Our volunteer foster carers make a huge difference to the lives of some of our cats and dogs that don’t cope well in a shelter environment. Fostering also frees up space at The Mayhew for other animals in desperate need of our care. We recently caught up with one of our cat foster carers (you can read the article here) and today, dog foster carer Tony tells us why he loves being a foster carer for The Mayhew.

How did you first hear about The Mayhew? 
A few months after I had to say goodbye to Busby, my 15 year old German Pointer, I started to think about getting another dog. However, I wasn’t able to commit to another 15 years of ownership due to my job. My neighbour mentioned The Mayhew and suggested I contact them about fostering. I didn’t know such a thing existed so I looked at the details online and then went to visit The Home to talk about it.

When did you first start volunteering with The Mayhew? 
In March 2014 I took in my first foster-dog, a lovely Staffie called Monkey. I’m currently looking after Kira, a real sweetie of a Bullmastiff. In between I’ve had four other Staffies, two Huskies, a German Shepherd and an English Mastiff.

Kira relaxing in her foster home

When volunteering for us, tell us about what kind of things you get up to? 
The time each dog has spent in my home has varied from four days to three months. The Huskies were a bit more hard work than the others as they needed constant exercise and mental stimulation. The Staffies were all great fun, such characters and so affectionate. I built bonds with all of them and sometimes it was a bit sad to say goodbye, but I was always happy to think of them in their new homes. Plus there is always another dog that needs fostering!

What do you like most about volunteering at The Mayhew? 
It’s been such an experience caring for the different types of dogs, most of which I’d never have thought of owning or had the opportunity to spend time with. I’ve learnt a huge amount about training and caring for dogs and realised that most of my preconceptions about certain breeds were nonsense.

Tony sends us regular pup-date photos of Kira enjoying life on foster care

Anything else you’d like to tell us?
I would wholeheartedly recommend fostering. Though it is hard work, whatever I’ve put in has been returned ten-fold in the fun and pleasure of having a wonderful dog as a temporary lodger. I’d like to thank everyone at The Mayhew for giving me the opportunity and trusting me to look after the dogs.

We always need new volunteer foster carers.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a foster carer and helping dogs and cats who aren’t coping well in a shelter environment, please click here.