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

Our 'Home from Home' foster programme seeks temporary homes for our most vulnerable dogs.

Sometimes we encounter dogs, who might not be suitable to live in a kennel environment, and would benefit greatly from the foster programme. These may include older dogs, injured or unwell dogs, puppies or dogs who may be finding kennel life a little overwhelming.

Fostering a dog not only gives invaluable experience in caring for a dog but it plays a fundamental role in helping the most vulnerable dogs get back on their paws and have a better chance of finding their forever home, which is an incredibly rewarding experience for any dog lover.

Fosterers not only help by taking a vulnerable dog into their home and caring for them, but this also frees up space in our Rehoming Centre so that we can save the life of another dog!

Dogs Trust places a huge importance on matching the right dog to the right home environment to ensure the best experience for both the foster carer and the foster dog.

Aideen, a Dogs Trust foster carer has shared her journey with Matteo since signing up to the programme. It takes an incredibly special and selfless person to foster; someone who puts the dog’s needs ahead of their own and is truly committed and compassionate about caring for a dog in need.

All foster carers must:

be over the age of 18 and have access to dog friendly transport for vet visits and to meet potential adopters
have a secure back garden as some of the dogs will not be toilet trained and may not be ready for walks
have experience with dogs or are willing to learn

What are the benefits of fostering a dog?

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.
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.
Did we mention you get to have a temporary best pal to fill your life with joy and laughter?

Start your fostering application

Sleepover club

Would you love to help out some of our dogs? Are you working full-time or not ready to commit to adopting yet? Interested in weekend fostering?

If yes, our Sleepover Club may be a great fit for you!

Sleepover club

FAQs

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. Your experience of caring for them is vital in helping us find them their perfect match.

Once a new owner is selected, the dog will 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.

What supplies do I need to be a foster carer?

We will advise you on what supplies you will need when we match you with a suitable dog. As a minimum, all our foster …

Can I choose the dog I want to foster from the website?

The dogs we place on foster tend to be the most vulnerable in our care. They may be older dogs, injured or unwell …

The dogs we place on foster tend to be the most vulnerable in our care. They may be older dogs, injured or unwell dogs, puppies or dogs who may be finding kennel life a little overwhelming. Because of this, these dogs are often not on our website as they may not be ready for rehoming just yet.

Our Foster Coordinator will match you with one of these dogs based on your application to ensure the best experience for both the foster carer and the foster dog. You will always have the final say in if you want to take on that specific foster dog.

Can I foster an UnderDog?

Absolutely! Our underdogs have been here for a while and are often overlooked. We would love to find out more …

Absolutely! Our underdogs have been here for a while and are often overlooked. We would love to find out more information on how they behave in a home to help find their forever family. These dogs would be best suited to a home with adults and foster carers who are interested in training. A home with no other pets would be essential and people who would have the time to meet the dog multiple times in the centre so you can build a bond before bringing the dog to your home. We are also looking for people who would be happy to foster their underdog for a minimum of 6 months as these dogs can take a while to adjust to big changes, like leaving our rehoming centre for example.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please contact our fostering team.

Can I adopt my foster dog if I fall in love with him/her?

Foster families always have first choice to adopt their foster dog. Our adoption fee is €220 for adult dogs and this …

How long are dogs fostered for?

This varies for each dog in our care. The average time a dog is in a foster home is 4 weeks. However, this may be …

Do I have to live in Dublin to foster?

No! Now more than ever we need foster families all around the country to help us look after dogs. If you have a secure …

Why do you need to have a secure garden to foster a dog?

We ask foster families to have a secure garden for a number of reasons. We help a lot of dogs that have had a very …

We ask foster families to have a secure garden for a number of reasons. We help a lot of dogs that have had a very hard start to life and can be very nervous of people and are often not toilet trained. Because of this, they may be fearful of wearing collars or leads to go on walks. They would therefore need a safe, secure garden to build up confidence and also to go to the bathroom. We also have a lot of dogs that are afraid of the world and can find going on walks very scary and need a haven. Additionally, many dogs that come into our care have never had vaccinations which means they cannot go on walks as they can pick up parvovirus which can be fatal.

Why does someone need to be home a lot?

The dogs in our care, be they puppies or adults, that go on foster would need homes where they were not left alone for …

The dogs in our care, be they puppies or adults, that go on foster would need homes where they were not left alone for more than four hours during the day which is why we look for homes where someone is there most of the time. The foster programme is in place for a variety of reasons, for puppies who would require early socialisation and training, injured dogs requiring care or adult dogs needing time, attention, and company throughout the day. As most of our dogs have been rescued and may have experienced some sort of trauma, we would wish to place them in foster home where they would not be alone for long periods of time.

Other ways you can help

We need your support now more than ever to help us care for our dogs. We would be delighted if you would consider supporting our ongoing life-saving work by making a donation or by sponsoring a dog.