FOSTER CARER GUIDE

Welcome to the Dusty Paws Dog Rescue Foster Carer Support Hub.

This page contains the information you need while caring for a Dusty Paws foster dog. Please read it carefully and return whenever you need guidance.

If you are unsure about anything, please ask in your support chat. We would always prefer you to ask for help early.

URGENT HELP

Please contact your support chat immediately if:

Your foster dog becomes sick or injured.
Your foster dog escapes or goes missing.
A bite, fight or serious behavioural incident occurs.
You are struggling or feel unable to safely manage your foster dog.
Your foster dog needs emergency veterinary treatment.

In a veterinary emergency, contact the support chat as soon as possible so payment can be arranged with the clinic.

YOUR ROLE AS A DUSTY PAWS FOSTER CARER

As a Dusty Paws foster carer, you are helping prepare a rescue dog for a safe and successful forever home.
Foster carers are expected to:
Provide a safe, secure and caring temporary home.
Follow any individual instructions provided for the dog.
Provide appropriate exercise, enrichment and positive social experiences.
Work on basic skills such as sit, stay, recall, crate or place training and calm greetings.
Provide clear rules, boundaries and a consistent routine.
Keep the dog on lead whenever they are away from the property.
Ensure the dog wears its collar and Dusty Paws identification tag.
Keep the dog at the approved foster address unless permission has been given otherwise.
Provide honest updates about the dog’s health, behaviour and progress.
Ask for assistance as soon as a problem arises.
Prepare an adoption profile and provide clear, current photographs.
Assist with approved meet and greets.
Keep applicant and rescue information confidential.
Keep the dog’s allocated name unless the committee approves a change.
Every new dog must spend at least two weeks in foster care before becoming available for adoption. This gives us time to understand their personality, identify any behavioural concerns and complete the required veterinary work.
Some dogs will need longer than two weeks before they are ready for adoption.

NEEDING A BREAK

Fostering can be physically and emotionally demanding. There is absolutely no shame in asking for a break.

If your foster dog needs to be moved, please give the rescue as much notice as possible. Finding another suitable carer may take up to seven days.

House Rules

SETTLING YOUR FOSTER DOG IN

Your foster dog may feel confused, anxious or overwhelmed when they first arrive.

Keep their first few days calm and predictable. Avoid overwhelming them with visitors, outings or introductions.

Provide:

A consistent daily routine.
Quiet time to sleep and decompress.
Separate feeding areas.
Supervised introductions to resident animals.
Age-appropriate exercise and enrichment.
Clear, calm and consistent boundaries.
Plenty of positive reinforcement.

Every dog must have a safe place where they can rest without being disturbed. This may be a crate, bed, mat or quiet room.

Children, adults and other animals must leave the dog alone while they are in their safe place.

Your foster dog may be fed there and given special treats, enrichment toys or puzzles to help create a positive association.

SOCIALISATION

Socialisation does not mean meeting as many dogs and people as possible.

Good socialisation involves calm, safe and positive exposure to different environments, people, sounds and experiences. Never force your foster dog into an interaction if they appear frightened, uncomfortable or overwhelmed.

If you are unsure how to safely socialise your foster dog, please ask for guidance in your support chat.

Foster dogs must not visit off-lead dog parks.

We may not yet know how a new foster dog will react around unfamiliar dogs, people or high-energy environments. Dog parks can also expose dogs and puppies to illness, parasites, injury, bullying and frightening experiences.

Safer alternatives include:

On-lead walks in quiet areas.
Controlled playdates with suitable, known dogs.
Enrichment activities at home.
Pet-friendly shops or cafés when appropriate.
Training sessions in different environments.
Sniffing walks and outdoor adventures with their carer.

Puppies must not visit public dog areas until they are fully vaccinated and the required waiting period has passed.

VETERINARY CARE

All Dusty Paws dogs must receive approved veterinary care before adoption.

All appointments must be approved by the committee and booked through the correct process. Please do not arrange veterinary treatment yourself without approval.

