Foster care
We make families!
How does it all work?
Our Process
1. Fill in our form
Enter as much information as possible so we can match the right animal to your needs and expectations, choose a form below that relates to either cat or dog.
2. Phone Interview
A BFA representative will assess and reply to your application via email, a phone interview and meeting will be arranged if all goes well.
3. House check & intros
We bring the animal to your home to meet your family, pets and to check the suitability of fencing. If all goes well we leave the animal with you for foster care.
4. reporting
We expect regular progress updates, we use this information to list them for adoption and find them the perfect new home. We also require at least one good photo to use for their adoption profile.
5. Adoption
We share the shortlist of applications with you and choose the best one that we all agree on. You are welcome to come to the meet and greet, but you do not have to.
Our process for new foster carers is almost the same as our process for adopting. But once you have fostered for us once, you don’t have to fill in the forms or do a house check. We still do meet and greets to ensure all the animals get along and are suited to be housed together. And like adoption, each case is individual, variations may need to be made to the process. The heath and well being of our animals is always our number one priority.
We maintain follow up contact with each foster family. We do expect that they will be available to provide updates as needed. We provide support or professional trainers if needed, for any of our fosters.
We also have facebook groups for our foster and adoptive families, so that we can easily stay in touch, share advice, progress, tips, photos and generally brag about how cute their new foster is!
Frequently asked questions
Foster care FAQ
BFA is always looking for people who would like to assist us by becoming involved in our foster care program. All our animals are temperament tested, desexed, vaccinated, microchipped, heart-worm, flea and worm treated prior to going into care. Each comes with a starter pack of food, lead, collar, bowl and bedding (when available). BFA will cover the cost of any medical treatment required whilst the foster animal is in care. Please note that a representative of BFA must be notified immediately in the case of an accident. BFA is available 24/7 to assist you with any questions and to offer support should you require it. We also have trainers and behaviourists available to assist us should the need arise. BFA endeavours to match each animal with a like-minded foster carer.
If you are interested in assisting us as a foster carer, fill out our application form, select foster care, and we will be in touch to discuss further.
All our animals are released from research labs into our care. We take in animals from all over Australia.
As a condition of their release, we aren’t able to access that information.
Sometimes, yes. But nothing that would prevent them from living a happy, normal life as a family pet.
Yes, every single one of our animals has at least one vet visit, most of the time they need a few visits. Our vets do a general health check, wellness blood panel and perform any surgery they might need to get them ready for foster care or adoption.
We have a pretty strict process and we make sure to follow it each time we adopt a cat to a new family. You can read about it here.
We provide each animal with everything they need to get going. This can include a bed, bowl, collar, lead, harness and toys.
We do supply a starter pack of food and if your foster animal requires a special diet we will provide their food ongoing. We do appreciate if the foster family can provide the food ongoing, but if that’s not possible then we are able help in that area. Discuss this at the time with your BFA representative.
Yes. We provide any and all medical costs while the animal is if foster care, this includes preventatives (flea/worm treatments).
Everything we are able to provide for your foster pet is due to the generous nature of our community who have donated these items to us.
Yes, as long as you can provide us with a payment receipt, we will reimburse all council registration fees.
No. We may include some treats in the starter pack, but we do not provide treats ongoing and cannot reimburse you for the purchase of treats. This doesn’t mean your foster pet can’t have threats though!
Yes! You can buy whatever you like for your foster! Treat them and spoil them. However, we can only reimburse you for special food, medication or council fees.
We don’t cover medical treatment for injury caused by letting your foster dog off lead.
We don’t cover fines incurred from council for letting your foster animal escape.
We don’t cover damage caused by your foster animal to any personal belongings – keep your valuables out of reach!
If everything is working and everyone is settled and happy then you can absolutely adopt your foster pet! The less we have to move them around the better.
No, it is not a requirement, but it is greatly appreciated if you can! It saves us LOTS of time driving to collect them from you then to the vet and then back to you.
NO, never. It is a requirement that you keep your foster dog on lead at all times, absolutely no exceptions.
No, this is something that you would be responsible for paying.
NO, never. It is a requirement that you keep your foster cat indoors at all times, absolutely no exceptions.
Fostering is unbelievably rewarding. Building trust and watching confidence grow are two of the most beautiful things to experience.