Fostering Dogs, Why I Do It & How You Can Too

Today I have a post from the lovely Tracey from One Frazzled Mum, she has recently been fostering dogs and wanted to share her experiences with both dog ownership and fostering via Dogs Trust. This is such a special post and I thank her a lot for letting me share it with you.

How did I get into fostering dogs, and why do I recommend it to anyone who can? I am a new dog foster carer for Dogs Trust Merseyside, and I am currently writing this post one week before the handover of my first foster dog to her hopefully new forever family. But before we get into that, it might make sense to give you a little back story on how I went from a “no dogs allowed” person to an “I need to help all the dogs” person.

From No Dogs To All The Dogs

If you had asked me 5 years ago, probably even 2, I would have told you I am not a pet person. I don’t do pets; it’s not for me. I didn’t hate animals per se; I just didn’t see the need for them in my life at that time.

My daughter, however, had that desire. Both her nan and her dad had dogs, and she relished the love and affection they both gave her when she visited them. Then one of my sisters brought home a pug puppy, and the dog obsession upped the ante, and it became all she could talk about. 

So we agreed for her 16th birthday, she could have a dog, but we would rescue her. And rescue we did. Her name was Tegan, and she was a 12-year-old beagle who surrendered because her owner had to move into a care home. Tegan was a wild and feisty old girl who hated people, other dogs, food, and basically life in general. But she loves snuggling on the sofa, Whimzee dog chews and sausages. We had her for 13 months before she passed in February 2023.

She wasn’t an easy dog, and as first-time dog owners, I won’t lie; I asked myself over and over what on earth we did we do! But we loved her from the first day we brought her home, and giving up on her wasn’t an option. We would learn together. So we adapted our lives and learnt to live with her foibles and manage her issues as best we could. It wasn’t perfect, but I could tell she was happy towards the end.

But once she passed, there was a hole. It was completely unexpected. She slipped away overnight in her sleep, and I needed closure. So we visited Dogs Trust Merseyside again and again, trying to figure out what to do next.

Our local centre had a mother-and-daughter pair of beagles who needed a home together. I had seen them on the website and knew I needed them. Was it serendipitous that they were still there when we unexpectedly found ourselves beagleless? Maybe. But what made it all seem even more like fate was that one of the pair, the mum, needed to go on long-term foster care for medical reasons, so they were being split up (Sophie’s daughter has since been adopted and is living her best life!).

We had discussed fostering dogs once we were in a position to bring another dog home. But so soon after using Tegan? We decided it was worth applying to see if we would be suitable. Something was telling me these girls, or at least one of them, needed us.

Our First Foster Dog

And here we are. At the time of writing this post, we have 6 days left with Sophie, a 10-year-old beagle who has been with Dogs Trust since October 2022. She arrived home with us on March 11th 2023, and is scheduled to be adopted into her forever home on the 15th of July.

During this time, we have experienced separation anxiety, a phantom pregnancy, a partial cruciate tear, a spay procedure and lots and lots of crazy beagles. In the space of 18 months, I have run the gauntlet of dog issues between both Sophie and Tegan. Talk about a crash course in dog behaviour!

Sophie slotted in well from day one and filled a hole left behind by Tegan despite them being the polar opposites of each other.

Sophie loves her food, loves attention and thrives in the company of other dogs. She is energetic, cheeky, and so much fun. How we will feel come handover day is anyone’s guess. But that’s part of the process, isn’t it? Fostering a dog means helping to get them to a place where they are ready to move into their new home in the best and easiest way possible.

Over the past 4 months, we have come to know Sophie’s little quirks, her mannerisms, her love for chocolate (yes, she tries to eat it, no, we don’t let her) and what she enjoys doing (sleeping on the artificial grass in the soaring heat). We love her like we would love her if we had adopted her. The fact she isn’t ours is no barrier to how we treat her or feel about her, and this, I think, is the reason why it will be so hard to say goodbye. But if you don’t love them, maybe you’re not the right person to foster them, am I right?

