Dogs Trust fostering scheme helps more dogs find forever homes

January 22, 2025

Animal welfare charity, Dogs Trust, has launched a new campaign, Lead The Way, to encourage more people to become fosterers.

Rehoming centres alone can’t solve the unprecedented demand and problems rescue and rehoming charities face today and expect to see in the future. The charity says its centres are at capacity and waiting lists are at an all-time high.

“Every week, 800 people ask us to take in their dog.”

Beyond the bricks and mortar of the charity’s centres, they need to find new ways to help more dogs to find their forever homes. That’s where fostering comes in. Instead of going into kennels, Dogs Trust places dogs with a temporary carer whilst they match them with their new owners – so they go straight from foster to family. Fostering is invaluable to dogs who aren’t suited to kennels, providing safe, loving care in a calm environment at half the daily cost of a dog in a rehoming centre. The charity supports foster carers every step of the way, covering the cost of food, toys and veterinary care.

Fosterers have helped over 15,000 dogs

Since Dogs Trust launched the scheme in 2014, fosterers have helped over 15,000 dogs. But, the charity urgently needs to expand the scheme and increase its reach to every dog who needs their support. The charity hopes Lead The Way will enable them to scale up the scheme and grow their network of fosterers across the country.

Watch this video to find out how you can help, and hear from a Dogs Trust fosterer about their experience:

“You know you’ve played a small part in that dog’s future.”

Kat and her family love fostering because they get to care for dogs who haven’t had the best start in life and watch them grow in confidence.

“We fostered this tiny Yorkshire Terrier who was so timid. But after ten days with us, she was out chasing the ball and playing with our dogs. She went through such a huge transformation in such a short space of time with no investment other than love.

“That’s the beauty of fostering. You give lots of dogs a safe, loving environment and the emotional rewards when you see their transformation are fantastic. You send them off to their new home and you know you’ve played a small part in that dog’s future. That’s very rewarding.

“Dogs Trust genuinely put the animals first, and the support system is amazing. They’re always there at the end of the phone happy to help with any issues I’m having. All they’re really asking from you as a foster carer is time and love.”