Can you foster a dog?

[Destinysdaughter]

I don't want to adopt a dog but wanted to know is it possible to foster dogs? I've fostered kittens before, many years ago, but don't know if you can do that with dogs. If anyone has any information or advice, I'd be very grateful.

[fairydustandpixies]

Yes. I adopted my dog after my friend fostered him first. It was a small pet charity but 10yrs ago and I can't remember the name, sorry. My friend fostered loads of dogs for them. I didn't want a dog but this particular stinky specimen decided he wanted me to look after him. He's currently 13 and snoring on my feet!

[tabulahrasa]

www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/hope-project-freedom-project/freedom-project

[fivedogstofeed]

Definitely. Small rescues are always looking for fosterers, often for dogs that don't do well in kennels or are maybe just needing a bit more tlc

[fivedogstofeed]

The Cinnamon Trust is a charity that helps people who can't look after their dogs due to ill health or accidents - may be worth looking at as well.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

A lot of breed specialist ones like English Springer Spaniel Rescue seem to be in pretty much constant need of people to foster. If you have experience with a breed I would think a rescue would be really keen.

[Happyheartlovelife]

Yes! We've fostered over 100 dogs in our time.

[CMOTDibbler]

Yes, its possible, but you generally don't get the nice easy dogs to foster - usually it is the ones who need extra help, medication, or training.
I foster puppies for a small, foster based, rescue, but a neighbour fosters for Dogs Trust and they get ones recovering from operations, too reactive to be in kennels, pregnant bitches, and those with a litter of puppies

[tabulahrasa]

“you generally don't get the nice easy dogs to foster - usually it is the ones who need extra help, medication, or training.”

Depends, some rescues only use fosters, so “easy” ones too.... places like the cinnamon trust or the dogs trust schemes - they might have a few quirks, because they’ve had a bit of a hard time recently (or because some owners don’t notice the quirks, lol) but they’re not problem dogs, they just need a home to go to while their owner is in hospital or being rehoused.

[CMOTDibbler]

Good point @tabulahrasa it's just as someone who doesn't have a dog, fostering can seem like a way to have a dog that fits around your life/ no long term commitment, but even the easiest of the dogs we've had would have been a massive shock if I didn't have dogs of my own.

[tabulahrasa]

“but even the easiest of the dogs we've had would have been a massive shock if I didn't have dogs of my own.”

That is why I put easy in quotation marks... lol

A dog arrived with me yesterday, so far he’s a delight tbh (obviously that might change as he settles in) but if I’d never owned a dog, I’d be going eek.

He’s actually lovely, very well behaved, fairly chilled... but you know that’s relative, lol

The last one was hilarious, great company but definitely quirky and the one before was really stressy and nervous.

So the ones with actually serious issues have been my own, rofl, the fosters have all been much more straightforward.

But yeah, without dog experience?...

Even with a fairly straightforward dog, you’ve still got to settle them in, that’s just as full on as adopting a dog tbh, then they go, that bit isn’t fun for me.

But when I wasn’t ready to replace my last dog it’s been nice to still have one about and you can do things like plan holidays without having to worry about it, or go... right I’m moving house then, so after this one don’t send me one for a few months... things like that aren’t as flexible with your own dog.