Unauthorised appointments may become the financial responsibility of the person who made the booking.

If your foster dog becomes sick or injured:

Contact your support chat immediately.
Provide clear information, photographs or videos when possible.
Wait for instructions about which approved clinic to attend.
Keep the team updated after the appointment.
Upload or send all veterinary paperwork as requested.

Please attend every scheduled appointment on time. Veterinary clinics may charge a fee for missed appointments, and the carer may be responsible for this fee if adequate notice was not provided.

Follow-up appointments already approved as part of an existing treatment or surgical plan can be arranged according to the instructions provided by the rescue.

VETERINARY CARE

APPROVED VETS

Paws Galore -145/147 Beach Road Christies Beach

Blake’s crossing -41 Village Terrace Blakeview

Noah’s Crossing -168 Hayman Road Lewiston

Elizabeth Park Vet -99 Yorktown road Elizabeth Park

Black Forrest vets -687 South Road Black Forest

Victor Vet -29 Adamson Street Hayborough

Murray Bridge Veterinary Clinic-140 Swanport Road, Murray Bridge

Seaside Vet -24 John Terrace, Wallaroo

Midway Road Vet –3 Midway Road, Elizabeth East

Whyalla Vet Centre –97 McDouall Start Avenue, Whyalla Stuart

O’Halloran Hill Vet - 123 Main S Rd, O'Halloran Hill

Limestone Coast Vet- 117 Commercial Street, West Mount Gambier

Fourth Street Vet – 18 Fourth St, Gawler South

Hilton Vet Centre – 142 Sir Donald Bradman Dr, Hilton

Red Gum Vet – 24 Woodcock Street, Port Augusta

Balhannah Vet –24 Bridge Street, Balhannah

Approved Vets

EMERGENCY VETERINARY CARE

If your foster dog requires urgent emergency treatment, immediately contact the support chat so the rescue can speak with the clinic and arrange payment.

Emergency Vet Adelaide

282 Anzac Hwy, Plympton SA 5038

Phone: 0881213030

SASH
99 Rundle Street, Kent Town
Phone: 08 8125 7132

Blake’s Crossing
41 Village Terrace, Blakeview
Phone: 08 7231 3000

WHEN YOUR FOSTER DOG IS READY FOR ADOPTION

Once your foster dog has been in care for at least two weeks, completed the necessary veterinary work and is behaviourally ready, there are two possible pathways:

You wish to apply to adopt your foster dog.
Your foster dog is publicly advertised for adoption.

Please make your decision before the dog is publicly listed.

Fostering is not a guaranteed pathway to adoption. However, foster carers are given the opportunity to express their interest before their foster dog is advertised.

Once the dog has been publicly listed, the adoption process must continue fairly and the foster carer cannot change their decision.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADOPT

If you would like to adopt your foster dog:

Tell the team through your support chat.
Complete the application through SavourLife.
The dog will be placed on hold while your application is processed.
Complete the adoption agreement.
Complete a desexing agreement if the dog is too young to be desexed.
Pay the adoption fee in full and send proof of payment.
Send clear photographs of all completed paperwork.

Because the dog has already been in your care for at least two weeks, the standard adoption trial does not apply.

Once everything has been completed, the dog’s ownership will be transferred into your name.

We ask carers who adopt their foster dog to take a six-month break from fostering. This gives their new dog time to settle properly.

CREATING AN ADOPTION PROFILE

A good adoption profile helps us find the most suitable home—not simply the first available home.

Please include:

Name
Age
Breed or estimated breed
Location
Nicknames
Personality
Energy level
Favourite activities and toys
Training they already know
Training they are currently working on
Behaviour around adults, children and strangers
Behaviour around dogs, cats and other animals
Exercise and enrichment needs
Ideal home
Medical information
Any behaviours their new family must understand
Several clear, current photographs

Profiles must be honest. Do not hide concerns because you are worried they may affect the dog’s chances of adoption. Accurate information helps prevent unsuitable placements and dogs being returned.

