Join The Team

Foster Caring With SARR 🐾

Open your home. Change a life.

Have you ever thought about fostering a dog, cat, puppy or kitten?

At Shepparton Animal Rescue & Rehoming (SARR), our foster carers are the heart of everything we do.

As a foster based rescue, the number of animals we can save is directly connected to the number of safe, suitable foster homes we have available.

You don't need to foster forever. You just need to offer an animal a safe place to land while we work towards finding their forever home.

Some animals come into our care from local families who can no longer look after them. Others travel from pounds across Victoria and interstate, often with uncertain futures and nowhere else to go.

For these animals, your spare room, laundry, couch or backyard could be the beginning of an entirely new life.

And sometimes, all it takes to change that life is someone willing to say yes.

What Does Fostering Involve?

When you foster with SARR, an animal comes to live with you as part of your household while remaining under the care and responsibility of our rescue.

Your role is to provide a safe, loving and supportive environment while helping us discover who that animal really is outside of a pound or shelter.

Every animal is different, and so is every foster placement.

Depending on their individual needs, fostering may involve:

• Helping puppies learn toilet training and basic household manners.

• Teaching dogs to walk comfortably on a lead and develop good habits.

• Supporting appropriate socialisation with people, animals and new environments.

• Helping nervous or frightened animals build confidence and trust.

• Providing a quiet, secure space for cats and kittens to settle and thrive.

• Offering patience, consistency and reassurance while an animal adjusts to a new environment.

Sometimes fostering involves training and guidance. Other times, it's simply providing a warm bed, regular meals and the opportunity to feel safe.

Getting to Know Your Foster Animal

One of the most valuable things our foster carers do is help us understand the animals in our care.

We ask carers to provide regular updates, photographs and honest observations about their foster animal's health, behaviour, personality and progress.

These insights allow us to create accurate adoption profiles and make informed decisions about which permanent homes will be the best fit.

When a suitable adoption application has been approved, foster carers also assist with arranging meet and greets with prospective families.

You become an important part of that animal's journey from rescue to adoption.

What Does SARR Provide?

We understand that fostering is a commitment, and we don't expect our carers to navigate it alone.

Veterinary Care

SARR remains responsible for all approved veterinary care while an animal is in foster care.

We organise and cover approved veterinary treatment, including:

• Desexing

• Microchipping

• Vaccinations

• Parasite prevention and treatment

• Necessary medical assessments and treatment

All veterinary appointments, medications and treatment must be approved or arranged through SARR unless otherwise directed by our team.

Guidance and Support

Our team is here to support you throughout your foster placement.

Whether you're unsure about a behaviour, need advice about settling an animal into your home or notice something concerning with their health, we encourage you to reach out.

Communication is incredibly important to us.

We would much rather you ask a question than feel uncertain about what to do.

Fostering is a team effort, and you're an important part of that team.

What Do We Expect From Our Foster Carers?

The safety, health and wellbeing of our animals will always come first.

To help us maintain consistent standards of care, we ask all foster carers to:

1. Provide a safe and suitable environment

Ensure your home and property are appropriate for the animal in your care, including secure fencing, safe sleeping arrangements and protection from potential hazards.

2. Follow SARR's care instructions

Follow the guidance provided regarding feeding, veterinary care, medication, training, behaviour and management.

3. Keep foster dogs safely contained

Dogs must remain securely contained on the property and be kept on a lead when outside the property unless SARR has specifically approved otherwise.

4. Keep foster cats safely indoors

All foster cats and kittens must remain indoors or within a completely secure cat enclosure.

5. Introduce resident animals appropriately

Introductions to existing pets must be managed safely, gradually and in accordance with SARR's guidance.

6. Maintain regular communication

Provide honest updates about your foster animal's health, behaviour, personality and progress, including any concerns that may affect their wellbeing or suitability for adoption.

7. Assist with appointments and adoptions

Make your foster animal available for approved veterinary appointments and help coordinate meet and greets with suitable prospective adopters.

