We have all heard the phrase coined by The Dogs Trust that “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas” but unfortunately, the period after Christmas still tends to be the busiest for dog rescue charities, when the reality of looking after the new puppy or dog received as a gift sinks in, and hundreds of dogs in the UK are given up to rescue charities or simply abandoned on the street.

And although the dog charities work hard to make kennels as comfortable as possible, some dogs struggle in this environment, particularly older or unwell dogs. Therefore, foster carers play a vital role in helping provide the dogs with the extra attention and stability they need in this turbulent period of their lives. Foster homes also free up valuable kennel spaces so they can make room for more dogs in need and so less are are at risk of euthanasia.

Having had dogs for most of my life, when my two staffy cross dogs passed away in 2015 and 2016 respectively, I decided to be dog-free for a while, but I started to miss hearing the daily patter of paws and the general joie de vivre that comes from having a dog in the house, so when I learnt that my local dog charity All Dogs Matter needed extra foster homes, I signed up.

I took in an eight-year old staffy cross named Buster, with a chewed up tail, severe anxiety issues and nervousness around other dogs, in the summer of 2018. Twenty months later, Buster is still with me and I am starting to accept that I might end up as a ‘failed foster’ the term given when the foster parent falls in love with the dog their care, and proceeds to adopt it.

Now, as I understand it, my experience has been very unusual, as most dogs are rehomed within a month or two, and the foster arrangement is supposed to be a temporary one. But, as cute as he is, Buster is an older dog and has some behavioural issues, and that has prevented people from taking him on, and I have come to accept that fate might have brought as together.

The experience of fostering is an incredibly rewarding one and I have huge respect to the dog foster parents who have had several dogs in their care. Through my relationship with All Dogs Matter, I have come to learn about the fantastic people who support the charity, like Andrew and Katie who have fostered 12 dogs since 2017. You can read more about their experience here, but what is evident from speaking to them and others is that although it isn’t always an easy experience, it brings a lot of joy to both the dogs and their carers.

As ardent dog lovers, I am not surprised that, after caring for so many dogs in need, Andrew and Katie fell in love with the beautiful Marley, one of their previous foster dogs who had been rehomed, but then due to personal reasons had to be given up again, and so they decided to adopt him permanently. Lucky Marley!

Another fabulous family I met up with are Natascha and her mum Suzy and dad Michael who have now fostered an impressive 45 dogs for All Dogs Matter and the Mayhew Animal Home over the course of 10 years.

As Suzy says, “fostering is a wonderful and extremely rewarding experience but not always easy. Getting to know so many lovely dogs and seeing how quickly they change from being anxious and uncertain to becoming relaxed and confident is truly wonderful. In the vast majority of cases the dogs have simply been abandoned and we know very little about them when they arrive. The first thing we do is to let them run around in the garden, getting out a bit of pent up energy and nervous tension that has built up in the dog pound and then the rescue kennels. As long as they don’t have any health issues, we then take them on some long walks in Richmond park. We can assess how they react to other dogs and tire them out physically so they are then able to fully relax around the house and also begin training.

We fall instantly in love with every dog that comes through our home and give them huge amounts of love and cuddles. After having fostered so many dogs we can tell quite well after just a few days what type of temperament they have, whether there are any significant behavioural or health issues and what type of family would be ideal for their forever home. This is one of the most important roles of a foster family as it allows dogs and owners to be well matched. When people come to visit the dog in our home we can also show them how the dog behaves in a family setting. Every time a dog is successfully adopted and goes off to lead a happy new life it makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

I am truly in awe of this amazing family and their selfless devotion to helping animals in need and even more impressive is how they keep in touch with many of the foster dogs that were in their care for years to come in a personal, and now sometimes in a professional capacity, as Natascha has recently qualified as a Medivet veterinarian and Percy one of the family’s foster dogs from ten years ago is now one of her patients.

There are too many amazing foster carers and dogs to mention individually in this post, but I salute them all. It is not an easy endeavour, but fostering really has an important role in the rehabilitation of rescue dogs, who have suffered neglect, abuse or injury, under the supervision of experienced dog owners. Living with a foster family can help to provide the dog with one-to-one care, allowing it to build up confidence and get used to a safe and normal lifestyle.

Fostering also gives dog lovers who would normally be unable to take in an animal long term, due to other commitments, with an alternative. Foster parents are not paid to look after the dogs, however they need to ensure that the dog won’t be left for more than four hours on its own. Typically bedding, food, vet treatments and insurance is provided, and most rescue centres will take the dog back if it doesn’t settle, but as the dog is usually assessed before being placed in foster care this isn’t usually an issue. It is also worth noting that dog owners can also foster if their own dog is sociable and this can also be a great way for the rescue dog to learn to live with another dog.

Buster has brought immeasurable joy to my life, and is a totally pampered pooch and as my Instagram followers will have noted, he has taken over my feed with a lot of pictures of him lazing in various dog beds, sunbathing on the deck or sporting a Christmas jumper, and I quickly forgave him for chewing up my new hallway carpet soon after arriving. Apart from this one indiscretion, he is perfectly house trained and has been a real pleasure to look after.

For more information, check out All Dogs Matter or your local dog rescue to see how you can help foster a dog or simply donate to help provide shelter for dogs in need.

Love Sangeeta (and Buster the dog) x