We welcome foster homes who wish to care for and love their foster dog as if they were their own, however, as they will remain the responsibility of CDCH, there will be expectations in place.

With all foster dogs, you will have discussed a foster agreement and guidelines prior to taking them home, which would outline the expectations we ask you to adhere to. This may differ for each dog; however, we always ask that you continue the care plan and training we have shown, rather than introduce your own.

Depending on the dog’s behaviours and needs, it may mean that exposing them certain situations, such as strangers, specific environments and other dogs may not be suitable without the guidance of our behaviour team.

Although we consider each application and set up on a case-by-case basis, we are more restricted when placing foster dogs in homes with have existing pets, as a large number of them require special care (medical or behavioural) and would not be suited to living with others.

We assess all of our foster dogs over a 7-day period, which allows us to determine what environment they would be most suitable to. We will only consider placing a foster dog in a home with existing pets if we are satisfied of their behaviour around them, also taking in to consideration their history and following a controlled meet at the centre.

When is comes to other pet species, such as cats and small furies, unfortunately we are not always able to carry out reliable assessments which give us a true insight in to the dog’s behaviour around them, therefore, it may be trickier to match you.
If successful in matching your home and existing pets with a foster dog, we would require you to be able to meet the needs of each animal individually and ensure their safety at all times.

*Existing pet dogs will need to be fully vaccinated (proof of this will be requested). Homes with dogs who are un-neutered may be suitable if the foster dog is of the same gender or neutered themselves.

All dogs in foster will need to be kept secure and on-lead in public, and within your care at all times!

Once you have been set up as a dog fosterer, we always ask you to keep an open mind and look beyond breed preferences and stereotypes. Not all of our dogs qualify for or need fostering, so we prioritise those that will most benefit from being in a foster home environment.

Our fostering process allows our Rehoming Team to pair dogs with the right foster homes which are suited to their needs, rather than you select your own (although we will always ensure their size and strength is appropriate)

Depending on the foster status and agreement, you may be able to take your foster dog away with you, however this would need to be requested through the centre and agreed prior to being arranged.

When placing a foster dog, we understand that most foster carers will likely have their own commitments and may not always be available, which is why we carry out our initial checks and take them in to consideration before placing a dog with you.

Once a placement has been agreed, we would expect for the foster carer to be able to commit to the full length, however we appreciate if you have a long-term agreement, you would require a break.

We are also aware that plans can change unexpectedly, therefore we ask that any holidays/trips are communicated to us at your earliest convenience. Once we know your holiday dates, we would arrange an alternative foster placement for that period of time or make space within our kennels.

It can be very difficult to accommodate unforeseeable care for a dog as we are reliant on having an appropriate space for them available, therefore it’s important to let us know of your plans ahead of time. If you are the spontaneous type and like to take frequent trips away, then we would suggest that fostering a dog may not be suitable for you.

We fully understand that saying goodbye to your foster dog can be difficult, no matter how long they have been in your care, so firstly we thank you for helping them on their journey. If you would like any support following your foster dog leaving, then do get in touch with CDCH.

We hope that although saying goodbye can be sad, you’ll be able to open your home and heart again, to another dog who needs some extra help.