Dog Trust in appeal to fosterers in Angus area

The charity’s West Calder rehoming centre is extending its Home from Home fostering scheme to new areas and staff is looking particularly for doggy fosterers in this area, as well as around D undee .

Whether you live in a but and ben or bungalow, by taking care of a dog in your home temporarily, you can help them get back on their paws and be one step closer to finding a forever home.

Susan Tonner, West Calder Rehoming Centre Manager, said: “The Home from Home foster scheme is a very important part of ou r work finding new forever homes for every dog that comes into our care.

"Some dogs are more suited to a home environment and these are the dogs we look to place into a foster home.

“Since the scheme started at our centre at the end of 2016, we have rehomed over 435 dogs through fostering with our aim being to rehome over 100 every year. This equates to around 4,000 days collectively per year when the dogs are in foster homes rather than kennels. Fostering allows us to really get to know our dogs so that we can match each individual dog with their perfect new home.

“We are excited to be extending our reach to new areas in Dundee, Angus, Perthshire and Fife where we currently don’t have any foster homes. Fosterers must have time and patience to help the dog adjust to their new surroundings and also be prepared to say goodbye to the dog in the future which can often be the hardest part. But as a fosterer you can be assured you have played a pivotal role in the successful happy future life of the dog and your next foster dog could be patiently waiting for your help. We couldn’t do our vital work without our fosterers and we are so incredibly grateful to have their loyal support.”

One such Dogs Trust fosterer is Margaret McKenzie, who has been caring for dogs for five years. She said: “At my age you worry about taking on a dog and leaving it behind but with fostering you don’t have that worry. I get a lot of pleasure from knowing that I have helped give a rescue dog some TLC and then to see them go onto their forever home is wonderful.

I also get to stay in touch with most of my foster families who send me updates and pictures of how they are doing which makes me happy and content knowing I played a part in the dogs happy new life.”

If you are thinking about dog fostering, there are some important factors to take into consideration when you make that decision. Fosterers must have a love of dogs, a secure garden area, be at home most of the day and preferably not have young children. Dogs Trust will support you every step of the way providing food, bedding and any other practical things you need to make your new canine friend feel at home. The charity also covers the costs of all veterinary treatment and will be working with local vets so any vet treatment won’t involve a lot of travel. The length of time a dog is in foster care differs in each individual case.

Anyone interested in fostering or finding out more can contact West Calder’s Home from Home co-ordinator at [email protected] or call 01506 873 459.