Foster Programme
Our Aims foster programme is a crucial part of our sanctuary. Shelters are full and animals are stressed. Animal shelters do a wonderful job of providing help to animals with no home by way of providing a roof over their head, food, water and walks. However sometimes the animals gain little stimulation in shelters due to the sheer volume of abandoned animals and the recurring problems many shelters unfortunately face. This is why at Aims we try to place animals in trusted foster homes so that they can rehabilitate, recover, build trust and develop in a calm, safe and secure environment giving them the best chance of being rehomed successfully.
Trusted Aims Foster homes:
Animal fostering is an important role. It helps play a vital part in the rehabilitation of animals and helps improve their chance of finding a new home.
Some animals that we take in have either suffered or are not used to the care and affection that they deserve. Living with a foster family provides them with one-to-one care, allowing them to build up their confidence and get used to a normal lifestyle. Some animals don't cope well in an animal centre environment or need to remain in our care for a long period of time. This is where we need fosterers to provide them with a real home, even if it is only on a temporary basis.
We rely on fosterers to provide temporary homes for the animals in our care. Fostering an animal can help them recover from abandonment, neglect, abuse, illness or injury. These are the first steps towards finding a new, loving forever home.
Could you become an animal foster carer?
We need more people willing to open up their homes, and their hearts, to help give dogs a fresh start in life.
What does fostering a dog involve? When you foster, you agree to take a homeless dog into your home and give him or her love, care and attention, either for a predetermined period of time or until the dog is adopted.
Fostering entails caring for your foster as you would care for your own dog: offering food, affection, socialization, stimulation and exercise to keep the dog happy and healthy.
As a doggy foster parent, you may also be asked to:
Transport the dog to and from the sanctuary or veterinarian.
Report back to the sanctuary with information about the dog’s personality and behavior.
One of the greatest rewards of fostering is watching a rescue dog bloom into a pet, but of course, it’s not without its challenges. Foster dogs sometimes need to learn the basic rules of living in a house, including: housetraining, appropriate greeting behavior with humans and appropriate play behavior with other dogs etc.
Aims is here to help you along the way with anything you need to know and guide you through the process.
Fostering benefits, Why is fostering a dog so great?
For starters, fostering is one of the most direct things you can do to save lives.
It's rewarding to know that you played a key part in helping a rescued animal recover from a life of suffering and start a new life. You'll get to meet and care for animals with unique personalities and see them rehomed to a new family.
Fostering also gives people who would normally be unable to take in an animal long-term, due to other commitments, an alternative.
Fostering: Gives you those warm, fuzzy feelings only volunteering can provide; brings the fun and companionship of a dog into your life. There’s nothing like seeing a homeless animal blossom into a loving companion, and sending her off to a happy family who found their match - thanks to you!
Of course, fostering comes with one big hazard that can also be one of its biggest rewards: you just might fall in love!
“Foster failures” abound in the dog rescue world, and we know because we have all experience this ourselves.. It can be hard to say goodbye to a pet after spending weeks or months caring for it and may experience sadness or what rescue workers call “foster guilt”.
The important thing to remember is that fostering saves lives, and by letting your foster dog go to a forever home, you free up space for another dog in need. But think, if the worst that happens is that you fall in love with your foster dog and end up with a new family member, is that really so bad?
If you're not quite ready to help provide temporary foster care to animals in our care, but would still like to help in an other way, you can always sponsor a dog which is also hugely beneficial.
You'll receive regular updates about how you're generous support is helping a rescued animal start a new life.