An insight into what it’s like to be a Foster Volunteer at Mayhew, from Arthur:

After the passing of my senior dog who had spent nearly half a decade with me, following a mourning period, I needed some structure back in my daily routine. I knew I wasn’t ready for a lifelong commitment to another dog just yet, so, I decided to look around for volunteering opportunities with rescue centres.

Since I have the capacity and experience, I opted for volunteering as a foster carer as I know this would be a great help to the fury ones at the shelter.

I came across Mayhew who do not require foster carers to have a garden and as I live in an apartment not far from Mayhew’s centre, Mayhew would seem the obvious choice for me to volunteer with.

I got my first foster dog Cloud, a little white, fluffy Spitz mix who truly lives up to her name. She also bears some resemblance of a Corgi except she is actually little taller. She is a very sweet girl who enjoys human company very much, she has the best temperament, even my friends kept praising her good behaviour.

She quickly settled in my home with a new routine, becoming calmer as time passed by. She is very smart and observant, you can feel her watching you all the time – well almost all of the time except for when she dozes off after our evening walk. She is easily fulfilled and is not too demanding which is ideal for me as I prefer dogs with medium-level energy. Since being on foster, Cloud has also become more independent and confident. She has met many fury friends on her daily walks down the trail next to the reservoir and continues to be a very sociable dog. I have also taken her to ride buses, tubes and trains which she managed very well!

It was very rewarding to see how Cloud had transformed in less than a 2 month foster period – she is much more confident and even started to show some sassy sides too which has been fun to watch. She has brought my life back to a very structured pattern. The sense of responsibility with a foster dog feels just about right for now, not to mention that I can take breaks from the foster duty as needed, and there is no burden for deep rooted psychological connection with the dog if one is not ready to do so.

Moreover, the team at Mayhew is just marvellous – Abi facilitated my volunteer application swiftly; Chloe has always been helpful, responsive and considerate to my living circumstance in passing me the right dog, Georgie was readily offering sensible and useful tips on behavioural issues and solutions; I even got to see Cloud’s photoshoot (by Jenni) for boosting her chance to a forever home! The foster volunteering role has enabled me to connect with other volunteers and the team at Mayhew which has been invaluable to me integrating into the local community.

The journey of fostering Cloud and seeing her go to a forever home has been a really fantastic one! So if anyone who has the capacity and experience, please consider becoming a foster carer.

If this story has inspired you to volunteer with us, we’d love to have you! Please visit https://themayhew.org/get-involved/volunteer-with-us/ to find out more.