Foster care
Helping more rescue pets find the safe, loving care they need while they wait for adoption
Foster carers play a vital role in helping rescue pets across Australia.
Many of PetRescue's member rescue groups are small, independent organisations that rely on a network of dedicated foster carers to care for pets in their own homes. Shelters and councils may also rely on foster carers to provide pets with a quieter place to recover from illness or surgery, care for young or unweaned pets, or give pets who are struggling in a shelter environment the time and space they need.
Foster care can improve a pet's welfare, help rescue organisations get to know their personality and needs, create better adoption profiles and help pets find the right people. It can also create valuable capacity, allowing rescue organisations and shelters to help more pets who need support.
Read more about pet foster care here.
Foster care listings
Helping rescue organisations connect with people ready to foster.
PetRescue member rescue groups, shelters and councils can advertise pets needing foster care on PetRescue for free.
When a member lists a pet who needs foster care, they can select "Foster Care Needed" on the pet's profile. This makes it easier for potential foster carers to discover pets who are looking for a temporary place to stay.
Our searchable database brings together pets needing foster care from across Australia, helping connect them with people who have space in their homes and hearts to help.
Foster carers can browse pets needing foster care and enquire directly with the rescue organisation or shelter caring for the pet.
Looking to foster? Find pets needing foster care on PetRescue.
Workplace Pet Foster program
Helping businesses and rescue pets
Workplace Pet Foster is a pawsitively brilliant idea for businesses that want to make a difference.
Welcoming a rescue pet into your workplace can give a pet a safe and enriching place to stay while they wait for adoption and create a whole workplace of people cheering them on.
A workplace foster pet can also help raise awareness of foster care among colleagues, clients and the wider community. And by opening up a foster space, your workplace can help create capacity for rescue organisations to support even more pets in need.
PetRescue can help facilitate connections between workplaces and participating rescue organisations to find a foster pet that's a good fit for the workplace and the people in it.
Workplace Pet Foster isn't something we actively promote as a standalone program, but if your business is interested in exploring workplace fostering, we'd love to hear from you.
Find out more about Workplace Pet Foster or email info@petrescue.org.au.
Foster care awareness
Helping more Australians discover the difference they can make.
Not everyone knows how important foster care is or realises that they might be able to become a foster carer.
That's why we use PetRescue's reach, campaigns, partnerships and storytelling to help more Australians discover foster care and understand the many ways they can help.
Foster care doesn't always mean committing to months of care. Some people provide emergency or relief foster care for just a few days, while others welcome pets into their homes for weeks or months.
And you don't need to be a pet expert or have a huge house. The right foster opportunity depends on the pet, the foster carer and the circumstances.
Through our content and campaigns, we aim to make foster care feel accessible, achievable and rewarding, and help people take the next step towards getting involved.
Want to learn more?
Or browse pets needing foster care on PetRescue.
Foster care in action
Every foster placement starts with someone deciding they have a little space to give.
That might mean opening your home to a dog for a few months, giving a kitten somewhere quiet to grow, providing a weekend of relief care while another foster carer is away, or simply giving a pet the chance to experience life outside a shelter.
Whatever the circumstances, foster carers can make a huge difference.
They give pets the opportunity to feel safe, show their personalities, build confidence and prepare for adoption. They also help rescue organisations create capacity to support more pets in need.
Thinking about becoming a foster carer?
Find pets needing foster care on PetRescue or contact a local rescue organisation to ask whether they have a foster care program and need carers.
Are you a rescue group, shelter or council facility?
PetRescue members can list pets needing foster care for free. Find out more by contacting members@petrescue.org.au.
Banner image: CJ from WA Pet Project by K9Kate Pet Photography