BECOME A FOSTER HERO
Foster homes are vital as many dogs find kennels very stressful. Keep a dog out of kennels by providing love and support in your home, helping them transition more successfully to their forever homes.
You're the perfect foster if...
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You love dogs
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You live within an hour's drive of Grayshott Village
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Are at home most of the day (dogs cannot be left for more than 3-4 hours at a time)
WE'll support you
We will provide bedding and any other practical things you may need. We Also cover the costs of any veterinary treatment.
You will have 24/7 access to our foster team by means of a group chat where you can ask questions and share updates of your foster dog.
Give a dog the opportunity to learn how to be a pet in an experienced home
HELP US TO HELP MORE DOGS
Meet Bruno - he needs a foster family whilst we find him the forever home that he deserves.
"We found it very rewarding to help the dogs settle into a home environment and then help them move on to their forever home. The support we received from the Helping Hounds foster team was invaluable."
I'd never be able to foster, I'd want to keep them all...
We hear you! We fall a little in love with every single dog that passes through our care.
Fosters are a rare and selfless breed of rescuer - they know that when one dog leaves their care to go to a permanent home, that it means they have space to save another dog.
WHY CAN't THEY BE IN KENNELS?
We only have so much space in our kennels, and in order to be able to meet the demand for dogs needing our help, we need fosters who are able to step up at short notice.
As a rescue, we're asked to take on a dog where their owner has passed away or gone into hospital or care. There are owners whose circumstances have changed and they have to give up a beloved pet.
These dogs have been through so much already, and could become shut down if thrust into a kennel environment (even one as lovely as ours is).
We've also cared for a dog who was recovering from a broken leg, whose owner was charged with cruelty case, which meant she couldn't be adopted out until the case had been tied up.
How long is a dog in foster?
Foster can be as short as a few days, or a couple of weeks, depending on the circumstances and how long it takes for a permanent home to be found. Many of our fosters play a key role in finding homes, by promoting the dog and the rescue whilst out and about with it.
We also need dedicated long-term fosters from time to time for dogs like Loki, Cyril and Teddy.
Long-term, or permanent foster is necessary for those dogs who have health or behavioural issues, which make them difficult to adopt out. In cases like this, the rescue remains responsible for the cost of the dog's ongoing veterinary care or training and behaviourist fees.
Top Left to Right:
Teddy lived out his twilight in the loving care of a permanent foster.
Cyril: Little old man, Cyril who is blind and deaf, is in a permanent foster home.
Right: Loki
Loki, blind on one eye, and very wobbly on his feet had a new lease of life when he went from kennels into foster with one of our longest-serving volunteers and fosters. As devastating as it was for Becky when it came to the end of Loki's life, she knew she'd given him more joy in the latter year of his life, than the entirety of his life before he came into her care.