I am looking to become a foster/shelter parent for animals in need primarily cats/dogs
Does anyone do this, the RSPCA site has info but seems a lot more rigid compared to the smaller shelters run by volunteers
I'm happy to pay for all the food etc. the only point of concern is that it says "you will be responsible for the animal until a new owner is found". For personal reasons we don't want to have them long term, days to weeks is fine.
This.
Fostering can be short term, but it can also be months long. If you're not able to commit to the dog for the duration, however long it may be, then you're not suitable to be a foster.
This and that.
Thanks for offering your time but unfortunately, on this occasion, your application has been unsuccessful.
I’ve known a few people who have done this before, primarily for cats and kittens. They have all started with a conversation on what would work best for the new foster family. The shelters will then only provide pets that work for that environment. If you can only do days to weeks, then those are the ones that you will likely get. Which means probably ones that are already adopted but are too young to actually be released.
However, as above, sometimes things happen and you may take on an animal that you’re expecting to have for only a few weeks but it might drag out. You need to be ok with this.
In order to suggest some shelters, we’ll need to know where you are located.
I fostered cats. The pure breeds will be adopted out in a blink of an eye however you rarely get them. The older moggies you may have for months or longer. The last 2 cats I had were borderline feral, didn't use litter tray, shit and piss everywhere, extremely shy and nervous. Couldn't adopt them like that so I spent 6 months domesticating them, fell in love and 10 years on one of them is sleeping on my lap as I write this. So yeah fostering isn't a guaranteed short term thing.
That suggests to me you're not an ideal candidate for fostering unfortunately.