Dogs Trust Merseyside seek foster homes for pups abandoned during cost of living crisis

Dogs Trust Merseyside is calling on local dog lovers to consider giving a dog a temporary home, as part of the charity’s fostering scheme.

Dogs Trust’s Home from Home scheme finds homes for dogs that need a little extra love and time out from the hustle and bustle of the rehoming centre. This includes young puppies, older dogs and those who have lived in a home all their life.

The charity is looking for more volunteer foster carers across Merseyside to take in a canine friend, as more people are giving their pets to rescuse charities, as a result of the cost of living crisis.

Cost of living taking its toll

The RSPCA has reported that more than 100 pets a day were abandoned in 2021, and that this number is increasing rapidly in 2022, by a shocking 24%.

As energy prices increase and inflation is at a fourty-year high, many pet owners can no longer afford to look after them.

The pets being abandoned due to the cost of living crisis coincides with a surge in households getting pets during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Dogs Trust call to action

So far this year, Dogs Trust Merseyside have rehomed 35 dogs through the Home from Home scheme and there are currently 14 in foster care, including eight-year-old Crossbreed Defa.

Kim Rowlands, Home from Home Co-ordinator at Dogs Trust Merseyside, said: “Defa is a perfect example of why it’s fantastic to be able to place dogs in foster. Defa was first with us as a puppy and has found himself back with us eight years later due to a change in his family’s circumstances.

“He is a gorgeous boy but can get a little anxious around other dogs, so to be able to settle him into a foster home has been wonderful for him and it means we can learn so much more about him and the type of home he’d be best suited to.

“Fostering is perfect for people who would love to have a dog in their life, but who can’t commit to having a permanent canine companion or can’t take on the cost of a dog as volunteer foster carers are provided with everything the dog needs such as food, bedding, and toys, and Dogs Trust will cover the cost of any necessary vet bills.”

She added: “Our foster families go above and beyond for the dogs they care for, encouraging them to reach their full potential and giving them a safe and loving environment to enjoy whilst they wait for their new families. But we always need more.

“Fostering a dog is extremely rewarding and I strongly urge anyone who has a dog-sized hole in their life to contact us to find out more about the scheme and if it’s right for them.”

How do I start the fostering process?

Foster carers need to be over the age of 18, preferably have an adult-only home and be around for most of the day.

As the dogs will need to visit the rehoming centre in Huyton to meet potential new owners, fosterers need to have their own car and live within an hour’s journey of the centre.

If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer, contact Dogs Trust on [email protected] or 0151 949 5526. To find out more about Defa and other dogs waiting for their forever homes, visit www.dogstrust.org.uk