Have a Sleepover!
Will you take a deserving dog for a sleepover adventure?
We need you!
The exposure you provide and the behavioral input you can gather is vital to helping the dogs find forever homes. This is such a great experience for not only our dogs, but also for the families that have opened their hearts and homes to our dogs who are awaiting families of their own.
Benefits of a sleepover:
- Reduction in stress (dogs get to rest & recharge)
- Extra exercise
- Socialization
- Exposure in the community
- Valuable feedback on behavior in a home environment
- Learning house manners
- Extra love and attention for the dogs and the hosts!
- Happy dogs and happy volunteers!
- Increased adoptions, some by our hosts that fall in love!
Who Should participate?
This program is ideal for anyone who wants to spend time with dogs without a full-time commitment, gain experience as a first-time dog owner, provide a dog with time in a home, or consider adding a dog to their family.
We thoughtfully match each dog and host based on questionnaire responses to set them up for success. We can’t guarantee specific dogs, and this is not a trial adoption program.
Fun things to do with to show off your Sleepover Guest!
- Hikes and Local Parks (Leash must be on at all time and no dog parks please!)
- Dog-friendly restaurants, bars, breweries
- Trivia Night and other local events
- Find out if we’re having a Saving Grace event that lines up with your host weekend!
The goals of this program are to provide a weekend home experience where dogs can relax, recharge, connect with people, and practice every day routines while exploring the community.
Upcoming Sleepovers
We update the Sleepover sign up form with new dates frequently, so bookmark this link or come back often to sign up for new dates.
This form provides us with essential information to pair you with a dog. While we want to know what will fit best into your family (e.g., size, gender), we will do our absolute best to fit your needs/requests,.
Please understand that our goal is to send out dogs we feel most need you.
You are welcome to request specific dogs, sizes, or breeds to host, but we cannot ever guarantee these requests for many reasons. We must ensure that the dog is a great fit for your home lifestyle described in your form and is eligible for our weekend host program.
Please note that we typically do not send out puppies for our weekend host program as they tend to get adopted quickly and do not usually need this time away from the farm to relax or any help with finding them a forever home.
This program is not intended as a trial adoption. If you are interested in adopting a specific dog, we suggest starting the Adoption Process by reading more about the process and filling out our form. Once you’ve done that, if approved, you’ll get an appointment to meet this dog with our adoption team.
Please make sure to save our email address host@savinggracenc.org as a contact. Responses from your submittal to the Sleepover Form will come from host@savinggracenc.org.
Be on the lookout for these emails after you have completed the online sign up form.
What happens next?
Pick a date and sign up
Let us know you are interested in hosting.
Watch for a confirmation email
We’ll send you an email with more information once your weekend is scheduled.
Pick them up and take them home
Get to know your visitor and have some fun!
Bring them back
We look forward to seeing you!
Sleepover Stories
What drew me to Saving Grace was the flexibility of fostering and the amazing support from the foster team. I started as a weekend host, then fostered single dogs, pairs, and even a mama with her puppies!
We signed up to foster a dog for the weekend — just a short stay to help out. But when we arrived, the pup we were supposed to take home had just been adopted. That’s when Scrappy came into our lives.
Just a week ago, we welcomed York into our home for what we thought would be a simple “weekend sleepover.” The plan was to give him a little break from the rescue—a few cozy days before he returned to the farm. But York had other plans.
FAQs About Sleepovers
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Yes. All dogs have all required vaccines and boosters and are started on preventative treatment for fleas/ticks and heartworm upon coming on site and into our program.
Some of our dogs on site are being treated for upper respiratory infection with antibiotics, which is common in a shelter environment. We recommend all homes fostering/hosting a shelter pet have all resident pets up to date on vaccinations (particularly Bordetella) and contact your vet for specific questions. We want to ensure the well-being and health of all animals including residents in the foster homes.
Although we do start all dogs on preventatives once they come to us, they have not had any regular medical care until arriving at Saving Grace. It can take a couple of rounds for the preventative meds to help with any current health situations in some cases.
Dogs are treated further with other medications as needed once we become aware of issues.
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We recommend that first meetings are on neutral territory like a neighbor’s yard or down the street away from your home on a walk. Have both dogs on straight (not retractable) leashes, keeping the leashes somewhat loose since tension on the leash might communicate to the dogs you are fearful or anxious about their meeting which can make the dog anxious.
Take the dogs for a walk together, keeping 10 feet between them so that they can’t greet each other or stare. Then, cross paths (still maintaining distance) and allow the dogs to smell where the other has walked. The idea is to acclimate them to each other’s presence without causing tension.