Creating a Profile

REVIEWING APPLICATIONS

Applications will normally remain open for at least two days or until the dog receives 30 applications.
Once applications close:
The applications will be sent to you for review.
Consider which home best meets the dog’s individual needs.
Choose one applicant and tell the team through the support chat.
Dusty Paws will contact that applicant.
Wait until the team confirms that the email has been sent.
You may then contact the applicant and arrange a meet and greet.
Tell the support chat the date, time and location of the meeting.
Only one applicant will be contacted at a time. This prevents multiple applicants from believing they have been selected.
The committee retains final approval of every adoption.
Please pay attention to Dusty Paws’ adoption policies, including our policy that families should generally wait at least 12 months after bringing a new dog home before adopting another.

Waiting fo applcations

Choosing the right home

Adopting ANOTHER dog within a year....

Our aim here at Dusty Paws Dog Rescue is to set ALL dogs up for success.
Whether it is existing dogs in the home or dogs within our rescue.

Simply put.
If you have had a dog for less than a year (whether it be from puppy hood or adopted at any age), then our view on welcoming another dog into the home is No.

We strongly believe that every single dog deserves to be properly socialised and trained for at least a year before welcoming another dog in to the family and have the 'new dog training' transferred onto them.

Don't get us wrong. We believe that constant training for many years is required for any dog.
But a year is an adequate gap to have your existing dog reasonably settled in.

So if you see this in an application for your dog, please take notice.

Pfa

MEET AND GREETS

Meet and Greet

Before the meeting:

Make sure your foster dog is clean and appropriately groomed.
Complete the dog’s section of the adoption agreement.
Prepare the dog’s Paw Pack.
Tell the support chat when and where the meeting will occur.
Ask for an experienced carer or mentor to attend if you need support.

During the meeting:

Explain everything you have learnt about the dog.
Discuss their personality, routine, training and exercise needs.
Explain any known medical or behavioural concerns.
Supervise all interactions.
Check that fencing, gates and the environment are suitable.
Do not leave the dog with the applicant while they are deciding.
Trust your instincts and contact the support chat if anything feels unsafe.

A dog’s behaviour can change in a new environment. Make applicants aware that toilet training, confidence and other behaviours may temporarily regress while the dog settles.

Paw Packs should include it:

Adoption agreement

(this will need to be read through by yourself and the adoptee at the time of adoption. Once filled out you need to take a clear photo of each page and send it through to your support chat.)

Desexing records
Vaccination records
Microchip records
Business card
Spare Dusty Paws tag

IF THE APPLICANT WANTS TO ADO

Applicants may take up to 24 hours after the meet and greet to make their decision.

Once they accept, they have up to 24 hours to complete the process and collect the dog unless the committee approves another arrangement.

Before the dog leaves your care:

The adoption agreement must be signed.
A desexing agreement must be signed if required.
Payment must be made by bank transfer.
Proof of payment must be received and confirmed.
Photographs of all paperwork must be sent to the support chat.
The adopter must receive the Paw Pack and veterinary records.

The dog’s two-week adoption trial begins when they leave with their new family.

Please try to take a photograph of the dog with their new family, with their permission, for our Happy Homes group.

COLLECTING A SURRENDER

All surrender collections must be approved by the committee before the dog is collected.

Before leaving:

Read all the information supplied about the dog.
Take a clipboard, pen and surrender agreement.
Take a slip lead, collar and standard lead.
Make sure the dog can be safely secured during transport.
Ask for assistance if the dog may be frightened, reactive or difficult to handle.

The surrender agreement must be signed before the dog enters Dusty Paws care.

If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe at any point, leave the situation and contact the committee. The collection can be cancelled or rearranged with a more experienced handler.

Do not place yourself at risk.

Collect a Surrender

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Please use your support chat whenever you need advice or assistance. Dusty Paws has experienced carers and trainers available to support you.

Asking for help early gives us the best opportunity to support you and your foster dog.