An ex-racing Greyhound has finally found a home of his own and a sofa to snooze on thanks to Dogs Trust Merseyside and its team of volunteer foster carers.
Jack, now aged six, arrived at Dogs Trust Merseyside in August 2021 leaving his racing days behind him. Sadly, when it came to him finding a loving home and a new family, it proved to be a slow process as he had never lived in a traditional home environment.
However, when one of the Dogs Trust volunteer foster families came forward to offer Jack a temporary home away from kennels over the Christmas period, everything changed. Not only did this mean that Jack got lots of extra TLC, but Dogs Trust was able to see that, although never having a sofa to call his own before, he fitted into home life incredibly well.
As a result, despite previously being overlooked for a year and half, Jack has now raced into a home of his own.
Georgina Lowery, Manager at Dogs Trust Merseyside, said: “It was fantastic for Jack to have a break from kennel life and it gave us a great insight into how he would settle into a home given his racing background. We needn’t have doubted him; he was the perfect houseguest. He quickly found his spot on the sofa, enjoyed his walks, was affectionate, loved his toys and didn’t mind spending time alone.
“Finding out all that information meant we could give real detail about Jack’s personality and how he liked to spend his days; really paint a picture of what life could be like with Jack.”
Having that extra insight proved lucky as whilst Jack was enjoying life in a foster home last month, Alex Carey from Anfield was making his way to the Huyton rehoming centre in search of a canine companion.
Alex said: “I haven’t owned a dog before so I was looking for a calm, relaxed dog. I have known a few Greyhounds and like them, so the rehoming centre told me about Jack. Hearing how he was in a foster home helped me feel he could be exactly the dog I was looking for and he has turned out to be perfect for me.
“We have four short walks a day but between times he just relaxes. He’s very easy come, easy go so it’s hard to understand why he was waiting so long for a new owner. He settled in really quickly and found his spot on the sofa immediately!”
Georgina adds: “Jack was the perfect foster dog and is now the perfect forever pet. We would ask people to always have an open mind when it comes to the breed of dog they are looking for so that dogs like Jack don’t spend so long with us.
“If you would love a dog in your life but can’t currently commit to having a dog long-term, please consider helping our dogs by becoming a foster carer. Dogs can behave very differently in kennels compared to a home and giving them a chance to experience life in a home before being adopted helps us understand them and their needs, as well as freeing up space at the centre so we can support even more dogs.”
Dogs Trust provides its team of fosterers with everything they may need for the dog in their care, including food, bedding and toys, and will cover the cost of any necessary vet bills. Its Home from Home team is always on hand to provide support to fosterers.
If you would like to find out more about any of the dogs waiting for their forever homes at Dogs Trust, or about becoming a volunteer foster carer, please visit www.dogstrust.org.uk
