Animal Shelter Emergency Foster Planning Guide

Why Emergency Foster Planning Matters

Foster care can extend an animal shelter's capacity beyond the physical walls of the facility.

During an anticipated hurricane, wildfire, flood, facility failure or other emergency, moving appropriate animals into foster homes may reduce the number of animals that need to remain at the shelter or be evacuated later.

Emergency foster homes may also become important when a shelter experiences a sudden population increase or when normal housing areas cannot safely be used.

However, foster placement does not end the shelter's responsibility for planning.

The foster caregiver may be affected by the same disaster. Roads may close. Power may fail. Veterinary services may be limited. The caregiver may need to evacuate or may suddenly become unable to keep the animal.

An effective emergency foster plan therefore answers two questions:

How will we safely move animals into foster homes?

and

How will we continue supporting and accounting for those animals throughout the emergency?

Emergency foster planning should happen before those questions need answers.

Build the System Before You Need It

The worst time to design an emergency foster program is when animals need to leave the shelter immediately.

Before an emergency, determine:

• who is responsible for activating the foster program;
• who maintains foster contact information;
• how foster availability will be confirmed;
• how animals will be selected;
• how animals and caregivers will be matched;
• what supplies can leave with animals;
• how medications and medical instructions will be handled;
• how placements will be documented;
• how caregivers will reach the shelter;
• what veterinary support is available;
• what happens if a foster caregiver must evacuate; and
• how animals will eventually return, transfer or move to another appropriate outcome.

A shelter does not need hundreds of foster homes to begin planning.

The goal is to create a repeatable process that can expand when the organization needs it.

Who Is Responsible?

Identify who will coordinate emergency foster operations.

Depending on the organization, this may be:

• the foster coordinator;
• a shelter manager;
• a designated staff member;
• a volunteer coordinator;
• or an emergency foster team.

If the organization does not normally operate a foster program, designate at least one primary person and one backup person who understand the emergency foster process.

Document:

During a large emergency, consider separating responsibilities such as:

• recruitment;
• foster screening;
• animal matching;
• animal preparation;
• supply distribution;
• records and tracking;
• caregiver communication; and
• veterinary coordination.

One person should still understand who is responsible for each function.

Know Who May Be Available

An emergency foster contact list is more useful when it records more than a person's name and phone number.

Consider maintaining information such as:

• species accepted;
• number of animals that may be accommodated;
• dogs, cats, puppies, kittens or other animals;
• resident animals in the home;
• ability to separate animals;
• children in the household when relevant to matching;
• experience with neonatal animals;
• experience with medical cases;
• ability to administer medication;
• experience with behavioral needs;
• transportation availability;
• housing restrictions;
• expected foster duration;
• evacuation limitations; and
• preferred contact method.

Do not assume a caregiver who fostered previously will automatically be available during an emergency.

Availability should be reconfirmed when the emergency foster plan is activated.

Which Animals Could Leave the Facility?

Emergency foster decisions should be made by the organization using the information available about each animal and the capabilities of available caregivers.

Consider factors such as:

• medical needs;
• medication requirements;
• behavioral information;
• handling needs;
• species;
• age;
• litter or bonded relationships;
• infectious-disease considerations;
• veterinary follow-up needs;
• transportation needs;
• available foster experience; and
• expected duration of placement.

Do not create a universal rule that certain categories of animals must or must not enter foster.

Instead, shelters should establish their own decision process in consultation with appropriate animal-care and veterinary personnel.

Start With the People Who Already Know You

When time allows, contact existing foster caregivers first.

They may already understand:

• your shelter's expectations;
• animal-care procedures;
• communication methods;
• veterinary process; and
• foster agreements.

Then consider broader recruitment through:

• shelter supporters;
• previous adopters;
• volunteers;
• social media;
• email lists;
• partner organizations;
• local media;
• community groups; and
• other established outreach channels.

Emergency urgency should not eliminate reasonable matching and documentation.

A large number of volunteers is only useful if the shelter can safely coordinate them.

Match the Animal to the Home

Use whatever screening and matching process is appropriate for your organization and circumstances.

At minimum, consider asking:

• What animals can you safely house?
• How many animals can you take?
• Do you have other animals in your home?
• Can foster animals be separated if necessary?
• Are you comfortable administering medication?
• Do you have experience with puppies, kittens or neonatal animals?
• Are you comfortable with medical or behavioral needs?
• Do you have transportation?
• How long are you likely to be available?
• Are you in an area that may also need to evacuate?
• If you must evacuate, can the foster animal go with you?
• If not, what is the backup plan?

Do not promise that every interested caregiver will receive an animal.

The shelter should make placement decisions based on the animal's needs, available information and the caregiver's ability to safely provide care.

What Should Leave With the Animal?

When possible and appropriate, prepare:

• animal identification;
• caregiver contact information;
• feeding instructions;
• food;
• medication;
• medication instructions;
• relevant medical information;
• behavior and handling information;
• leash, harness or carrier as appropriate;
• litter and sanitation supplies as applicable;
• basic bedding or familiar items when available;
• shelter emergency contact information;
• veterinary instructions;
• instructions if the caregiver must evacuate;
• expected communication schedule; and
• return or transfer instructions.

Do not prescribe one universal number of days of supplies.

Supply needs depend on the emergency, animal, organization, caregiver and expected duration.

Fostered Animals Are Still Part of the Emergency Operation

Animals leaving the building should not disappear from the organization's operational picture.

Maintain a reliable record connecting:

1. Animal→
2. Foster caregiver→
3. Location→
4. Contact information→
5. Placement date→
6. Medical needs→
7. Supplies issued→
8. Current status→
9. Backup destination→
10. Return/transfer/outcome

The tracking system may be:

• shelter-management software;
• another approved electronic system;
• a paper emergency log;
• or another reliable process appropriate to the organization.