We do not recommend having them greet each other on leash nose to nose. This type of meeting can be very stressful for many dogs and can cause fear or reactions to being scared and defensive.
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For reasons of privacy we can’t give out contact information. We encourage our adopters, however, to submit “Happy Tails” stories and pictures.
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Yes – but only if the dog has not recently (within the last 10 days) had surgery. The incision must remain dry to heal properly. In some cases, sponge baths are ok as well if the site stays dry.
For grooming by a professional, you will need to contact us to get a copy of their current rabies certificate.
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Yes, but we do ask that you are within 1 hour driving time to our location in case any emergencies arise with you or the dog.
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Sometimes, we will extend weekend hosts for special week long events. These will be communicated timely and by the Host team and they typically occur around the holidays.
The drop off time for weekend fostering is generally starts Sunday around 6:45pm or Monday around 1:00PM. Specific times will be emailed to you once you confirm based on your desired return date.
We must know when you pick up the dog on Friday what time you plan to drop the dog back off. Occasionally, we have different pick up or drop off times if it is a holiday weekend or special host event. We will state this in the email we send if different time options are available.
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Your requests for size/age/energy level and compatibility with resident pets and family will be considered and your dog will be assigned to match those needs. We cannot guarantee a specific dog request, breed, gender or size as we have adoption appointments right up until pick up and never know who will still be available for host until that time.
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Dogs owned by Saving Grace need to stay in the area in case something comes up and they need to be returned onsite.
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Whenever you are unable to supervise the dog, it should be crated.
Many of the dogs are not used to living in a home and will be anxious at first. They are crated while at Saving Grace and the crate is a consistent, comfortable place for them.
Crate training is recommended because it helps the dog learn behaviors that will make him/her more adoptable. Some adult dogs are already housebroken, but the crate helps reinforce good behavior and creates the dog’s own special space.
If you do not have a crate we are happy to loan you one for the weekend.
If there are other pets in the home, you MUST feed your host dog in their crate. Take up and dispose of any uneaten food before allowing dogs in the same area. This also goes for treats and bones. Even the most well-mannered/well socialized dogs will guard food from other dogs. Please remember to set your dog up for success and prevent any potential unsafe situations before they arise.
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The time you spend teaching your dog to sit, greet others politely and walk on a leash is invaluable to the dog’s adoptability. Some dogs may need help and patience with other things such as consistent potty training or nervousness. Positive, human interactions, praise and love will increase the confidence of your shelter dog.
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- A crate and leash are available if needed. If you have a straight leash at home, please bring it along.Dogs will be fitted for harnesses at pick up. Harnesses must be kept on for all outdoor walks and be connected to a straight leash.
- Food: Because we depend 100% on donations for all food we have at Saving Grace, our supply is almost always limited.If you are able to supply food for your dog during their stay, we would greatly appreciate it.If you are in a position where you cannot supply food, please let us know and we will absolutely send you with some!
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As much as we would like to give discounts, especially to our wonderful weekend hosts, we can’t do this and cover costs for spaying/neutering, heartworm treatments, monthly preventions and medications, housing and food for all the dogs in the program.
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If you are sure you want to adopt your host dog, you will need to submit an adoption request . Once the application is submitted, please let our host team know so they can coordinate with the adoption team and get back to you on next steps.
This process allows for your application to be seen and attended to more promptly.
Adoption is not guaranteed but we will do our very best to make the adoption possible.
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Please be in touch with the host team as soon as you feel something isn’t right with your dog. They will advise you on next best steps for getting your host dog back to us for treatment. Please do not go to your own vet unless you are willing to cover costs yourself.
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We are happy to provide a crate, leash and will harness the dog before he or she leaves with you. We depend 100% on donations for all food we have at Saving Grace, and with many dogs on site and in long term foster, our supply is almost always limited. If you can supply food for your dog during their stay, we would greatly appreciate it. If you are in a position where you cannot supply food, please let us know and we will absolutely send you with some!
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- Dogs who have been at SG for a while and would most benefit from one on one time in a home
- Dogs who would most benefit from a low key, calm environment
- Dogs who need additional exercise or socialization
- Dogs who need publicity and a chance to get out and about and meet potential adopters or need photos/videos/write ups to boost interest in them from potential adopters
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In accordance with the host agreement you have signed, we can’t be responsible for any damage done by the dog to any personal property. We do try to guide you in best practices to ensure you have a successful host weekend.