In this last week, we have with her, I am ticking off some things I want to do. Places to take her, experiences for her to have, and just giving her all the love and attention she needs (and demands).

During our time fostering her, we have treated her to pup cups, taken her to dog fest, had pub lunches (us, not her), has been part of our family birthday celebrations and BBQs, and she has become my youngest niece “bestie number 3” and so much more. She’s adventured in forests, woodlands, local parks, and the beach. She’s paddled in the sea, had doggy ice cream in the park, and met and been loved by so many people. We also made breakthroughs in her separation anxiety, and are working with her on being more neutral in greeting dogs and attempting to teach her new tricks. You can see the benefits she is gaining from simply being in a loving home every single day.

So if you are on the fence over the benefits of fostering a dog for their mental well-being, don’t be; foster dogs can gain so much from their time in a home with a loving family over being in kennels, especially those who need a little extra support for one reason or another.

Fostering Dogs with Dogs Trust

With that in mind, many people I have spoken to have either been shocked this is a thing or been wary of fostering dogs due to being concerned about not being able to let them go; this is something I struggle with too.

To apply, we simply enquired with the Home-From-Home Team at the Merseyside centre and filled in the application form. From here, there are some checks they need to carry out, such as looking at your driving record and checking with your landlord if you rent your home, and carrying out house checks.

With us previously adopting Tegan, we bypassed the home and landlord check as these had already been satisfied in our adoption process.

All in all, it took less than a week between the application being approved to Sophie checking in at her new home from home.

As I mentioned, I foster for Dogs Trust. The reasons being;

• A) Sophie herself and 
• B) the fact we had already adopted from them. 

So it made sense for us.

But there are literally thousands of rescues that are crying out for people to help foster dogs in their care. There is likely at least one in your local area who would be glad if you applied to foster.

What Happens When You Foster A Dog

Becoming a foster dog carer and who can apply is something particular to the rescue you are volunteering with. 

For Dogs Trust, the fostering rules are;

• Over 18
• No children under 10
• Own secure garden/regular access to outdoor space
• No cats
• Live within 60 minutes of your local rehoming centre

Dogs Trust takes care of everything for us. From food to toys, beds, blankets, bowls, leads, harnesses and more. We have no out-of-pocket expenses unless we choose to buy something for Sophie ourselves. 

The only request is that, as much as possible, we take the dogs to the centre for meetings with potential adopters, vet visits or any other reason they need to return. They also take the dogs back should you go on holiday or need a break for any reason and place them in kennels or temporary foster care until you return.

Will I Continue Fostering?

Absolutely. Once Sophie goes home, we will take a short break and let our team know when we are ready to welcome a new dog. For us, it is the perfect compromise for where we are now. No dog will ever replace Tegan for us. But right now, we aren’t ready to commit to another dog long-term.

But the thought of being able to help more dogs is what makes fostering perfect for us. We can provide them with a loving home and a comfy sofa, and we are lucky to live in a part of the UK that allows us easy access to some beautiful walking locations and are close to the coast. And as I work from home, I can be home with the dogs all the time if need be.

There are thousands of dogs across the country in desperate need of loving homes. If you want to help but can’t commit full-time to dog ownership for any reason, then please consider fostering dogs; you will literally be saving a life.

About The Author

Tracey is a single parent and freelance writer who has been blogging at One Frazzled Mum for over 8 years now. During this time, she has found a new career and an apparent love for dogs. As well as One Frazzled Mum, Tracey also has 4 other blogs and counts napping (thanks to Fibromyalgia), watching True Crime shows, and chocolate and caffeine as her hobbies when she’s not writing. For more information, check out one of her blogs, but not her socials, as she isn’t the best at keeping them updated! Keep up to date with her on her blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, while she shares all things dog related on her Foster Dog Instagram.

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