Foster a Dog | Can You Foster a Dog in Need?

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 a dog with Freedom

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? 

We anticipate a very busy time over the festive season, helping the dogs in our care to have a wonderful Christmas, and we may take longer to respond to applications and enquiries for fostering. If you send us an application, thank you so much for your interest. Please bear with us, and rest assured that we will be in touch as soon as we can.

Start your fostering application

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

Follow our simple steps below to become a foster carer.

1

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.

2

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.

3

We’ll sign you up

If all goes well, we’ll sign you up as a volunteer foster carer.

4

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.

5

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 …

6

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 …

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 can give us on how the dog has behaved in your home will make the adoption as smooth as possible.

Once your foster dog has been rehomed, we’ll automatically consider you for another dog who needs a temporary foster home. You can take a break from fostering at any time, just let your fostering team know.

If you’re having any issues filling out the fostering application form, please call our Contact Centre on 0303 003 0000.

Fostering success stories

Fosterer Polly gives our dogs a great start in life

Polly and her fiancée from Penrith, found love through fostering dogs.

Polly's story

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 …

Fostering is a fun and rewarding experience. It’s also a great option for people who have a lovely home to offer but are unable to have a dog of their own, full-time.

Before applying, please check that you can meet our requirements:

you are 18 years old or over
you are able to bring the dog back to us for vet visits or to meet adopters (only required for Home from Home scheme)
you are willing to continue with any ongoing training as required (supported by our team)
you ideally live in a home with no children under 10 years old, or other pets
you will be home for a large portion of the day
you can be available at short notice
you have experience in caring for dogs.

Find out more about the foster carer volunteer role.

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 …

You will look after a dog in your home doing everything that an owner would – from feeding, snuggle time, and walkies to vet visits.

Sometimes a dog may need to continue with their training or rehabilitation programme in their foster home, and if this is the case it will be fully discussed with you before the dog comes into your home.

We take data protection seriously and you will never be asked to share your details with potential adopters, and if you foster for the Freedom Project, your details will never be shared with the dog’s owner.

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 …

Dogs on our Home from Home scheme are all looking for their forever homes, and whilst the dog is in foster care, we continue our search for potential adopters who will be invited to come and meet the dog at our rehoming centre. Your experience of caring for them is vital in helping us find them their perfect match.

Once a new owner is selected, you will return the dog to us so that they can head off to their forever home! It’s unlikely that you will meet the new adopter or receive updates on the dog in their new home, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing you made a huge difference in that dog’s life.

We will then place you back on the list for the next suitable dog.

If you foster for the Freedom Project, your dog will be reunited with their owner as soon as it is safe and practical to do so. We will then place you back on the list for the next suitable dog.

Whichever scheme you foster for, you can leave or take a break at any time.