Fostering – The Facts and How It Works

Many people like the idea of being able to foster, but in theory it’s a role that not all of us are able to do. So please take a read through this information before making your final decision. If you decide that fostering is not for you, there are still plenty of ways you can help us. You can make a donation; help us with home checks and transport or by simply hitting the share button with your family and friends.

The role of a foster carer is a very special one within our team and in some cases can be the difference between a dog’s life and death. It can be a hard, but a rewarding task nevertheless. We ask for fosters for dogs who are ill suited to kennels, either because they are very young, very old or unwell.

The needs of our foster dogs are varied as they will have come to us for many different reasons:

• They have come from a dog pound, so we may have no history at all.
• They maybe in a dangerous situation that need urgent help, again with little or no information on.
• They may simply need re homing due to personal reasons within the home.

We aim to place them in a home most suited to their needs, but as we wouldn’t always know what they are. We rely on the foster to play a crucial role by keeping them safe until they can be assessed. They may also arrive with little or no social skills; they may not be house trained or know any basic commands. Some may even have other issues, such as chewing, separation anxiety or aggression towards other dogs. We ask that our foster family are fully prepared for this and able to work with the dog showing patience and love. Some of these dogs will never have known love before and may be scared, so to be able to separate them from any other pets or family members may be necessary in the beginning.

Whilst they are in your care, we would ask that you to do some basic work with them from house training to basic commands. We would also ask that you are able to provide us with a basic assessment of their personality and behaviour. One thing to note is that we will always be there to offer support to both yourself and the dog. All our foster carers are required to have a routine home check, like an adoptive family would and this will be carried out at a time and date convenient to you.  Any vets bills will be paid for by us, however we will not cover the cost of any damage or any luxuries you shower on the dog!!

Fostering Terms and conditions

• You provide a loving home, have the time and patience to help with any issues the dog may have and help them tackle them.
• You must be willing to provide a home for an unknown length of time and advise of any dates that you cannot before placing the dog in your home.
• We expect you to have Dobermann breed experience and know the breed and what that entails.
• Any issues or problems must be discussed with us and you must be prepared to work through them with our advice.
• You will not be allowed to re home the dog anywhere else yourself. We will find them their forever homes (however if you know someone who is suitable we would be happy to work with them).
• We cannot be held liable for any issues that may arise with the dog.
• Sometimes we may not know much about a dog we place so you must be able to provide a separate safe environment for them.
• If you are in rented accommodation then approval in writing from your landlord would need to be seen.
• You should have a secure garden area where the dog can go to the toilet safely.
• You must agree to seek veterinary care, which we will pay for, for any illness or injury for your foster dog, give them any medication they need as well as attending and follow up visits to the vets.
• You must agree to a home check and truthfully complete our foster application.
• We expect common sense to be used and these dogs not to be placed in a situation that may cause them any undue stress.
• You must allow them time to settle in their temporary home without been hassled by other family members and give them time to build up trust with you.
• You will need to keep the dog on the lead at all times in public places.

Still think you have what it takes? Then please fill in the fostering/adoption form located in the downloads tab  and email it back to us at druecharity@gmail.com