Pet Foster Carer (Northallerton, North Yorkshire)

You can make a difference to pets. Opening your heart and home to Blue Cross pets is more than just providing shelter – it's about offering love, companionship, and a temporary haven in their time of need. Pet fostering offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the companionship of pets without the long-term commitment, while directly contributing to their welfare and providing a safe haven until they find their forever homes. As a Pet Foster Carer, you'll experience the joy of making a real difference in their lives, knowing that your care and support are helping them on their journey to finding forever homes.

And in return, you'll be part of an incredible community of animal lovers, all here for pets. We provide comprehensive training and all your expenses are covered so you can experience the love of a pet without the cost. Fostering is flexible enough to fit into your life; you can take a break at any time. We'll support you every step of the way with your own dedicated Foster Coordinator.

You can change the future for pets in need. Join us in spreading warmth and happiness for pets awaiting their forever families.

More about this role:

• Volunteer role
• Pet Foster Carer
• Volunteer manager: Foster Coordinator
• Where you will be based: Home

Why we want you:

We understand that pets thrive best in loving homes. Sometimes, they can't remain in their original home, whether due to changes in their owner's circumstances or being born into our care. When this happens, these animals rely on compassionate individuals like you to provide a temporary haven with the love and care they deserve until we find them their forever homes.

As a Blue Cross Foster Carer, you'll play a pivotal role in providing the nurturing environment our pets need while they wait for their forever homes. From cats and dogs to rabbits, guinea pigs, and more, our Foster Carers provide care and affection to animals of various species. Some of our Foster Carers care for all species, while others specialise and, with additional training provided, can assist in caring for pets with specialist needs. The choice is yours.

You'll have access to a designated Foster Coordinator who will provide support and guidance throughout your fostering journey. We'll ensure you receive all the training you need to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to care for our pets effectively. Living within a reasonable commuting distance of the nearest Rehoming Centre is essential.

What you will be doing:

• Providing a safe and loving temporary home for Blue Cross pets until they find permanent homes
• Offering support to pets who may be struggling in a Rehoming Centre environment
• Transporting your foster pet to and from Blue Cross sites or vets as required
• Providing necessary care, including feeding, socialising, grooming, and cleaning
• Providing observations and feedback on your foster pet through assessments, diaries, and feedback forms

The skills you need:

• Ideally previous experience in handling and caring for pets. We can train you in any species new to you.
• Time to dedicate towards socialising and caring for your foster pet
• Access to a car for transportation to and from our Rehoming Centre and vets
• A safe, quiet area within your home where pets can settle in comfortably
• Willingness to learn and adhere to Blue Cross procedures and undergo relevant training
• Ability to communicate regularly and effectively with our foster teams via phone or email
• Basic IT skills would be beneficial, or support can be provided, as much of our training is conducted online, and we encourage you to share photos, videos, and updates of your foster pet via email.

What's in it for you:

• Enjoying the companionship of a pet without the long-term commitment of ownership
• All expenses related to caring for your foster pet, including travel costs, are covered by Blue Cross
• Gaining practical skills, valuable experience, and access to our dedicated Blue Cross ARK training programme

Disclaimer: Fostering is a flexible process, but you need to be able to volunteer for a long enough period for pets to settle in a new environment. You need to be 18 or over for this role. If you are a driver, we'll need you to complete some basic checks, or we'll need to do this for anyone who will be driving you and your foster pet. Some IT skill, or someone who can help you, will be needed for this role.

We believe that every pet should enjoy a healthy life in a happy home, and we always seek to involve the best people who share our values and commitment so we can continue to help and support pet owners across the UK to achieve this.

At Blue Cross, we want you to feel that you belong, without the need to hide any part of who you are. Diversity and inclusion at Blue Cross means creating an organisation where all people, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, nation or country of origin, disability, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds are welcomed, respected, supported, and have access to equal opportunities.

We are working hard to reflect the world we live in and the communities we serve at every level of our organisation. As much as we have made positive advances, we consider diversity and inclusion to be a work in progress – a continual commitment that remains a priority for all of us.

If you would like to talk to us about any accessibility needs that we can support with in terms of our volunteer recruitment processes, then please do get in touch. You can email volunteering@bluecross.org.uk and we can organise for the right team member to get in touch with you for a discussion.