8. Seek approval before making changes

Contact SARR before arranging veterinary treatment, allowing another person to care for your foster animal, taking the animal to another property or making significant changes to their care arrangements.

These expectations aren't about making fostering complicated. They're about ensuring every animal receives safe, consistent care while we work together towards the best possible outcome.

Can I Foster If I Already Have Pets?

Absolutely!

Many of our foster carers have dogs, cats and other animals of their own.

For everyone's safety, resident dogs and cats must be desexed and appropriately vaccinated.

Before placing an animal into your care, we consider your household, existing pets, experience and the individual needs of the foster animal.

Some animals thrive in homes with other pets, while others need a quieter environment or a space of their own.

Not every foster animal will suit every household, and that's completely okay.

Finding the right foster home is just as important as finding a foster home.

Do I Need Previous Fostering Experience?

Not necessarily!

While experience with animals can be helpful, you don't need to have fostered before to make a difference.

What matters most is having a suitable environment, realistic expectations and a willingness to learn.

Some animals require experienced carers who can manage medical or behavioural needs. Others simply need someone patient and caring who can provide a safe, stable home.

We consider each application individually and aim to match foster carers with animals suited to their circumstances and experience.

What If I Fall In Love With My Foster Animal?

It happens more often than you might think!

We even have a name for it: foster failing. ❤️

Sometimes a foster animal fits so perfectly into a household that their carer can't imagine saying goodbye.

However, fostering does not automatically transfer ownership of an animal to the foster carer.

If you decide you would like to adopt your foster animal, you must speak with SARR and complete our usual adoption process. The standard adoption fee still applies, and adoption is subject to approval.

We ask that people don't begin fostering with the expectation that they will automatically be able to adopt the animal.

The purpose of foster care is to provide a temporary, supportive home while SARR works towards the best permanent outcome for each animal.

The Hardest Part Of Fostering

One of the things we hear most often is:

"I could never foster. I'd get too attached and wouldn't be able to say goodbye."

And we understand.

Saying goodbye can be hard.

You've welcomed an animal into your home, cared for them, learnt their little quirks and watched their personality begin to shine.

You've celebrated their progress, laughed at their antics and perhaps even shed a few tears along the way.

But here's the beautiful thing about fostering.

Saying goodbye often means you've done exactly what that animal needed you to do.

You gave them somewhere safe to sleep.

You helped them feel secure when their world had been turned upside down.

You taught them that people can be kind.

You gave them the time, patience and love they needed to become ready for their next chapter.

And when the right family came along, you helped them move into the life they deserved.

Your job was never to keep them forever.

Your job was to help them get there.

And when they leave, your home has space for another animal who needs that same chance.

Why Foster Carers Matter So Much

SARR doesn't have rows of kennels waiting for the next animals who need us.

Our foster homes are our rescue.

Every animal we bring into care needs somewhere safe to go.

When our foster homes are full, our ability to help more animals becomes limited.

That means every new foster carer creates another opportunity for an animal to be rescued.

It might be a litter of kittens needing somewhere warm to grow.

A frightened dog who needs time to learn that people can be trusted.

A puppy who has never experienced life inside a family home.

Or an older animal who simply needs somewhere comfortable to rest while waiting for their person.

You may not be able to save every animal.

But to the animal you foster, the difference you make can mean everything.

Ready To Become A SARR Foster Carer?

Whether you're interested in fostering dogs, puppies, cats or kittens, we'd love to hear from you.

Fostering is a commitment, but it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences you'll ever have.

You don't need a perfect home.

You don't need years of experience.

You just need a suitable, safe environment, a willingness to learn and the commitment to give an animal the care they deserve.

You provide the home.

We provide the support.

Together, we give them their next chapter. 🐾❤️

Apply To Become A Foster Carer

Complete our foster carer application form to tell us a little about yourself, your household and the types of animals you may be able to help.

*Please note we can only accept foster carers who live up to 1 hour from our vets in Shepparton, Victoria.

Our team will review your application and contact you to discuss whether fostering with SARR is the right fit.