[Photo above of Apple Pie with her finder-to-foster Quina. Quina ended up adopting Apple Pie, saying Apple Pie is her first pet, ever, and that she’s part of the family now.]
December 11, 2025.
Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG) is proud to have received a highly coveted grant from the PEDIGREE Foundation for its ‘Finder-to-Foster’ program, which keeps stray dogs out of the shelter in a temporary foster home. Adult-large breed dogs tend to languish in shelters across the United States, according to Best Friends Animal Society, and their euthanasia rates are higher than any other pet in a shelter. Shelter diversion programs like GPG’s Foster-to-Finder Program are an effective way to save more dogs’ lives.
The two-year DOG’S RULE grant from the PEDIGREE Foundation will help GPG purchase foster supplies, provide transportation for dogs, and ensure a dog’s overall wellbeing in foster homes until they are adopted. GPG also plans to use grant funds to share how other shelters and rescues can develop their own Finder-to-Foster program.
Since piloting the program in late 2024, GPG has seen strong success in helping dogs find homes simply by encouraging people who find strays to hold onto the pet until a permanent foster or adopter can be identified. “When a stray dog stays in a foster home near where they’re found, there’s a greater chance of an RTO — or return-to-owner — because families often share that they are caring for a stray on social media,” says Mandi Williams, GPG’s Intake Specialist.
However, many stray dogs are not lost and instead need new forever homes. So far in 2025, 38 dogs in the Finder-to-Foster program have been adopted. Eight dogs are currently in foster homes, and several litters of puppies have transferred to high-volume adoption partners after short foster stays.
The Finder-to-Foster program also strengthens collaboration with pet lovers across GPG’s service area, the East Side Pet District. This year alone, 53 families within Cahokia Heights, East St. Louis, Fairmont City, and Washington Park have found and fostered pets for GPG — many of them first-time fosters.
GPG Intake and Diversion Manager Sara Greene says the program empowers residents to play a direct role in reducing pet homelessness in the Metro East. “Finders of strays are empowered to help solve the problem of pet homelessness. They also prevent a dog or puppy from ever entering the shelter, which is amazing. That way we have more room for the sick and injured dogs needing our help.”
“We’ve learned that when community members come to us saying they’ve found a stray, it’s in everyone’s best interest to encourage them to foster,” says Jill Henke, GPG’s Director of Operations. “The dogs do much better in a home, and we support families with everything they need — food, toys, outdoor shelters — so they feel confident fostering, which is crucial when our shelter is at capacity.”
But the best part, Henke says, is the impact on families: “They tell us it’s one of the most rewarding things they’ve done, whether they adopt the dog they found or go on to foster another pet. It builds community in the truest sense and underscores our mission to keep pets with the people who love them.”
The DOG’S RULE grant is a two-year initiative. GPG looks forward to sharing the impact of the grant on its website by early 2027.
