Foster Program

Pact for Animals is a 501(c) 3 nationwide non-profit organization whose mission is to help keep people and their companion pets together by finding temporary foster care when they temporarily cannot care for their pets.  PACT for Animals offers our services to those serving in the military and military support services personnel during deployment, training, or permanent change of station.   PACT also assists pet owners who are experiencing a medical emergency and require long-term hospitalization and recovery time. We help infants to senior citizens and partner with many major hospitals across the country so patients and their families can concentrate on their medical needs and rest assured that their companion animals are in loving homes until they return. How Our Program Works PACT for Animals will follow you through the process to help ensure your pet can find a safe and secure foster home while you are unable to care for your pet. PACT screens the fosters and tries to match your pet or pets with a foster home that meets their needs. The owner is responsible for all food, treats, and supplies agreed upon in the contract. PACT recommends automatic shipments of our regular food, treats, heartworm, and flea and tick treatment. This can be arranged through  or other online pet food delivery services. If the foster pays out of pocket, the owner is responsible for reimbursing the foster within 30 days of notice of expense. The owner is also responsible for any vet care, which should be discussed ahead of time for routine or non-emergency care.  Emergency care costs and directives will be addressed in the foster agreement. The owner is also responsible for grooming costs and boarding or a pet sitter if the foster is away.  *(Military Applicants please see notes below) . The first step in the process is to fill out an application.  Our staff will then review the completed form, and we will be in touch. Once the application is submitted, you will receive an email within 24/48 hours requesting specific documentation.  You must respond to this email.  Application Process Please make sure your contact information is correct. You will be receiving correspondence from us by both email and phone. Your primary email is the address we will use, so if you have multiple emails, please list them. This is especially important if your email is different when you are deployed.  While the application is lengthy, please be detailed and accurate about your pet’s personality and traits, such as a “dominant dog,” “doesn’t like cats or toddlers, but ok with older children”, etc. These details will help us place your pet in a proper foster home. Once your application is submitted, you will receive an email within 24-48 hours. Please check your email for our correspondence.  If you do not hear from us, please get in touch with us at sue@pactforanimals.org. Please put your pet’s name in the subject line. When our staff contacts you, we will ask for the information below. Having that information readily available to send to us will help expedite your application process. 

1. A copy of your orders stating the length of your military activity as it corresponds to this term or a copy of a doctor’s note stating you/your family member are a current patient and giving an estimated length of treatment and recovery.  This information will be used to determine the foster contract.  We will also use this as our guideline for when you will be able to reclaim your pet.
2. A copy of your pet’s medical records, showing he/she is current on vaccines, spayed/neutered, enlisting any other information we may need to know about their medical status.  List of required vaccines.
3. Please provide PACT with pictures of your pet.  It can be pictures of them alone, with family members, with kids, with other animals, in costumes, or any cute poses you have. We want our foster network to have that “AWWWWWW” moment when they see these pictures. They also help us showcase your pet. Please make sure they are clear, sharp photos.
4. Military members will be asked to supply the name and contact information of their command in case of an emergency so we can get a message to you. We only use this in an emergency, and your civilian point of contact is nonresponsive.
5. Please be sure you have contacted yourPOC (Point of Contact) and told them about their responsibilities in this role. We will contact them (so please remember to include their email address!) and will send a POC agreement to sign, which indicates that they are responsible for your pet. This is the case where you are unable to pick your pet up by your contracted date or if we are unable to keep your pet in a foster home for any reason.

*Please be advised that it takes the staff members at PACT several days and sometimes weeks or months to identify, screen, and coordinate the appropriate foster family for each pet in need of care. While PACT offers this support for free, this work is very time-consuming. We want to honor our full commitment to you to locate a foster in a specific area of the country for you. * For these reasons, PLEASE:

• Make sure you have exhausted all other options for potential foster care for your pet before reaching out to PACT. We have an extensive waiting list, but if your application is approved, we will go to work for you right away.
• Let us know immediately if your plans change and you no longer need our services so we can use our resources to help another pet.
• Strongly consider offering us a $50 donation to help us offset the cost of our services, especially the paid social media advertising we use to find new foster homes.

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to receiving your request and working with you!