What is the animal foster application form template?
Foster homes are the heart of most rescues. Every one frees up a kennel, gives a frightened animal a calm place to recover and tells you how they behave in a real home. But a placement that goes wrong — a landlord who objects, a resident dog that won't accept a newcomer, an apartment too small for a large breed — sets everyone back. A good application catches those things first.
This template asks over three pages about the home, the household and the kind of fostering the volunteer can offer. When someone answers "I'm renting", the form asks for the landlord's details and an upload of their permission, plus any limits on size, breed or number of pets. Other questions cover outdoor space, children, allergies, the household's agreement and any pets already in the home, with their vaccination and spay status.
On the last page volunteers choose which animals they could foster, whether they're open to special-needs cases, how long an animal would be alone and how long they could foster. They sign a short foster agreement, and the application is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault with the landlord's letter attached.
- Best for
- Animal rescues, shelters and humane societies recruiting foster homes
- Filled in by
- Prospective foster volunteers
- Time to complete
- About 10 minutes
- Includes
- Home and landlord permission upload, household and pets, experience, species and special-needs preferences, reference and agreement
Who uses a animal foster application form?
- A dog rescue building a network of foster homes
- A cat rescue recruiting bottle-baby and kitten fosters for kitten season
- A shelter running a short-term "sleepover" foster program
- A rabbit or small-animal rescue that needs specialist homes
- Checking renters' permission before the first placement, not after
Questions on this animal foster application form
36 questions over 3 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.
1 Your home
- Your name*
- Email*
- Mobile*
- Home address*
- Are you 18 or older?*
- Type of home* House · Apartment or condo · Townhouse · Mobile home · Something else
- Do you own or rent?* I'm renting · I own my home · I live with family who own it
- Landlord or property manager* asked only when it applies
- Their phone asked only when it applies
- Landlord's permission to keep foster animals* asked only when it applies
- Any limits on size, breed or number of pets? asked only when it applies
- Outdoor space A fully fenced yard · A yard, not fully fenced · No yard
- Fence height and type asked only when it applies
2 Your household
- Adults living in the home*
- Any children living in or regularly visiting the home?*
- Their ages* asked only when it applies
- Does everyone in the home agree to fostering?*
- Is anyone in the home allergic to animals?*
- Do you have pets of your own?*
- Tell us about them* asked only when it applies
- Your pets are asked only when it applies Spayed or neutered · Up to date on vaccines · On flea and worm prevention
- Your vet clinic asked only when it applies
- Your experience with animals*
3 Fostering
- Which animals could you foster?* Adult dogs · Puppies · Adult cats · Kittens · Bottle-fed babies · Rabbits · Small animals
- Are you open to animals that need extra care? Recovering from surgery or illness · Shy or under-socialized · Mothers with litters · Seniors · Behaviour support · Hospice or end-of-life care
- Dog sizes you can manage asked only when it applies Small (under 25 lb) · Medium (25–50 lb) · Large (over 50 lb)
- How long would an animal be alone on a typical day?* Under 2 hours · 2–4 hours · 4–6 hours · 6–8 hours · More than 8 hours
- Where would the animal stay, day and night?
- How long could you foster?* A few days to two weeks · Up to a month · One to three months · As long as needed
- Can you bring the animal to vet visits and adoption events?*
- When could you start?
- A personal reference (not a relative)*
- Reference's phone*
- Foster agreement*
- Signature*
- Date*
The animal foster application form, page by page
1 Your home
The applicant gives their name, email, mobile and address, and confirms whether they're 18 or older. "Type of home" covers houses, apartments, townhouses and mobile homes. "Do you own or rent?" matters most: choosing "I'm renting" asks for the landlord or property manager, their phone, an upload of the "Landlord's permission to keep foster animals" and any limits on size, breed or number of pets. "Outdoor space" asks about a yard, and a fully fenced yard asks for the fence height and type.
2 Your household
The applicant gives the number of adults at home, whether children live in or visit the home (and their ages), whether everyone agrees to fostering and whether anyone is allergic to animals. "Do you have pets of your own?" opens a description of each pet, a checklist for spayed or neutered, vaccines and flea and worm prevention, and their vet clinic. "Your experience with animals" is required and asks about past pets, fostering or animal work.
3 Fostering
"Which animals could you foster?" lists adult dogs, puppies, adult cats, kittens, bottle-fed babies, rabbits and small animals. Choosing adult dogs asks which sizes they can manage. "Are you open to animals that need extra care?" covers medical recovery, shy animals, mothers with litters, seniors, behaviour support and hospice care. The applicant says how long an animal would be alone, where it would stay, how long they could foster, whether they can bring it to vet visits and adoption events, and when they could start. A personal reference, the foster agreement and a signature complete the application.
Make the template yours
- Edit the species list for the animals your rescue takes in
- Rewrite the foster agreement to match your own terms
- Add a second reference or a vet reference
- Remove the landlord upload if you prefer to check permission by phone
- Add your foster coordinator to the notification emails
- File applications in a folder for your foster team
Tips for a better animal foster application form
- Call the reference and, for renters, check the landlord's letter before the first placement
- Start new fosters with an easier animal and a short placement
- Use "Are you open to animals that need extra care?" to build a list for urgent cases
- Do a home visit or video call if your process includes one
- Keep in touch after the first week — early support keeps fosters fostering
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each application is saved as a signed PDF in your FileIt vault with the landlord's permission attached, and the form owner is emailed. The applicant gets a copy of their answers.
The Responses table lets your foster coordinator search applicants by name and export the list to CSV — handy for filtering everyone willing to take kittens or medical cases when they're needed.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Animal foster application form: frequently asked questions
Is this animal foster application template free?
Yes. It's one of the starter templates in FileIt's Forms app, available on every account including the free plan.
When does the landlord upload appear?
Only when the applicant answers "I'm renting". Owners and people living with family who own the home skip it.
What file types can the landlord's permission be?
PDF, JPG, PNG or HEIC, up to three files — a letter, a photo of the lease clause or a screenshot of an email.
Can I use it for adoptions too?
It's built for fostering. FileIt also has a pet adoption application template with questions suited to adopters.
Does the foster agreement make anything legally binding?
The form records that the applicant agreed to your statement and signed. Rewrite it to suit your rescue, and take advice if you need a formal contract.
Can I collect a home visit date?
Yes. Add a date question to the last page, or arrange it when you call to follow up.