being hugged at home
Home

Gigi

Went home five days after arriving at the shelter.

Angel, a small cream dog, at the Carson shelter
Shelter
Angel on a bed next to a pillow that reads this is my happy place
Home

Angel

Now has a pillow that says it all: this is my happy place.

A cream and white husky lying down, wearing a Millennium trucker hat Adopted

One of our own

This happy husky was adopted by one of our owners, and wears the company hat with pride.

Mama cat, a gray cat with a white chin, at our shop Staying put

Mama

She took great care of her six kittens until every one of them was adopted. Now she's fixed, fed and living with us at the shop for good.

A white and cream shop cat relaxing with its eyes half closed on a lap at our office Staying put

Our shop cats

Mama isn't alone. Three more cats, including this sleepy one, were trapped, vetted and fixed, and now live on our property with food, shelter and a crew that looks out for them.

Get in touch

Interested in adopting, want to foster, or have a question? Tell us a little about yourself and we'll be in touch.

Prefer email? Write to millenniumfosters@gmail.com, or message us on Instagram.

Why Millennium Fosters?

Fostering saves lives

We saw a real need for education and understanding about the shelter crisis across Southern California and beyond, and we wanted to put fostering front and center. That's where our name comes from.

Many people aren't ready to adopt, and that's okay. Fostering, even short term, can save a life.

Why foster?

You save two lives

The animal you bring home, and the one who gets their kennel at the shelter.

Short term counts

Many programs need fosters for a couple of weeks to a few months. You don't have to commit forever.

You're not on your own

Many programs provide training, supplies and vet care, and some cover food too. Ask what's included before you sign up, since it varies.

Better matches

You learn how an animal acts in a real home, which helps the right family find them.

How fostering works

  1. Choose a programPick a shelter or organization near you. The list below is a good place to start.
  2. ApplyMost programs have a quick, simple application. Many require fosters to be 18 or older.
  3. Get matchedThe program matches you with an animal that fits your home and schedule.
  4. Bring them homeGive them a safe, quiet place to decompress, and share photos and updates so they get noticed.
  5. Help them get adoptedWhen the right family comes along, you've saved a life, and made room to save another.

Organizations looking for fosters

These Southern California programs regularly need foster homes. Needs and requirements change, so check each site for the latest.

Beyond the city and county

On top of fostering through a city or county shelter, there are countless rescue organizations ready, willing and able to pull an animal from the shelter, and many will cover the expenses, if they can find a foster. Even short term. Often the only thing standing between a dog and a way out is one open home.

Interested? Reach out and we'll connect you with rescue groups looking for fosters right now.

Not sure where to start?

Tell us a little about your home and schedule, and we'll help connect you with a shelter program or a rescue looking for a foster.

Ask us about fostering

Every breed you could want is waiting nearby

Search by breed, age, size and distance. Every listing comes straight from a shelter or rescue near you.

Petfinder is an independent adoption directory. We're not affiliated with any shelter or with Petfinder; we just want you to use them.

Southern California shelters

These shelters take in thousands of animals every year. Browse their adoptable pets, or visit in person.

Before you bring a shelter pet home

Give them time

Many rescues follow a 3-3-3 rhythm: about 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn your routine, and 3 months to feel at home.

Set up a quiet spot

A crate or a gated corner with a bed and water gives them somewhere safe to retreat.

Keep the food the same

Ask the shelter what they've been eating and switch slowly to avoid upset stomachs.

Book a vet visit

Bring the shelter's records and get a baseline checkup in the first couple of weeks.

How you can help

Every little bit makes a difference. Start wherever you are.

Fostering saves lives

Open your home, even for a few weeks

Fosters are desperately needed. A few weeks in a loving home can transform an animal's life and free up a kennel for the next one. Many programs provide training, supplies and vet care, so you can focus on the love.

Ask us how you can help local shelters and organizations by opening your home. We'll help connect you with programs looking for fosters.

Students: Foster for Service Hours lets families foster a shelter pet and earn community service hours while they do it.

Pledging saves lives too

Can't foster or adopt? Pledge.

A pledge is a promise to donate if a rescue pulls a specific dog from the shelter. Rescues can only save as many animals as they can afford, so dogs with pledges attract rescues. Your money goes straight to the rescue that saves them, never to us.

$5$10$20

You don't have to pledge a lot. Even $5 helps. Skip your latte and save a life. ☕

How it works: find an urgent dog on a rescue or shelter-advocate account and comment with your pledge, like "Pledging $5 for Max." If a rescue pulls the dog, they'll share how to send your pledge.

Always honor your pledge. Rescues decide which dogs they can save based on the pledges, and they count on those funds. Only pledge what you can pay.

More ways to help

Adopt

Check your local shelter first. The pet you're looking for may already be waiting there.

Volunteer

Many shelter dogs spend nearly all day in a kennel, and staff can't get to every one. A 10-minute walk can make a huge difference to a dog's day.

Drive

Rescues are always looking for people to transport a dog from the shelter to a foster home, often at the last minute. If you have a car and a free hour, follow local rescues and watch for transport calls.

Follow rescue accounts

Every follow, like and comment pushes an urgent animal in front of more people. The more people who see a post, the better the chance someone steps up.

Share

Reposting an urgent animal costs nothing, and the right person might be one share away.

Donate supplies

Towels, blankets, food and kitten formula are always needed. Call your local shelter or rescue to ask what they're short on.

You don't have to save them all.

Share one post. Foster one dog. Trap one stray cat and get her spayed. It won't empty every shelter tonight, but for the one animal you helped, the whole world just changed.

That's how we started: with blanket drives, and then the stray cats on our own property.