PAWS2FREEDOM
FOSTERING
PLEASE SAVE A LIFE
Dear Treasured Supporters!
For our beautiful dogs, foster is the bridge between sad and happy, darkness and light, despair and hope. It is often a dog’s first experience of home and family, a place to find love and strength, and a place where they can sleep deeply, knowing that they are safe. It is their first chance to show that they are willing and ready to trust again.
No two dogs are the same. Some have issues that may require varying degrees of rehabilitation and some have none at all and part of the Paws2Freedom promise is that we are here to guide you every step of the way.
Rescue back up is something we take very seriously and it often requires us to be at hand in person as some challenges cannot be solved over a long distance. This is one of the reasons we are only able to accept applications from people living in Cornwall and Devon.
Foster homes, like our dogs, come in many different shapes and sizes. We are happy to accept offers of foster in homes like flats without gardens or that have no direct access to a garden, those who have children (for suitable dogs only) or live in rented accommodation (written permission from the landlord to keep a dog will need to be provided). Our main requirements are life-style, commitment and safety, so that your future foster dog will get all they need to become the best they can be. A number of our dogs are rescued in the UK, but quite a few are from abroad. Dogs from abroad need a special approach and there are also some dogs who are surrendered to us here in the UK because they may have issues of varying degrees which they need extra help with. In these instances we provide guidelines that would need to be followed. In addition we offer professional help which is totally free of charge for our fosterers for however long it takes.
Our dogs come from many different situations. They come in all shapes and sizes, breeds and ages. Some with health problems that may need ongoing care, others are oldies, some need help with fear issues or other behavioural problems. We will match the right dog with the right foster home wherever we can. And we work closely with our fosterers as they know the dogs best. We treasure our foster homes, they are an essential and much loved part of our Paws2Freedom family.
Some of you may already know that Paws2Freedom provides transport for some of the unlucky dogs who have found themselves in UK pounds. All too often, strays and abandoned dogs end up in such places. They are often given just 7 days to be claimed and only a very short time thereafter to be re-homed before being put to sleep. Many thousands of healthy dogs lose their lives in the UK every year. Paws2Freedom would like to step up that work by also providing desperately needed rescue space for those poor souls and this can only be made possible by recruiting suitable foster homes.
We would like to build a network of foster carers, kind-hearted and like-minded people.
People like you who would love to make a difference and give these angels a hope of a future. No healthy dog should lose their lives because they are unwanted. Since our own rescue location doesn’t have the capacity for any more dogs at present we need loving foster homes willing to take them in and give them a new start in life. Without that vital help more lives will be lost both in the UK pounds and abroad.
Can you stand with us and volunteer to be a fosterer for Paws2Freedom? Would you be willing to open your heart and your home to one of our beautiful dogs? Without you we can do nothing, with you we can change the world for some of them.
From time to time we look for long term fosterers for some of our dogs that we are unable to place for adoption, for various reasons. These dogs are our Sanctuary Foster dogs, and we pay for the vet’s bills. If you would like to be considered as a foster parent for one of our dogs, please do get in touch, or complete and submit the application form at the bottom of the page.
Helga
Helga was found abandoned on the streets of Bosnia, left to fend for herself. Luckily, she was taken in by the Bark Ark shelter, where she is now safe. But what she really longs for is a forever home of her own.
Jack
Born in Dubai, Jack came to the UK at just a year old, full of zest, energy and high hopes.
Sadly, he was placed in an inexperienced home, where he was treated unkindly…
Honey
Honey’s journey began on the tough streets of Bosnia, where she was found as an abandoned pup.
She was taken to the busy Bark Ark Rescue Shelter and this became her world…
Apart from asking you to provide a good quality food for the dog you are fostering, it is entirely free! Vet and rehabilitation costs would be covered by us, however a donation would always be most appreciated if possible. What matters to us the most though, is that a safe and happy temporary home be found for a dog in need.
Some families are fostering a dog with view to adopt or they fall in love with their foster dog and would like to keep them as their forever dog. If this is the case the foster contract will be changed to an adoption one and our adoption donation becomes payable.
We are looking for foster homes in Cornwall and Devon preferably, simply because we can be physically at hand to help where needed which sadly is not possible in the same way outside our area. All our applicants will have to fill in an application which if successful would be followed up by a home visit and foster contract.
Some dogs come from family situations where circumstances have changed or the person has passed away. Others can’t cope with behaviour problems. With these dogs we often get the chance to meet them or speak to the current family. It is an advantage to know as much as possible about at dog. But if the dog comes from abroad for example, often their history is unclear and they have never lived in a home before or encountered a life as we know it here in the UK. These dogs need extra help and patience. A great number of dogs in UK pounds also have an unknown history and therefore, they can’t be assessed in great detail. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages and temperaments.
It is very important for us to know which type of dog you are able to accommodate and also which issues you are prepared to work with. Once we have discussed this with you in detail and logged it with us here we can then go ahead and place a suitable foster dog with you.
You will have our full support at all times during your fostering. That means we are there for you with help, advice and if needed, rescue back up if you feel unable to continue with the dog. This means we will take the dog into our care until another suitable foster home can be found.
Fostering a dog requires a firm commitment and will to succeed, a realistic and sympathetic view, as well as heaps of love and patience too but the rewards are immense.
Could this be you? Would you like to become a home fosterer for a dog with Paws2Freedom?
If so, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We will be delighted to hear from you and help you begin your fostering journey with us.