You can help them STAY together

Fostering a dog or cat is more than just opening your home—it’s giving hope to vulnerable pet parents in times of crisis.

By providing temporary care, you’re helping keep beloved pets safe and loved while their families navigate challenging times.

Your kindness can ensure pets and their owners stay connected, creating a lifeline of compassion when it’s needed most.

Together, we can keep families whole—one foster home at a time.

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What do I need to know?

Fostering a pet in need can be one of the most selfless acts you can undertake, which is why our experienced and dedicated team will match your home with the right pet, ensuring comfort for everyone involved.

We want you to care for this animal as if it were your own, whether for a few weeks or months.

Join our Foster Care Team today and help us keep families together who need it most.

For more details on how it works, explore our FAQ section below.

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What’s Included?

  • Supplies

    All supplies including food, flea & tick, bedding, toys, vet costs and anything required for the pet.

  • Support

    From a friendly and experienced animal welfare team to support your fostering journey.

  • Purpose

    Becoming a foster carer will give you a greater sense of something bigger than yourself and the extra company is pretty good.

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  • Fostering a pet means providing a temporary home for a dog or cat while they wait to be reunited with their family. As a foster carer, you’ll treat them as one of your own pets offering love, exercise, and enrichment.

  • The duration can vary depending on the situation, but most foster placements last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

    We’ll work with you to ensure the timeframe suits your availability.

  • No, fostering shouldn’t place a financial burden on you.

    The STAY Foundation provides food, supplies, and covers veterinary expenses for the pet during their stay in your care.

  • Many foster carers successfully foster pets alongside their own animals.

    We’ll ensure the foster pet is a good match for your household, and we’ll provide guidance on how to safely introduce them to your pets.

  • Absolutely! We’ll discuss your preferences—such as the size, age, or type of pet—and your home environment to ensure we match you with a pet that’s the right fit for you and your lifestyle.

  • Fostering animals means providing them with a safe, secure, and loving temporary home.

    While no prior fostering experience is required, foster carers should meet the following essential criteria to ensure the best possible environment for the animals in their care:

    • Live in the Hunter or Central Coast regionsNSW

    • Hold a valid driver’s licence or have access to reliable and safe transportation.

    • Must be a minimum of 18 years of age.

    • Can provide an environment that is safe and secure within your home (indoors). You must have the ability to isolate the foster animal(s) from family pets when required.

    • If you have your own animals, your animals must be sociable and fully vaccinated, have been treated for fleas and worms, and are desexed.

    • Able to commit to care for animals for 1- 3 Months, if required.