FREquently asked questions

A Wish For Animals is a 501-c3 non-profit founded to find permanent homes for homeless dogs, cats, and any other at-risk, domestic animals.  A Wish for Animals has been rescuing animals for the past 10 years and is solely staffed by volunteers with the majority working in full-time jobs.  

AWFA @ UCLA is a student-run program established to enable students to volunteer hands-on with a local rescue through fostering and other committee functions. Fostering applications are available under the "Fostering" header and committee member applications are available under the "Committee Membership" header.

AWFA @ UCLA Fosters provide loving homes for our rescues while they await their adoptions. The application to apply for fostering can be found under the "Fostering" drop-down with a detailed explanation of our fostering process.

AWFA @ UCLA Committee Members are the backbone of this club! Commitee members assist with internal functions of the rescue in addition to making our fosters run smoothly.

Once your foster application has been approved, you will receive an email invitation to join the #westwoodfosters channel of the AWFA @ UCLA Slack. Foster applications are approved on a rolling basis weekly.

Committee membership applications are reviewed every other Monday, and committee members are added to committees and emailed as clusters are added to specific committees. Please accept your Slack invite and wait for further instructions via Slack.

In order to foster with A Wish for Animals at UCLA, you must attend one foster orientation after you have been added to our #westwoodfosters Slack Channel. Our foster orientation dates are listed here.

We prioritize easily placeable dogs to the Westwood area in order to monitor recent rescues and reach them at short notice. UCLA students are welcome to foster if they can commit to driving to Westwood for pickup, dropoff, and necessary medical treatment. We ask that you live no more than 30 minutes away from campus unless it is a long-term foster.

AWFA @ UCLA will provide all supplies necessary to your foster. If you choose to make a Petco run for your newborn, AWFA @ UCLA will not reimburse items purchased without full board permission. However, you are more than welcome to spend your paycheck on spoiling your foster child! No rawhide or any treats made in China. We recommend Bully Sticks!

Many rescues come to us with uncertain stories if any at all. A Wish for Animals provides all veterinary care and training necessary to the well-being of our dogs. Many of our dogs are coming to Westwood looking for their first night off of the streets, so be patient and gentle when dealing with a new dog in a new scenario. Potty-training, commands, and specific history are often not of knowledge.

All available dogs and adoption applications are available at awishforanimals.org. AWFA @ UCLA is not a foster-to-adopt program. However, A Wish for Animals considers every single application and will contact you further if you have/your referral has a thorough application that is well-suited for that specific pup. Please notify your weekly foster liasion with the name of your potential adopter (even if it's yourself), as soon as possible if you have a party interested in your pup. This way we can make a note on our spreadsheet.