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Give the gift of love by fostering a dog, cat, kitten, puppy, guinea pig, you name it!
Most animal shelters and rescue organisations are overcrowded with stray and abandoned animals, cared for by exhausted staff who are desperate for people to foster animals.
If you’re not ready for a full-time pet, maybe you can handle a couple of weeks or more with a dog, cat, guinea pig, bird or even a pig!
Benefits of fostering a pet
If fostering sounds like free therapy, it is! Spending time with animals, even on a short-term basis, has been proven to have mental and physical health benefits, from lower blood pressure to stress relief.
Fostering also gives other great benefits, including:
- Increasing the animals chance of adoption. This is because they learn the basic ‘rules’ of living in a family home.
- Keeps animals out of shelters and places them in loving homes.
- Helps prepare yourself and your family for their own pet.
Showing love is a reward
It’s rewarding to help save lives as you assist animals with special medical or behavioural needs, such as mums nursing pups, those recovering from surgery or injury, or very young pets who need special feeding and socialisation.
As a foster carer, you are often one of the first people to show them love and earn their trust.
You can also give feedback on what a dog or cat is like in a household, which is useful for the shelter to share with potential adopters. Regardless of your schedule or space, there’s probably a pet who could use your help!
How to foster a pet in Australia
Some pet stores also offer animal lovers overnight or weekend fostering opportunities. Shelters typically give training on fostering, as well as food and supplies such as litter boxes, toys and grooming tools.
According to the Australian Animal Protection Society (AAPS), the criteria for fostering is as follows:
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The primary age of the foster animal must be over 18 years old.
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Compassion, empathy and appreciation that every animal is different.
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Willingness and enthusiasm to continue training and provide updates.
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Attend veterinary checks at the shelter.
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Provide our Animal Welfare Coordinator with regular updates to assist in the re-homing process. This may include photos or videos.
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Care for all the animals needs, whether it be feeding, walking, grooming, training and socialising.
If you meet all of these requirements, the process for fostering is simple. You must first fill out an application from AAPS, and then they will reach out to you for further instructions. This usually entails an informal telephone interview.
Fostering is overall very simple in action, but it can be a big decision to make, especially if you have a family.
In the end, it is hard not to fall in love. And saying goodbye to foster pets can be rough.
But the emotional experience is part and parcel of preparing the animal to have a wonderful new life with their adoptive family. Then, it’s only a matter of time before you foster another animal in need of a new start.
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