How to Foster or Volunteer with MWCR Collie Rescue

Minnesota Wisconsin Collie Rescue (MWCR) takes foster and volunteer interest through its website: the home page links a Foster Application, a Volunteer page, and a Support Us section for donating or joining as a member. Start with the Foster Application if you can house a Collie temporarily, or the Volunteer page if you want to help without taking a dog into your home. MWCR is a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit, so both paths feed directly into the rescue, medical care, and temperament assessment work described in its mission.

What MWCR Does and Where It Operates

MWCR rescues rough and smooth Collies that have lost their homes, places them in foster homes, provides medical care, assesses their traits and personalities, and matches them with adopters. Its volunteers and foster homes are based in Minnesota and Wisconsin plus several other states, and the rescue has placed Collies from New York to Texas to California to Canada as well as in its home region. It accepts rough and smooth Collies and may accept Collie mixes on a space-available basis.

That geographic spread matters for both roles: fostering happens where the foster home is, while volunteering may be local (events, transport, home visits) or remote depending on the task.

Fostering: What the Role Involves

A foster home is where a rescued Collie lives while MWCR arranges medical care and evaluates the dog's traits and personality before adoption. Based on the mission statement, expect to:

• Provide day-to-day care and a safe home environment for a Collie in transition.
• Support the assessment period so MWCR can describe the dog accurately to adopters.
• Coordinate with the rescue on medical care and the eventual match with a forever home.

How to Apply

1. Go to mwcr.org and open the Foster Application link in the navigation.
2. Complete and submit the application with your household and pet details.
3. Expect follow-up from MWCR volunteers, since the organization is run by volunteers rather than staff.

Verification: The site's navigation lists the Foster Application directly, so a submitted application is the concrete first step. Response times are not stated on the page; plan for volunteer-paced follow-up.

Volunteering: Ways to Help Without Fostering

The home page's "Find out all the ways you can help" section frames help as adopting, fostering, or donating, and the navigation adds a dedicated Volunteer page plus Support Us options. Practical entry points visible on the site:

The 2026 Annual Dinner and Fundraiser runs 4–8 pm at the Radisson Hotel on Harborview Plaza in La Crosse, WI, with guest speaker Barbara O'Brien, photographer and host of The Empathetic Trainer podcast. Attending is a low-commitment way to meet the volunteer community before signing up.

Questions Before You Commit

• Can I foster a mix? Possibly — MWCR may accept Collie mixes on a space-available basis, so ask when you apply.
• Is my location eligible? Volunteers and foster homes are concentrated in Minnesota and Wisconsin but extend to several other states; confirm with the rescue before applying from elsewhere.
• Where do I get details? The site's Contact Us and FAQ's pages are the stated places for further questions.

A Realistic First Step

If you are unsure between the two roles, submit the Foster Application only if you can commit to a dog in your home for an open-ended period, since medical care and assessment happen during fostering. Otherwise, start on the Volunteer page or sign up for the annual dinner — both keep you inside the organization's volunteer network, which is how MWCR describes itself: "a non-profit charitable organization of volunteers dedicated to the care of rough and smooth Collies."