pet foster homes

Creating Foster Homes for Pets of Domestic Violence Households

Why it's important:

   Pets are part of the family. Nearly 75% of families with children also include pets. When violence is part of the family, it is highly likely that pets experience that violence along with other members of the family. In a Utah study, women in a domestic violence shelter reported that their partners threatened, harmed or killed their pets. Many domestic violence victims report reluctance to leave a violent home because of fear for the safety of their pets.... Click here to read more about why it's important.

Guidelines for Developing Programs

First and foremost pet foster home programs come in all shapes and sizes but, however these are designed, there are some important considerations:

Step 1: Read through the Safe Havens Guidelines, PAWS Manual and the Foster Care Manual to become familiar with the key issues and recommendations.

Safe Havens Guide  l  Pets and Woman’s Shelter Manual  l  Foster Home Manual

Step 2: Meet with local humane society and/or domestic violence agency to determine interest and resources

Step 3: Outline the goals and expectations for the program

Step 4: Make sure all partners, including those fostering pets, are clear on responsibilities and commitments. Develop/adopt forms to be used to capture those agreements (see sample forms below)

Case Contact Record  l  Checklist  l  Screening Form  l  Foster Job Description

Foster Home Agreement  l  Foster Home Application  l  Program Agreement

Pet Health Record  l  Return to Owner Record  l  Pet Foster Home Programs Listing

Step 5: Establish an evaluation mechanism to provide feedback on the successes and challenges of the program.

Safe Haven Guidelines for Pets are available from the Humane Society of the United States:

http://files.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/2004_SafeHavens_Guide.pdf

 If you would like more information on Pet Foster Homes or to schedule a consultation, please contact the Linkage Project.