Carleton County Animal Shelter Foster Parent Application & Agreement

Thank you for applying to become a foster parent. We do not have a shelter, and we can't rescue pets in need without foster homes. You don't need prior experience with pets or fostering to become a foster parent, although experienced volunteers are welcome! We match the foster pet with your level of experience and your home environment (ie: other pets, children, work and travel schedules, etc).

Foster Parents provide a home environment for our rescued animals while they await permanent placement. Foster Parents provide a less stressful environment than a shelter, pound, or other facility, and speed up the socialization process by allowing the animal to interact with people regularly. Foster Parents are essential to the welfare and proper placement of our animals as they increase the animal’s chance of finding a loving, permanent home by evaluating the animal and providing our adoption councilors with a profile of the animals’s character and personality – all of which serve to facilitate the best possible permanent match.

Before going to a foster home, all CCAS pets have been:
1.) vaccinated as appropriate;
2.) treated for fleas and other parasites as well as for other conditions as needed; and 3.) spayed/neutered or booked for surgery, as is appropriate for each case.

It is common for foster pets to require follow-up vet care (at CCAS’s expense) while in foster care.

Once you submit your application, a CCAS official will contact you to discuss our fostering program and our adoption policies and procedures in greater detail. In becoming a foster parent, you are agreeing to abide by our foster care and adoption policies and procedures.

Fostering responsibilities include:

  1. Providing a safe and loving temporary home;

  2. Providing basic supplies such as food and litter. CCAS can assist you by providing food and litter

    when available. We can loan carriers, litter boxes, and other supplies if needed and when available;

  3. Monitoring the pet's health, seeking authorization from CCAS for follow-up medical care (at

    CCAS's expense), and taking the pet to authorized vet appointments;

  4. Monitoring the pet's behavior and seeking advice from CCAS, when required;

  5. Following CCAS's recommendations on socializing and integrating the pet (or isolating the pet) within

    your household, as appropriate;

  6. Abiding by CCAS's adoption policies and facilitating the pet's adoption (ie: responding to adoption

    inquiries via phone or email and making the pet available for visits by prospective adopters). We encourage foster parents to also bring their pets to adoption fairs as appropriate (ie: depending on the pet's health and temperament and the foster parent's availability);

  7. CCAS cats must not be allowed outside, and must not be declawed. CCAS dogs must not be allowed to run loose outside, and must not be tied outside for prolonged periods of time;

  8. Foster parents must not strike or otherwise physically harm any foster animal or allow anyone else to do so;

  9. Foster animals may be returned or exchanged at any time at the discretion of the foster parent and/or

    CCAS; and

  10. While we welcome input from foster parents regarding the suitability of prospective homes, specified agents

    from CCAS make the decision as to whether the animal will be released to adopting families. Foster parents do NOT make any decisions regarding the animal’s placement.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out the attached application completely, and thank you for applying to become a foster parent. Please remember that all medical needs are provided by Carleton County Animal Shelter. All you supply is LOVE.

We will be in touch with you soon.