My Forever Home

Or dogfather and of course this applies to cats just as much as dogs. If you would like to be involved we would love to hear from you and would give you all the support you could possibly need.

Please consider whether you could take an animal in on a temporary basis, effectively ‘fostering’ them. This is one of our primary and ongoing needs, whilst our animals are seeking their forever home, and could be for whatever period of time you feel comfortable with. This would be set at the beginning and you would never be asked to keep an animal for longer than you originally offered to do, unless you were completely happy to do so.

If an animal has lost their family, through death or simply not being wanted any more, you can imagine how confused they would already be, especially the young, old or nervous cats and dogs. Therefore our aim is that they spend no longer than is completely necessary in the noisy, hectic environment of boarding, and that they are placed into a loving home as soon as possible. This way they can receive the love and care they might never have had in their lives, and can best be assessed to find out more about what they need in their ideal permanent home.

Any costs such as any vet treatment necessary are covered in full, insurance is in place under our rescue policy and all equipment and food are provided.

Fostering is a fantastic way to share your home with an animal, usually a cat or a dog (but sometimes rabbits and other small furries need help to get out of a bad situation too), without having any worries about costs or what you’re going to do over holidays etc – you just give them back – obviously giving us plenty of notice!

You also get the immense satisfaction of knowing you are providing a lifeline for an animal in need. All animals are fully assessed before being considered suitable for fostering and as always we are on hand to help with any questions that arise. We do ask that you are willing to allow the animal a respectable amount of time to ‘settle in’, and don’t give up as soon as they have a little accident indoors, especially if it’s on their first night!

If you think you could be that in-between sanctuary every rescue animal needs, please get in touch now. You will definitely gain a friend for life, becoming their most favourite auntie (or uncle) once they move on from your care. We would especially love to hear from people who:

• have had experience with pregnant cats or dogs, and who would be happy to look after an animal through them giving birth, to the time when the babies can be re-homed, usually at 8 weeks old. Obviously we are massively anti-breeding but pregnant animals do come into rescue and they require a special, experienced carer; they might look gorgeous (don’t they just!!) but with the overnight feeding, near-constant need to clear up after them, and the potential of problems which will need them being rushed to the vets at any time, it is not for the faint-hearted!

• have had experience with animals (mainly dogs) with behavioural issues, in whatever form, and who might be able to offer more than just a home. These special animals usually have training needs not suited for the inexperienced and may be with you for a little longer than the easily-rehomable animals, so this type of foster home is just invaluable to us. We believe all animals deserve the chance to live a happy and fulfilling life, and as it is very, very rarely their fault they have a problem understanding how they should behave, we want to give them the time they need to adjust. We would give you all the extra support you might need so please contact us if you can help us with this special responsibility.

Roxanne, who recently had her first experience of fostering, gives her account here.