Fostering
Do I have to pay anything to foster?
No, we provide you with all of the supplies you will need. If you decide you’d like to adopt your foster dog, you will then need to pay the relevant adoption fee.
What if I decide I want to adopt the dog?
If you feel you are falling in love with your foster dog and you’d like to offer him/her a forever home, please get in contact with our Foster Coordinator as soon as possible. You will still be required to go through our normal adoption process, which includes completing the Adoption Questionnaire and paying the relevant adoption fee.
Can I foster if I work FIFO?
Yes, you can. Many of our dogs require much-needed R&R (rest and rejuvenation) and depending on your roster, this could be the perfect break for one of our dogs from the kennel environment.
Do you do home visits?
No we don’t, however we may request to view your premises for specific cases.
What happens if I have to go away during the fostering period?
If you have travel plans while you are fostering a dog, please get in contact with our Foster Coordinator so we can find a suitable temporary home for the dog while you are away.
We ask that our foster carers provide us with at least two weeks notice and at least four weeks notice if you are planning to be away for an extended period of time.
How long am I required to foster for?
This depends on the dog being fostered and the individual foster carer. It can be anything from one night to on-going for palliative care. Our Foster Coordinator will try and match the dog with your requirements and lifestyle.
Can I choose the dog I want to foster?
Whilst we make every effort to match you with a suitable foster dog, there are cases where we may not have a dog to match your needs or lifestyle. Unfortunately, we don’t allow foster carers to choose which dog they’d like to foster otherwise dogs that are coping perfectly fine in kennels will end up waiting longer for a forever home. Our dog selection process is based on which dogs NEED foster. Our Foster Coordinator will suggest which dogs will suit your lifestyle and requirements and after you have met them you can choose which dog you’d like to help.
Want to know more? Check out our full FAQ section
Adopting
Do you take in surrendered dogs?
Yes, around 1/3 of our intake comes from private surrenders, those directly surrendering their dog to us when they can no longer care for them. To surrender a dog, you must be the legal owner and they must pass an intake assessment where they will meet one of our Trainer’s to assess their suitability for rehoming and kennel life. Please note that the wait time varies for surrendering a dog, but you should always expect to wait at least a few weeks before an appointment is available. To save your dog time in our quarantine kennels, please ensure they are up to date with vaccinations.
What should I bring when meeting a dog?
All family members in the home must meet the dog before heading home. As our dogs often come from unknown backgrounds, we like everyone to meet (including other free roaming furry family members) for the best chance at success. To commence the adoption process we require:
- Proof of landlord approval to have a dog at your home if you rent
- Photo ID with your address on it – so we know you are who you say you are
- Adequate funds for – adoption fee; any beds, leads, collars, dog food or other items you need to make your dog comfy in his or her new home. All dogs must leave with a flat collar, lead, ID tag and a seat belt attachment; all of which can be purchased in the store at the Refuge.
Can I visit without an appointment?
Yes! We are open to the public 7 days a week (excluding some public holidays) from 11am-4pm for visitors. Adoption interviews wrap up at 3pm.
I can’t adopt right now — how else can I help?
There are so many ways you can help our dogs!
- Foster- if you can’t take on a dog permanently but would love some doggie company, consider becoming a foster carer
- Volunteer- we rely heavily on our volunteer army for a range of tasks from walking dogs, to transport, administration, gardening and everything in between.
- Donate- As an almost entirely self funded organisation we rely on community support to keep our gates open
- Advocate- spread the word, follow our socials and tell you friends and family how amazing rescue dogs are!
What does it cost to adopt?
Did you know that the Dogs’ Refuge Home is almost entirely self-funded? This means that our Adoption Fees are used to help cover some, but certainly not all of the costs associated with rescuing and re-homing our dogs. Unfortunately rescuing dogs and giving them a second chance is quite costly and without charging an adoption fee we wouldn’t be able to save the lives of thousands of dogs each year.
Our adoption fee helps cover pre-treatment vet works including sterilisation, vaccination, microchipping, flea and worming, behaviour assessment, training and food expenses, however the cost to rescue and re-home a dog is considerably more than our adoption fee. We feel that every one of the dogs in our care is worth every cent we invest in them.
- ADULT DOGS (ages from 6 months to 7 years) $590
- PUPPIES (up to 6 months) $790
- SENIOR DOGS (over 7 years) $490
Where are you located?
We are located at 30 Lemnos Street, Shenton Park, WA 6008. There is parking available on Lemnos Street.
Can I foster a dog temporarily?
Yes, around half of our dogs are in foster homes at any one time. Please visit the foster page of our website for more information
How do I adopt a dog?
Please visit the adoption process page of our website for the full run down on adopting one of our gorgeous residents.
Want to know more? Check out our full FAQ section
General
Can I foster/ trial a dog before I adopt?
While we do not offer trials, we have a 2-week adoption ‘cool down’ for all adoptions in case it’s not the right match. If the dog needs to return within this period, you are entitled to a refund of the adoption fee, less an administration fee.
Why is it taking so long for me to find my furry companion?
Some dogs get adopted really quickly (the lucky ones?); not all dogs fit any home or environment – many of our dogs have had a rough start to life and may have some challenging behaviours or idiosyncrasies that are better suited to a specific environment and household. This DOES NOT mean that you are not a good home. It just means you and the dog you are interested in are not well suited. We want you and our dogs to be happy together furever. If you trust us to match you with a dog we think is the most suited to your home and lifestyle, we will try our best to ensure you are the perfect match for one another. We also encourage you to look beyond the ‘looks’ of the dog and explore a breed or mix you may not have previously. Allow our team to play matchmaker!
Will I be contacted about my application?
If you have applied online, you agree with our adoption philosophies, you’re ready to adopt and everyone in the home can come along to meet the new family- please don’t wait! Come on down to the Refuge any day of the week between 11am and 3pm. We are unfortunately not able to respond to every application we receive. To put it simply, we are a small team that rehomed more than 1,500 dogs last year. We receive hundred of applications per month, with certain ‘desirable’ dogs receiving lots of applications. We are a not-for-profit organisation that does not have the staffing capacity to answer all of the enquiries and requests we receive.
Why do you only save an application for 6 months?
Anything within your home environment or lifestyle may have changed after 6 months. You may change your mind about the type of dog you want; the behaviours you are willing to work with; how much time you want to spend exercising them. We do store applications in our system for longer, but we will request a new application if more than 6 months has elapsed.