Below is some general information about foster caring and an application form at the bottom of the page.
Please note: We would also like to talk to people who are interested in medium/long term foster care for pets in emergency situations. This may include illness of the owner, domestic violence situations, flood, bushfire etc.
Who can foster?
Our foster carers are people from many walks of life. You will need a love of dogs, a commitment to your foster pet, a secure yard and some time to spend with your foster pet each day. Even if you can only foster occasionally, you will save the life of a dog or puppy. You can work fill or part time or work from home, any one is fine.
How long will I have the dog or puppy?
This is a question we really can’t answer! Small dogs and purebred dogs will usually be adopted quite quickly. Medium, larger and cross bred dogs may take longer to find their forever homes. But we do need our foster carers to keep the dog or puppy for as long as it takes for them to find their new forever home.
What do I have to pay for?
We pay for everything! We will supply you with food and even treats for your foster dog or puppy. If you need a kennel or a crate and a bed or blankets for indoors we can supply that too. Your foster dog will come with a collar and lead and a tag attached. We can even supply toys. We pay for all veterinary expenses while the pet is in the care of AWAR. If you need more food just give your coordinator a call. What we can’t supply for you is fuel costs if you are transporting your foster pet for us, and you do sign an agreement that states that if Fido chews up your shoes or makes a meal of your best rose bush we can’t replace them!
But of course anything you are able to pay for we really appreciate because that helps us save more pets.
Housing your foster dog or puppy
Our foster carers need to show that they have a secure and safe yard for their foster dog. It is not necessary that the foster dog live indoors, but if it is to sleep outdoors there must be adequate shelter. They must also be able to show that any dog they own themselves is fully vaccinated and desexed. Most small dogs and puppies we do require to be housed indoors, specially during the colder/hotter months and at night. This largely depends on the dog’s history, as an indoor dog cannot be suddenly expected to live outdoors but a previously outdoor dog can be gradually house trained and accustomed to living indoors.
About the quarantine period
If you are fostering a dog or puppy (specially a puppy) from the pound we will ask that you keep him/her in your backyard for a period of 10 days. This is to ensure that the dog hasn’t picked up any illness while in the pound (this is quite unusual but we do need to be vigilant). We will then have him or her vaccinated and desexed if needed and ask you to keep him in your yard for a further 10 days until he is covered by the vaccination. For this reason we also ask that your dog be fully vaccinated with C5 which protects him from canine influenza.
Food for my foster dog or puppy
Please contact Lorraine if you need food 0432 397 784. (Please note that food is donated but we can’t guarantee that we will always have some)
Will my foster dog have a good temperament?
Before we accept any dog it is temperament tested and also tested with other dogs. We endeavour to discover what training, if any, it may have had prior to coming to us. We then match available foster carers as much as possible with our rescue dogs. Our foster carers are very valuable to us. Please call your coordinator immediately if you have any concerns at all.
Vet treatment and grooming
Whilst the dog or puppy is in the first few days of foster care it is wormed and flea-treated. If it requires grooming it will also be groomed at our expense.The adoption fee includes vaccinations against Parvovirus, Distemper, Infectious Hepatitis and Parainfluenza. This is called the C5 vaccination. All dogs are microchipped, desexed and wormed and flead before rehoming. We also take care off all microchip changeover and in NSW we lifetime register each dog when rehomed. You will be asked to contact your coordinator before taking your dog or puppy to our vet for any treatment. That’s unless it’s an emergency of course.
If you think you would like to foster for us please fill out our foster application form below
Lorraine will contact you as soon as she can, please be patient as all our volunteers are busy people.
IMPORTANT: Many of the dogs that come into our care are not yet desexed. For this reason and to prevent any problems arising, we cannot place them in foster homes where there are dogs that are not desexed. We therefore ask that all foster carer’s dogs are desexed.
FOSTER APPLICATION FORM
Below is our foster carer application form. Please fill it out and submit. We will get back to you as soon as we can.