Is fostering a dog right for you?
By fostering you can make a real difference to the life of a dog in need.
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Could you help a dog and their family find freedom?
When you foster with Freedom, all expenses are covered, and you change the life of a dog and their family forever.
Dogs and their owners experiencing domestic abuse need your help. We urgently need volunteer foster carers who can look after a dog while their owner finds freedom.
Many refuges can’t accept pets, meaning people experiencing domestic abuse are often unable to take a crucial step towards safety, for fear of what might happen to their beloved pet.
For 20 years, we’ve been helping people find freedom by offering free, confidential dog fostering. Our specialist fostering service, Freedom, matches dogs with foster carers, who care for them in their own homes until they can be safely reunited with their owners. We can’t run this life-saving service without our incredible volunteers. Could you become a foster carer and change the life of a dog and their owner forever?
When you foster with Freedom, you get:
- All the benefits of sharing your home with a dog, without the long-term commitment
- All expenses including food, equipment and veterinary care covered
- Full support from our experienced Freedom team and complete confidentiality
- Pride in knowing you’re helping somebody and their dog find Freedom.
You must be over 18 years old and not have any children in the home under the age of 10.
Foster with Home From Home
We’re currently receiving huge numbers of calls from people who have no choice but to give up their dog, putting our kennels in huge demand.
Could you welcome a temporary furry pal into your life when they need you most?
Every time a dog goes into a foster home, for just a few days or several weeks, it ensures we have a kennel ready and waiting for the next dog who has nowhere else to go.
If you choose to foster, we’ll cover all the costs; leaving you to focus on providing the stability, love and care they need to prepare for life in their forever home.
All foster carers must be 18 years or over and either have their own garden, or regular access to an outside space. We are also unable to foster a dog to homes with children under 10 years of age.
You’ll also need to be within 60 minutes of a Dogs Trust location. There’s a good chance you’ll be near to one, as they’re spread right across the country; from London, Manchester and Darlington, to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
What are the benefits of fostering a dog?
- We cover all essential costs.
- You’ll get all the joys of having a pooch lighting up your life, without any of the commitment. The dogs remain our responsibility throughout.
- Fostering is a great opportunity to make a real difference to the life of a dog in need.
- Fostering is flexible. We know life can be unpredictable, so we make sure you can always take a break when you need one.
- You’ll give a dog valuable experience of home life and get to know what makes them tick. When it comes to finding their forever home, we’ll have a much better idea of how to ensure a happy adoption.
- We’ll share our training expertise, helping you to better understand dogs and their behaviour.
- Did we mention you get to have a temporary best pal to fill your life with joy and laughter?
Could you open your heart and home to a temporary foster dog?
Meet some of our foster carer heroes, and find out what it takes to welcome a temporary best pal into your life.
Fostering application and next steps
Send us your application
Follow the link below to start your application, which takes just under 15 minutes to complete. Once submitted, it will be sent to your nearest fostering team to review. We’ll get back to you within 14 working days.
Meet with us
If we take your application forward, we’ll be in touch to pick a time for you to meet the fostering team. This meet will take around 90 minutes.
We’ll guide you through the process and ask you to complete some mandatory training requirements.
We’ll sign you up
If all goes well, we’ll sign you up as a volunteer foster carer.
Placing a foster dog in your care
When a dog is ready for fostering, we’ll contact you and we’ll decide if your home is suitable, together. This will involve a home check.
Support and advice throughout the placement
We’re here to help you with anything you need; including guidance from our training and behaviour team, or veterinary support if you need it.
If the dog requires in-person support from our team while they’re in your care, this will be discussed with …
When we find a forever home for the dog
While the dog is with you, we’ll continue to actively look for their forever home. When a suitable adopter comes forward, you’ll need to bring the dog back to us for meets and adoption.
You won’t be able to meet the new owners. However, any information you …
Fostering success stories
Polly and her fiancée from Penrith, found love through fostering dogs.
FAQs
Who can become a foster carer
Fostering is a fun and rewarding experience. It’s also a great option for people who have a lovely home to offer but …
What do foster carers do?
You will look after a dog in your home doing everything that an owner would – from feeding, snuggle time, and walkies …
What support will I get?
We’ll give you as much information about the dog as we can and can provide advice and support throughout your …
What happens when a dog finds their forever home?
Dogs on our Home from Home scheme are all looking for their forever homes, and whilst the dog is in foster care, we …
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