Do you wish to help our beloved hounds on their journey to retirement but aren’t in the position to have a pet in the long term? Join our superstar foster team!
Foster care is an essential part of our program because it gives dogs an insight into life as a pet. Between the foster carer and the GAP team, we can set them up for success in this new phase of their lives.
What does fostering a greyhound involve?
- Watching them learn and grow.
- Caring for them for around four weeks.
- Providing the GAP team with regular updates.
- Access our supportive team.
To learn more about the process and experience, please see below:
- You submit an application via this form, with information to help us understand your home, lifestyle and any existing pets you may have.
- GAP match you with a dog we think would suit a family situation similar to yours, giving them some exposure to this sort of home environment.
- The greyhound is typically in your home for four weeks, with a reasonable margin of change either side.
- GAP send a weekly report card for the foster carer to complete to allow us to track the dog’s progress. You can also attach photos of the greyhound enjoying this initial foray into life as a pet.
- Should you require any additional support, you may contact the foster coordinator as much as you need.
- GAP will provide training literature full of helpful tips and tricks to help your greyhound adapt to the new environment.
- Should the dog require any veterinary treatment, the foster carer is responsible for taking the greyhound to one of our associated vets in a timely manner – treatment is at GAP’s expense and for GAP to approve.
- The greyhound is only in your home temporarily – which we understand can be sad when it comes time to say goodbye. Should you wish to pass along your details to the new family, if they would like to stay in touch, we can certainly offer this.
- GAP provide you with a leash, collar, muzzle, information pack, even a bed should you require one.
It costs nothing to be a Foster Carer. GAP provides everything you need to support a greyhound for a 4 – 6 week period including dry dog food, bedding for the greyhound, a collar, a lead, a muzzle, and an information pack.
In addition, GAP provide foster carers with ongoing support via phone, email and face to face catch ups. All foster carers are also invited to join our online forum to network with other foster carers on our closed Facebook group.
Love and Patience – To put up with the occasional soiling accident, the initial sleepless nights and the little mistakes the dogs make while they “learn the ropes”!
Socialization – GAP will go through what level of socialisation your greyhound needs whilst in foster care. This varies between greyhounds and the GAP staff will go through the best methods of socialisation for your particular hound.
Flexibility – GAP asks foster carers to be flexible and we do our best to return the favour. This means we may ask you to take the dog somewhere or switch dogs at short notice. We know life sometimes gets in the way of a good plan, and we do our best to work with every foster family to get the best outcome for the dogs.
Vet Care – GAP has a network of vet clinics that allow us to provide greyhounds to people at the lowest possible cost. Therefore we ask foster carers to take dogs to our preferred clinics if the dog requires veterinary attention. GAP covers the cost of sterilization and dental work for the greyhound while they are in foster care.
Exhibitions and Adoption Month – GAP often attends large scale exhibits such as the Perth Royal Show to educate the public on the gentle nature of our breed and to encourage people to consider fostering or adopting a greyhound. And while we no longer have our foster dogs attend the Perth Royal Show we do sometimes have our foster carers come along and volunteer. We have an Adoption month yearly where we dedicate a reduced adoption fee for dogs adopted out within a certain period. During this time our Foster Carers may have several foster hounds and come to meet their prospective owners when it is their turn to be adopted.
Feedback – This is the most important aspect of fostering as it is your information that allows us to place the greyhounds in the most suitable homes. We ask that you provide us updates on the dog’s behaviour, such as what type of home it will be suitable for and what type of experiences it may still need to be exposed to before being ready for a forever home. We know sometimes life can get busy, so our Foster Care Coordinator will send weekly updates to see how you are going!
