So you want to know what fostering involves? Well each organisation is different and the process is a living being with refinements and changes being made as we go along but here is how it works currently.
Fostering for AWDRI involves you taking the dog in and caring for it as if it were your own. We pay for its initial vetting which normally includes desexing, microchip, vaccination, heartworm test and monthly preventative. The $300 adoption fee goes some way to covering these vetting costs. Any costs incurred by AWDRI in transporting the dog to its foster home are worn by AWDRI. We will often put out a call for donations to help with these costs as well because it is a cost that is never able to be recouped. If an adopter wishes to adopt an interstate dog then they pay the transport cost.
During the foster period the worming and heartworm prophylaxis is the financial responsibility of the foster carer however if the dog is injured or becomes ill and requires veterinary treatment then, provided there was reasonable care taken to ensure the safety of the dog, AWDRI would be responsible for this expense. If AWDRI feels that there was a lack of care on the part of the foster carer that contributed to the dog’s injury or illness then they would ask that the carer contribute to the vet bill as much as possible. AWDRI does, in special circumstances, offer sponsorship of food and medication supplies in the case of the carer being physically able to foster a dog but lacking the financial werewithal to do so. Each case is assessed on its merits as to the amount of the sponsorship provided and whether the organisation is financially able to do so at that time.
Currently when a dog is advertised for adoption (on our website, Facebook page and on PetRescue) applications are submitted by email to the association. We vet them and pass the appropriate ones on to the foster carer to make contact with the adopter to arrange a meeting. Where possible the meeting would be at the adopter’s home so as to combine a home check with the meet & greet. Where this is not possible the home check can be done separately or we can make do with photographs of the applicant’s property or we use Google Street View for verification of the property details.
If the applicant wants to take the dog on trial, as long as the foster carer is comfortable with the adopter, then they can take the dog on trial for 2 weeks. At any time during the 2 week trial they can return the dog if it’s not working out. Also at any time during the 2 week trial they can commit to the adoption at which time a contract is given to them to sign and the adoption fee is paid.
The contract specifically states that at no time is the adopter allowed to surrender the dog to a pound or euthanase it for anything other than medical reasons or for dangerous behaviour and AWDRI retains the right of first refusal for taking the dog back if it needs to be rehomed in the future.
This is the process now. Of course there are times when the exact process flow will differ, such as if the foster carer finds a home for the dog and it’s someone they know and trust. The vetting process is then at the discretion of the foster carer. The adoption contract is set in stone though. Nobody takes a dog on full adoption without signing it. The adoption fee also is a standard $300 although there are occasions when the organisation may lower this at their discretion.
The fostering and adoption processes are always under review for ways to improve them so feedback is always welcome from our carers and adopters.
