Foster

How it works

How to become a foster carer

So you’re thinking about becoming a life-saving Foster carer, but what does that actually mean?

 

In short, it means providing a loving and safe temporary home until a forever home can be found for each dog.

Each dog is different and comes to us with different needs – we do our best to match the right dogs to the right homes, and that goes for our foster dogs too. We may not have a dog for you to foster at the moment, but we regularly get new dogs surrendered and at times have urgent situations for which we need to have suitable foster carers on hand.

Once we receive your application it will be assessed, and if suitable we will then contact you to discuss what kind of dog may suit you best. Our dogs deserve to succeed in life, and in order for them to do so we need to set you up for success too.

Please don’t be offended if your application is not successful, as most of the dogs we have listed have special needs or require specific training, and all will require a breed-experienced foster carer.  We have a responsibility to find a stable foster home which best suits the needs of each dog, and is best able to develop the skills, behaviours and coping mechanisms that will enable each dog to be integrated into a permanent new home.  For these reasons, homes with no arctic breed experience and shared-rental situations, unfortunately, cannot be considered for foster care.

As a foster carer, you are not only caring for a dog, but you are also setting your foster dog up to succeed in a new home.  We need to ensure our dogs can be comfortable and confident in a range of situations and environments, such as car travel, having good manners indoors, being able to cope alone outdoors for periods of time, walking nicely on lead, and other situations a dog is likely to be in when he or she goes to a permanent new home.

When applying to foster, please keep in mind that some of our dogs can take quite some time to find a new home, and during that time you will be required to bring your foster dog along to events and meetings with prospective new owners.

Foster carers will be supplied with all the materials needed to make the fostering experience rewarding. All the dogs will need from you is your time, nurturing, training, support and a lot of love.

Foster carers are required to sign a foster agreement and will be supplied with:

  • Dry dog food
  • Collar, leash & ID tag
  • Bowls
  • Bedding
  • Monthly flea & worming treatment
  • Training advice, including workshops, group obedience and in-home training visits if required

Our foster dogs will be microchipped and vaccinated.  They will also be desexed and vet checked either before or during their stay with their foster carer.  All routine vet work is organised and paid for by us whilst the dog is in foster care.

We will touch base with foster carers regularly for updates on the dog’s progress to help us form their adoption profile, which is a critical part of finding that perfect forever home for each and every dog.

Foster carers have access to our 24/7 support portal where they can meet other foster carers and share in their triumphs and challenges along the way, as well as having a dedicated foster program coordinator only a phone call or email away.

In order for us to provide this level of support, we do need our foster heroes to be located in the Melbourne metropolitan area, or not far out of Melbourne.

So if you have the experience and skills needed, and you’re ready to take the next step towards becoming a foster carer, we’d love to hear from you!

Meet the Dogs

We’re so glad you’re here! Giving a dog a second chance and finding it a forever family is exciting, and we can’t wait to share this journey with you.

Apply now

Do you have the experience and skills needed to become a foster hero and help a dog in need on their journey to find a new home?