Dogs Trust Newbury is calling on local dog lovers to consider opening their hearts and their homes to give a dog a home temporarily as part of the charity’s fostering programme.
The Home from Home fostering scheme was set up at the Newbury centre in 2016 and it has provided a foster home for more than 300 dogs who went on to pack their bags and head off to their forever homes.
The charity is looking for more foster carers to take in a hound housemate so that rescue dogs can continue to enjoy a home environment while they wait for their new owners.
The scheme may be of interest to anyone who would love to have a dog in their life, but who can’t commit to the cost of taking care of a dog, as volunteer foster carers are provided with everything the dog needs such as food, bedding, and toys, and the charity will cover the cost of any necessary vet bills. They are also supported by the Dogs Trust team in giving guidance and advice whenever needed.
Claire Rowe, Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Newbury, says: “Home from Home fostering is an essential part of our rehoming process. While many dogs are happy to settle in our kennels and enjoy being taken care of by our amazing canine carers, some just aren’t able to adjust and miss their home comforts too much which can be distressing for them.
“We are so grateful for our incredible foster carers and really appreciate everything they do; they play an integral part in finding their temporary four-legged lodger a new forever home. By welcoming a rescue dog into their home, they are able to share characteristics of the dog which can help us find them their perfect forever families – from their most treasured toy or special sleeping place to their exercise routines. This then helps the new owners settle their dog into their forever home quickly.
“Fostering a dog is extremely rewarding and I strongly urge anyone who has a dog-sized hole in their life, but who isn’t able to commit to having a permanent canine companion, to contact us to find out more about the scheme and if it’s right for them.”
Foster carers need to be over the age of 18, preferably have an adult only home and be around for most of the day. As the dogs will need to visit the rehoming centre to meet potential new owners, fosters need to have their own car and live within an hour’s journey of the centre.
For more information, please contact the Home from Home team at Dogs Trust Newbury on 0303 003 0000 or [email protected].
If you would like to find out more about dogs waiting for their forever homes at Dogs Trust Newbury, please go to https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/our-centres/newbury