Whatever system is used, staff should know:

• where the record is kept;
• who updates it;
• who can access it during an emergency; and
• what backup method will be used if normal technology is unavailable.

FEMA animal emergency-response guidance includes identification, documentation and continued animal tracking as important functions during animal evacuation and transport operations.

Emergency foster operations should maintain the same basic principle: know which animals moved and where they went.

Placement Is the Beginning, Not the End

Emergency foster caregivers need a reliable way to reach the shelter.

Provide clear instructions for:

• routine questions;
• urgent animal-care questions;
• veterinary concerns;
• lost animals;
• evacuation;
• inability to continue fostering;
• shelter closure;
• transportation problems; and
• loss of normal communication.

If possible, establish both a primary and backup communication method.

Examples may include:

• phone;
• text;
• email;
• messaging platform; or
• another organization-approved system.

Avoid depending on only one communication channel.

Power, internet or cellular service may be disrupted during a disaster.

Plan for the Foster's Emergency Too

A foster home may be affected by the same hurricane, wildfire, flood, power failure or other emergency affecting the shelter.

Before placement, ask:

What happens if this caregiver must evacuate or can no longer safely keep the animal?

Possible plans may include:

• the caregiver evacuating with the animal;
• moving the animal to another approved foster;
• moving the animal to a partner organization;
• returning the animal to the shelter if safe;
• moving the animal to an established evacuation destination; or
• another organization-approved arrangement.

Do not assume that the shelter facility will always be available as the backup destination.

Foster caregivers should know who to contact before moving an animal to another person or location whenever circumstances allow.

What If an Animal Becomes Sick or Injured?

Emergency foster instructions should explain:

• who the caregiver contacts first;
• what constitutes an urgent veterinary concern under shelter policy;
• which veterinary providers may be used;
• whether authorization is required;
• what happens if the normal clinic is unavailable;
• how medications are replaced;
• how medical records are shared; and
• how emergency veterinary expenses are handled under organizational policy.

This page does not provide veterinary diagnosis or treatment instructions.

Emergency conditions may disrupt normal veterinary services. Identify backup veterinary contacts and procedures before an emergency whenever possible.

Keep the Foster Network Informed

Decide in advance:

• who sends foster updates;
• how often caregivers should check in;
• how the shelter confirms the animal is safe;
• how changed evacuation conditions are communicated;
• what happens when phone or internet service fails;
• and how caregivers report that they need help.

Consider maintaining an emergency foster contact tree or group communication method, while protecting personal information appropriately.

Caregivers should not have to search social media to determine what the shelter expects them to do with an animal already in their care.

Pet Safe SOP Emergency Foster Activation Workflow

This is a Pet Safe SOP planning framework. It is not a FEMA, ASPCA, Best Friends or government-mandated eight-step standard. Organizations should adapt it to their own policies and circumstances.

1. 1

   Activate the Emergency Foster Plan

   Confirm who is leading the foster operation and what emergency conditions are driving the activation.

2. 2

   Contact Local Media and Community With an Emergency Foster Plea

   Use established communication channels to explain the need and how interested caregivers should respond.

3. 3

   Contact Existing Foster Caregivers

   Confirm current availability rather than relying on an older foster list.

4. 4

   Identify Animals Appropriate for Emergency Foster

   Review animal needs and determine which animals may be appropriately matched with available homes.

5. 5

   Match Animals to Available Foster Homes

   Match caregiver capabilities with animal needs.

6. 6

   Prepare Animals, Records, Medications and Supplies

   Provide the information and available materials caregivers need to safely care for the animal.

7. 7

   Document Every Placement

   Record the animal, caregiver, destination, contact information and current placement status.

8. 8

   Maintain Communication Until the Animal Returns or Reaches Another Outcome

   Continue tracking and supporting the placement throughout the emergency.

Ready-to-Customize Emergency Foster Message

Copy this message and replace the bracketed placeholders. Nothing here is saved.

Customize this message before publishing it. Do not promise supplies, veterinary services or placement terms your organization cannot provide.

Define Which Animals Your Program Covers

Emergency fostering can describe different operations.

Shelter Population Reduction

These are animals already under the shelter's custody or care that are temporarily moved to foster homes as part of the shelter's emergency operations.

Community Emergency Fostering

These may be animals belonging to residents who have been displaced by a disaster and need temporary animal housing or support.

These operations may involve different:

• ownership records;
• authorization;
• intake procedures;
• veterinary responsibilities;
• reunification procedures;
• legal considerations;
• documentation; and
• partner agencies.

Do not assume that an existing shelter foster agreement automatically covers privately owned animals displaced by a disaster.

Organizations considering community emergency fostering should determine applicable local requirements, agreements and responsibilities before activating that service.

Plan the End of the Emergency Placement

When conditions stabilize, determine what happens next for each foster animal.

Possible outcomes may include:

• return to the shelter;
• continued foster care;
• transfer to another approved placement;
• adoption when permitted through normal organizational processes;
• reunification when the animal belongs to a displaced owner;
• or another documented outcome.

Before requesting large numbers of animals return to the facility, confirm that:

• the facility is safe;
• utilities and critical systems are functional enough for operations;
• staffing is available;
• animal housing is available;
• transportation is possible; and
• returning animals will not exceed the organization's safe operating capacity.

Document the final location or outcome of every emergency foster placement.

Emergency Foster Planning Is One Part of the Plan

Emergency fostering works best when coordinated with:

• evacuation planning;
• shelter-in-place planning;
• transportation;
• emergency staffing;
• critical systems;
• veterinary support;
• communications;
• animal tracking;
• partner organizations; and
• recovery.