Fostering Pets in the UK

Fostering bridges the gap between kennel life and a forever home. Rescue animals may need foster care because they are:

• Too young — kittens and puppies needing round-the-clock feeding and socialising
• Recovering — post-surgery or medical cases that heal better in a home
• Overwhelmed — nervous animals who shut down in kennels or catteries
• Awaiting assessment — so the rescue can learn how they behave in a real home
• Long-stay or palliative — older or terminally ill animals deserving a comfortable final chapter

According to Dogs Trust, thousands of dogs are fostered each year — the charity reports 3,949 dogs fostered through its schemes — and fosterers are supported every step of the way.

You do not need to be an expert — but you do need to meet the rescue's criteria, which commonly include:

• A settled home — owned or rented with landlord permission for pets
• Time at home — many foster animals cannot be left for long working days
• Secure space — a garden for most dogs; a spare room for cats and small pets
• Transport — access to a car helps for vet appointments and meet-and-greets
• Honesty about experience — some animals need confident handlers; others are ideal first fosters

According to the RSPCA, fostering suits people who are not ready for a long-term commitment but can offer a safe, loving space while an animal waits for their forever home.

• Emergency fostering — short notice, short stays, often for animals in crisis
• Kitten and puppy fostering — intensive feeding and socialisation, typically a few weeks
• Medical fostering — recovery care after surgery or treatment
• Long-stay fostering — months for animals harder to match with a home
• Domestic abuse pet refuge — schemes such as Dogs Trust's Freedom project foster pets while their owners escape to safety, covering all expenses including food, equipment and veterinary care

Expect daily commitments of feeding, medication, exercise, training practice and regular updates to the rescue — plus saying goodbye when adoption day comes. Most fosterers describe that goodbye as hard but worthwhile: it is what frees you to help the next animal.

1. Choose a rescue — national charities (Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, RSPCA, Cats Protection) and local independents all run foster schemes
2. Apply online — a form about your home, experience and availability
3. Home check — a visit or video assessment, like an adoption check
4. Training and induction — most rescues provide handling and care guidance
5. First placement — matched to your experience level, with a coordinator on call

Specialist schemes exist too — Blue Cross, for example, recruits short-term foster carers for pets waiting for their forever family, and many smaller rescues desperately need rabbit and small-animal fosterers.

If your home or working pattern rules out fostering, donations, fundraising and volunteering at local rescues all help animals waiting for homes. You can also support rescue work internationally: the World Animal Rescue Network is a registered not-for-profit funding partner-led animal rescue across 17 countries, including care for working animals and street dogs overseas.