1. What is foster caring?
Foster care is the temporary care of an animal in a foster home until the animal is ready to be reunited with its owner.
2. Who needs foster care?
Animals from our Emergency Boarding Program, to assist their owners who are currently experiencing homelessness or require respite care. This is needed in the instance when their owners access crisis accommodation, flee from a violent situation, be admitted to hospital etc and can’t look after the animals.
3. How long is the fostering period?
Foster care is required for varying lengths of time, depending on their owner’s circumstances and the foster carer’s situation. This can be for as little as two weeks up until a few months.
4. What are the requirements of a foster carer?
Animals going out to foster care need a safe, secure, loving, temporary home. Foster carers do not need to have any prior experience with fostering however you will need to meet the following criteria:
- Live in Victoria (our foster care program is only available for residents of Victoria)
- Submit a completed foster care application, accompanied by all of the required supporting documents.
- Hold a valid driver’s license or have access to reliable and safe transportation.
- Must be a minimum of 18 years of age.
- Have the ability to provide an environment that is safe and secure within your home (mostly indoors). You must have the ability to isolate the foster animal(s) from family pets when required.
- If you have your own animals, your animals must be sociable and fully vaccinated, have been treated for fleas and worms, and are desexed.
- No children under the age of 7 in the household.
- No more than 2 existing pets in the household.
- Able to commit to care for animals from 2 – 12 weeks, if required.
5. How do I become a foster carer?
Four simple steps are involved in becoming a POTH foster carer:
- Fill in our application form
- Have your property inspected for suitability
- Apply for and submit all the required checks and permits (National Police Check, Council Permit, Landlord Permission, Photo ID)
- Become a foster carer and make a difference to the lives of people and pets facing homelessness together.
6. What do I need to provide as a foster carer?
Our foster carers are responsible for providing a loving home that is secure and safe for their foster animal at all times. They are responsible for transporting their foster animal to appointments and visits with the owner. We expect our foster animals to be treated like family.
7. What do you provide to your foster carer?
We will cover all vet expenses as long as you liaise with us first and use our preferred clinics (unless of course it’s an emergency). We will supply you with pet food and any necessary items such as beds, toys, training equipment etc. We are however greatly appreciative if our carers are willing to supply these themselves.
8. How many animals can I foster?
This depends a little on your circumstances, but most foster carers look after two or three young animals or one adult animal at a time.
Please note that our kitten foster carers must be willing to quarantine new kittens in a bathroom or laundry for 10 days, away from owned animals, to ensure their health.
For dog foster carers, we have the following requirements:
- No children under the age of 7 (due to health and safety regulations).
- House cannot be left empty for more than eight hours.
- Foster dog must be allowed to sleep inside.
- Must have an area to separate the foster dog from own animals if required
9. What if I have other pets?
In most cases, you can still become a foster carer, but you will need to ensure your animals are sociable and fully vaccinated, have been treated for fleas and worms, and are desexed.
You will also need to have an area to keep your fostered animals separate from your own.
10. What if I have children?
Most animals can also be safely fostered in a home with children, however in many cases we are unable to place dogs into foster homes with children under the age of 7 years.
11. What if I live in a unit or work full time?
These circumstances should not prevent you from becoming a foster carer. However, please note that, as we always do our best to match animals with the best possible foster carer, not all animals can be fostered in all homes. We will discuss this with you further during your application process.
12. Do I need to register my foster animal with my council?
All foster carers must ensure that their foster dog or cat is registered with their local council for the duration of its stay. Victorian councils can issue a monetary fine to the carer of any unregistered dog or cat and also have the power to seize any unregistered animal.
13. What if my foster animal is sick and needs to go to the vet?
Veterinary costs are paid for by POTH as part of our foster carer support service. You will need to contact us for approval if any problem arises.
14. I have submitted my application, what happens next?
As part of the foster application process, someone from our team will come out and conduct a standard property check to ensure your home is safe and secure. This will also give us a chance to sit down and discuss the fostering process in more detail with you.
Please understand that we are run entirely by volunteers so we will try to get back to you ASAP. If you do not hear from us for a while, feel free to send us an email to foster@petsofthehomeless.org.au to follow up.
