Home from Home Foster Family Handbook Your guide to being a volunteer fosterer Contents page Welcome to Dogs Trust’s volunteer family................................................ 3 Who can be a Home from Home fosterer?...........................................4 - 5 What happens next?................................................................................. 6 Providing care for a foster dog............................................................ 7 -11 Arriving home with a foster dog...............................................................12 Providing a safe home for a foster dog..............................................13 -14 Feeding a foster dog ........................................................................16 - 17 Meeting a foster dog’s behavioural needs........................................18 - 21 Giving a foster dog the companionship they need.......................... 22 - 25 Keeping a foster dog healthy........................................................... 26 - 29 Avoiding problems........................................................................... 30 - 33 Rehoming............................................................................................... 34 Contact details........................................................................................ 35 Any questions?....................................................................................... 35 2 Welcome! to Dogs Trust’s volunteer family Thank you for volunteering to be a Home from Home volunteer fosterer. Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK, caring for more than 15,000 dogs each year across our network of rehoming centres. Our mission is to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction. Some dogs aren’t cut out for kennel life; they may be puppies, older dogs, dogs with medical conditions or dogs who simply don’t cope in a kennel environment. That’s where our volunteer fosterers come in by providing a home for a dog whilst they wait to find their forever home; a Home from Home. The best thing about being a Home from Home fosterer is that not only do you make a positive difference to the foster dogs you care for, you also free up space in a Dogs Trust kennel so we can help save even more dogs from the threat of unnecessary destruction. This booklet is designed to support you throughout your time as a Home from Home fosterer. Should you need any more information or support, please get in touch with the Home from Home Coordinator at your local Dogs Trust rehoming centre. Thank you for donating your time and love to dogs in our care, The Dogs Trust team 3 Who can be a Home from Home fosterer? Anyone can apply to become a Home from Home fosterer, but due to the kind of dogs that need fostering and to make the experience as positive as possible for fosterers, we do ask that: • You live within an hour’s drive of the rehoming centre you are volunteering for. • You are at home to take care of the dog for a good part of the day. • You are emotionally resilient to say goodbye when the foster dog finds a new home. • If you live in rented accommodation, we see written permission from your landlord to keep a dog on the premises. • You have the ability to transport the dog to and from appointments at the rehoming centre or veterinary practice. • You are at least 18 years old. • You, and any other members of the household who will be handling the dog, are strongly advised to have up-to-date tetanus protection. • Any existing animal in the household does not have an untreatable or untreated contagious disease, for example active ringworm, and any existing dogs are vaccinated. • There is no one in the household who is vulnerable to disease due to their immune system being impaired. This is known as being immunocompromised. 4 Being a Home from Home fosterer is ideal for those who want to help enrich the lives of homeless dogs or those who aren’t currently in the position to commit to a dog for life. A foster dog may stay in a Home from Home placement from a few days to a few months. During that time, they will make regular visits to the rehoming centre to see teams there and meet potential adopters. Many of the dogs that require foster placements will not be able to cope with being left alone for long periods of time. You will need to be able to spend a good part of the day with your foster dog whilst building up their confidence in being left home alone. Your Home from Home Coordinator will give you a training plan on teaching a dog to be left alone. This training may take weeks or months depending on the dog. The purpose of Home from Home is to find a new permanent home for more dogs, and foster dogs will be available for rehoming during their foster placement. One of the most difficult things about being a fosterer is that you will become emotionally attached to the foster dog. It can be very challenging when it comes to the dog being rehomed. However, you can rest assured that any adopter will be thoroughly vetted by Dogs Trust so you can feel confident that all foster dogs are going to a suitable forever home. 5 What happens next? Once you have completed your application form, had your interview, home visit and reference check, and signed the fostering agreement, you will then be on our list of registered fosterers. As soon as a dog becomes available that meets the home you can provide, we will be in touch. This could be within a couple of days or could take many months, depending on what your requirements are. We will keep in regular contact with you though. We will also provide you with any training you may need to help you in your role as a fosterer. Once a foster dog becomes available, your Home from Home Coordinator will arrange an introduction and talk you through the foster dog’s health, behaviour and the expected duration of the placement. Your Home from Home Coordinator will be in regular contact with you by phone, email and in person to check the foster placement is working well, to get feedback from you on the foster dog’s behaviour in the home, obtain any photos or videos you may have taken to help with rehoming, and to see if you need any more supplies. 6 Providing care for a foster dog You will be provided with all the essential equipment for looking after the foster dog. We will provide: • Collar with ID tag. • Lead and, if appropriate, harness. • Food and bowls. • Bed and bedding. • Toys that provide enrichment. • An indoor kennel can be provided as appropriate to the individual dog. We will also be there to provide you with full support, behavioural and training advice, and will cover any veterinary costs. As an ambassador of Dogs Trust, it’s important that you care for your foster dog in accordance with any legal requirements of dog ownership and any Dogs Trust specific requirements. As part of your Home from Home membership, you will also become a member of Dogs Trust and receive our Wag! magazine three times a year, which will help keep you up to date with all the latest Dogs Trust news. Transport If you are using your own car to transport the foster dog, for example to the rehoming centre for veterinary appointments, you will need to notify your car insurer that you are using your car for volunteering purposes – failure to do so may invalidate your insurance policy. This should not result in any increase to your insurance premium as it will be classed as ‘social, domestic and pleasure use’. You will need to keep the foster dog secure and comfortable when travelling in a car to prevent them distracting the driver or causing injury in the event of an accident. Travel crates, boot guards and dog harnesses that clip into the seatbelt are all good methods. Whatever method you choose, ensure the foster dog is comfortable and there is adequate ventilation. Never leave your foster dog unattended in a car. 7 Insurance As part of your Dogs Trust membership, you get third party liability cover. This covers you if the foster dog causes damage or injury to another person, their property or their animals. You must notify your Home from Home Coordinator immediately of any incident that may result in a claim. Fosterers need to be prepared for wear and tear to their home from toileting accidents, chewing and other normal dog behaviour. Dogs Trust does not offer insurance or compensation for this level of wear and tear. Fosterers should have their own home insurance in place in case the dog causes any damage to the home. If we are aware of any behavioural issues in a dog that may lead to these behaviours, your Home from Home Coordinator will inform you, but often these behaviours don’t manifest themselves until a dog is in a home environment. We will offer full behavioural and training support should any of these behaviours occur. Dogs and the law There are legal requirements of being a dog keeper. Which laws apply depends on whether you live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 covers England and Wales. In Scotland the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 applies, and in Northern Ireland, the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 applies. All these legislations cover the need for the dog to have a suitable environment, a suitable diet, to express normal behaviour, to have appropriate company, and to be protected from ill health and injury. You can find more information about the legal requirements of dog keepership on the Dogs Trust website at www.dogstrust.org.uk/ help-advice 8 Microchips, collars and dog licences It is a legal requirement in the United Kingdom for dogs aged eight weeks and over to be microchipped and registered to their keeper. Under normal circumstances, Dogs Trust is the registered keeper of foster dogs and therefore the foster dog’s microchip will remain registered to Dogs Trust.