Here's how those on the frontlines of animal protection can help those on the frontlines of U.S. military action
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), American Humane Association, ASPCA, and National Animal Control Association are encouraging shelters to support military pet owners during this difficult time. A special section on the HSUS website advises those in the Armed Forces to first try placing their animals temporarily with family or friends before contacting local shelters or breed-placement groups for assistance. The section includes a checklist for military pet owners, a sample foster-care agreement form, and a pet personality questionnaire designed to help temporary caretakers understand a pet's special needs and habits.
While we've provided these tools directly to military personnel, some of them may still need help from local agencies. There are many ways your shelter can assist military pet owners in keeping their pets with their immediate family members or friends. It's important for each shelter to determine how they are able to handle pets in need during this time. Here are several options:
1. Serve as a support base for military personnel's pets and their caretakers.
Your shelter may wish to collect donated pet food, kitty litter, and other pet supplies from the public and distribute it to military families in need or to family and friends caring for the pets of military personnel. Shelters with veterinary facilities may want to consider providing preventative or complete veterinary services to affected pets as needed-and even offer low-cost spay/neuter services if possible. We have developed a sample press release you can use to announce these services.
2. Develop a relationship with your local military base.
If your shelter is near a military base, you may be able to help by contacting the base, inquiring about their needs, and explaining possible options for those looking for assistance. Developing relationships ahead of time with those bases will help you to better respond to the needs of military pet owners as they arise. We have created a sample flyer that can be distributed to military bases explaining the services offered by your shelter.
3. Serve as a liaison between pet owners and foster volunteers.
Consider creating, maintaining, and disseminating a list of people willing to foster the pets of military personnel. If you choose this option, make sure you have a clear disclaimer stating that the foster families and the pets needing temporary care have not been screened by your agency. View our sample foster care agreement between pet owner and friend. (The sample agreement is in Portable Document Format (PDF) and requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
4. Include pets owned by military personnel in an existing foster care program.
In response to military personnel being activated during the Persian Gulf War a decade ago, many shelters developed special foster care programs to provide temporary housing for the pets of military personnel. We believe this is a worthwhile service, but we urge shelters to use caution when developing any kind of foster care program. Foster care programs are time- and resource-intensive, and not all agencies are in a position to manage them. If your shelter has an existing foster care program, consider accepting military pets into the existing program.
5. Develop a foster care program.
If you do not currently have a foster program and you wish to start one, we encourage you to proceed carefully. Foster care programs must be managed carefully and coordinating such a program carries potential liability concerns. Keep the program small and only take on what you can handle. Please read the information available in the Foster Care Programs and Volunteer Programs sections of our Web site for guidance. As an alternative, many shelters may choose to simply accept and process pets relinquished by military personnel as they would any other relinquished pet.
Sample Forms and Materials
The HSUS would like to thank the American Humane Association, Kentucky Humane Society, and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington for allowing us to use some of their materials in creating this program.
Sample Foster Care 
