Fostering A Dog
I Want To Help
Looking for a way to help a dog in need? Do you love dogs, but aren’t quite ready for the lifelong commitment of ownership? Fostering might be the perfect answer for you.
Fostering a dog is one of the most rewarding and equally challenging experiences you can have (other than adopting, of course). By taking an animal in need temporarily into your home you are freeing up a spot so the shelter or rescue can take in another dog and giving your foster dog the time he needs to adapt to living in a home so that he/she is ready for adoption.
Giving up the dog when they get adopted can be challenging and emotionally draining and this can put people off however without people fostering rescues we would not be able to help so many dogs.
The benefits of fostering are numerous, and not only a wonderful thing for the dog and or rescue, but can be beneficial to the one doing the fostering in so many ways!
Fostering saves lives
Foster homes allow us to save more dogs from the roads, fields, local pounds where they are under threats of being pts. Puppies are particularly vulnerable in the early stages of their life to catching diseases from other dogs so the ability to get puppies into foster homes early could save their lives.
We also need fosters to provide a change of environment for long term residents or those dogs who may be having a hard time adjusting to a kennel atmosphere and to help get dogs ready to live in homes which is something many will never have experienced before.
Fosters can also help our rescue to help expectant female dogs, by affording them a quiet and comfortable atmosphere to deliver puppies and care for them in those first weeks of crucial development.
You have a hand in helping make the dog more “adoptable”
Often times, certain dogs may not “show” well in a kennel environment due to excess energy, or jockeying for attention as potential adopters walk by. While fostering a dog, you are able to provide exercise and stimulation, which in turn creates a calmer dog in the kennel which in many cases may be closer to what their behaviour will look like in a home environment. In addition you can work with the dog on leash training, house training, or other basic command training, that potential adopters will find attractive when looking for the perfect dog for their family.
You have the opportunity to change a dog’s future
We often look to fosters for those dogs who may have endured a difficult past such as abuse, cruelty, neglect, under socialization, etc. As a foster you have the chance and opportunity to gain a dogs trust, show them human touch and love perhaps for the first time, provide an environment for them to feel safe, and watch them transform before your eyes.
Fostering can be great for your family
If you have existing pets, introducing a dog can be a great experience for them as an additional companion, additional socialization, and an additional playmate! Children can benefit from fostering as a way to introduce responsibility, selflessness, a way to educate about animals, and is also a great way to “test” the idea of a permanent dog into the home in the future.
You become part of a wonderful “community”
Merlin’s prides itself on being a family. We and our fosters will help guide you through the experience, give ideas, answer any questions, and may even become your friends! There is nothing quite like sharing experiences with those who do the same, and being part of a community of people who have like passions.
You will make someone’s family complete
When the day comes, that your foster finds that perfect home, the rewarding feeling you will experience is something very special. You will feel a sense of pride, in knowing what you helped that dog accomplish in his time with you. You will feel overjoyed, that he has found his forever family, and his happy ending that all homeless dogs so desire. And while certainly some goodbyes can be tough, knowing that a dog has found his happy ending, and that another precious life awaits to be afforded your gifts, is as a good of a feeling as there is!
So, change a life, save a life,
and become a foster today
Contact us: fostering@merlinshaven.com
Let's Make A Change
Here are some ways you can donate:
In Person
We Welcome Any Dog / Cat Food, Beds, Linen, Or Anything Which Can Assist Us.
Online
PayPal (SafePay) Donation
Over the Phone
If You Have Any Ideas On How To Raise Funds, Please Call Us
(00357) 992 42501