Fern’s Place, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
phone: 503-893-5531
email: fernsplaceinfo@gmail.com
Welcome to Fern’s Place
serving Portland, Oregon and surrounding areas
What is Fern's Place?
Fern's Place is a non-profit organization that was formed in Portland, OR in 2022 to address an unmet need in our community. Fern's Place was created to relieve the burden from individuals facing hospitalization and residential alcohol/substance use treatment by providing free, low barrier access to foster care services for their animal companions who have no other viable options so that pet parents can prioritize their healing. Our foster families are dedicated to providing a temporary, safe, and nurturing environment for pets.​
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Tank, Fern's Place foster alumni
Blaze, Fern's Place foster alumni
Bo, Fern's Place foster alumni
Our Mission
Founded in August of 2022, Fern's Place is dedicated to ensuring no person needs to worry about, delay, or omit in-patient medical care or addiction treatment due to the inability to find adequate temporary animal care in the Portland metro area and beyond.
Sadie Mae, Fern's Place foster alumni
Our Beginnings
Motivated by her brother's experience entering addiction treatment and the struggle to find a home for his pet during his time away, Avery was struck with the vision for Fern's Place. She sought out Lola over FaceTime and, invigorated by Avery's mission for her business, paired up with her as a co-founder.
Alana recognized a need in the community where she works as a medical social worker. She worked with many patients who would leave treatment/hospitalization early or defer an admission because they did not have anyone to watch their pet. Alana found out about Fern’s Place and reached out to Avery and Lola in late 2024 and was invited to join the Fern’s Place team.
Avery and Lola met at a horse show in 2020 and have been inseparable ever since. The two enjoy riding their horses together and frequently went night skiing after class in high school. They also have a shared love for roller coasters, second-hand shopping, Crepeville in Davis, and of course all animals. After an experience with a family member that gave her the idea for Fern's Place, Avery met with Lola in June of 2022 to ask for her partnership in this project and received an enthusiastic acceptance.
Services
Is Fern's Place the program for you?
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If one of the following describes you, then Fern's Place is the right choice:
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You are entering inpatient addiction treatment and need someone to care for your pet(s).
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You are entering inpatient medical treatment and need someone to care for your pet(s).
We understand that incarceration, housing transitions, or other major life events may lead you to our organization. Although we are unable to assist in these circumstances, please contact us and we will connect you to alternative resources that may be able to help.
How do our services work?
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The pet owner completes an application detailing information about themselves, their pet, and the circumstances that brought them to Fern's Place. We work with our network of animal fosters to determine if we have a volunteer who is available for the pet's length of stay and is a suitable match for the pet's needs.
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We inform the pet owner if their application has been accepted via email (decisions are made based on the availability of a foster).
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If accepted, we work with the pet owner and their assigned animal foster to coordinate the transfer of care.
In the unfortunate case that we do not have an available animal foster who is the right fit for a pet, we will connect the pet owner to alternative resources.
Placing Your Pet
Here are the next steps:​
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Complete the application here to give us information about the pet you'd like to find a temporary foster for. Please provide us with as honest and detailed information as you can. This will ensure that we find the best foster placement for your animal.
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We will review your submission and reach out to our volunteer network. You will be notified of a suitable fit as soon as possible. We will ask you to provide all necessary care items for your pet. This includes items such as enough food for the duration of your treatment, a crate/other housing if applicable, and all other essential items and medications.
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Upon the finalization of your treatment, you will be reunited with your pet as soon as you notify us.
Fern's Place consists of a network of animal fosters who volunteer to care for pets for the duration of the pet owner's treatment. Additionally, we are currently working toward partnering with local animal shelters to provide additional temporary housing options for the pets in our program.
Get Involved with Fern's Place
Check out our Volunteer Opportunities page to read about the role(s) that interest you and submit your application!
Our volunteer fosters open their home to a pet whose parent is entering in-patient addiction or medical treatment. We match pets with fosters based on information provided by the foster and the pet owner, but fosters ultimately decide whether they would like to host the pet that they are matched with.If you are interested in becoming a volunteer foster, fill out the application for prospective fosters here. We ask that you provide us with as detailed and honest information as possible to ensure the safety and well-being of you and your future foster animals
The Fern's Place management team is entirely volunteer based; we do not receive any monetary compensation from your donations.
Share
Please share our info! Let your followers, friends, family, and community know about the important service that Fern's Place can provide. We have stickers we can mail out to you! Provide us with your mailing address and we'll mail a couple out to you. Those who have the most need for Fern's Place's support (relief of knowing their pets is receiving compassionate care while they receive treatment) are usually the last ones to know about this resource.
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Do I qualify for Fern's Place's services?Yes if you meet these criteria: -You have exhausted all viable options to find a safe foster place for your pet (i.e., do not have any friends/family to watch your pet, and cannot afford to board your pet). AND -You are entering into residential treatment (alcohol and/or substance). or -You have to be hospitalized/are hospitalized in a medical setting. If you do not meet the above criteria, we will attempt to provide the appropriate resources.
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Do I have to pay to use Fern's Place fostering services?No! Fern's Place will never ask you for payment for services! Fern's Place exists because there are already too many barriers for people to overcome when they are in a crisis, let alone find safe shelter for their companion animals.
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How long can my pet be in foster care?Length of time in foster care is dependent on the availability of our foster families. Each person's circumstance is different and we will discuss options available for your particular situation.
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Can I visit my pet/have my pet visit me while in treatment?It can be difficult to arrange visits with your pet, so we do not offer this service. However, we we are happy to have our fosters send pictures/videos and updates while you're in treatment. If you will not have access to electronic devices and you have someone that will be visiting you, we can always send them updates of your pet.
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I submitted my application, when can I expect a response?.
Donate to Fern's Place
Why donate to Fern's Place?
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Donations allow us to continue pursuing our mission to ensure that pet owners have access to the medical care they need without permanently separating from their pet.
Where do donations go?
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General donations will be allocated to support various aspects of our operations. This includes supporting pet owners with pet-related costs during their time in our program, assisting with maintenance and operations in partnering animal shelters [anticipated], supporting our underlying business operations, contributing to promotional products and efforts, and much more. While we greatly appreciate general donations, donors are more than welcome to specify what aspect of our organization they would like their donation to go toward by leaving a comment with the donation.
Scan the QR code with your phone to donate to Fern's Place
Our Team
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Our team also includes our network of volunteer foster families. Without them, Fern's Place would not be possible!
Lola and Polly
Avery and Jemi