Our Foster Team

We are very lucky at Safe Rescue to have such a dedicated and loyal team of fosterers.

Want to know what to expect?

Some of our fosterers have written about their experiences.

Nina, fostered by Sarah

Nina (possibly a patterdale cross) was rescued from the streets at 4 weeks old and spent the following 2 years in a pen of other dogs waiting for a rescue space. This meant that she missed out on new experiences as a puppy, and has grown into a little dog who understands dogs but is anxious about anything new (places, people, things). Being a terrier type, she is also very clever and quite stubborn. When she arrived, she didn’t want to be touched and she didn’t want to have a lead on. So, we started with us all ignoring her and letting her watch (and follow) the other dogs. She would let me get close enough to get hold of the trailing slip-lead, but jumped away if I got closer. She would only go into the crate if I left the room, bolting out if I got anywhere close. However, I knew that I needed to be able to get a lead on and off, and the best way to do that is to get the dog in a confined area. So, Nina’s food went into the crate, and I’d leave the room. Every day, I’d move closer and closer as she ate. After a few weeks, I could finally shut the crate door and she would relax in there. Next, getting the lead on and off! However, in the meantime, she had watched the other dogs and started coming over with them when I was preparing for a walk. I started by touching her briefly with another lead (she’s still wearing the trailing lead at this point), working up to swapping the lead. Then, she started letting me tickle her chin, then stroke the side of her face, then her side, then stroking her. She will now let me pick her up and I can touch her all over. She is currently up for adoption, and any adopter will probably have to go through all this again but it should be easier for Nina this time.

Hal, fostered by Marie

I saw a video of Hal some time ago where he was called the dog with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, he was in a Romanian shelter just running from corner to corner, a pitiful sight.
Kelly asked me to foster him a month or so ago and I brought him home to meet my 4 other safe rescue dogs. Hal wasn’t happy at being moved from Kelly’s, for the first few days he sat in the corner of my kitchen, I put a bed there for him and fed him there and he only moved when I took him outside for a wee. Although my fences are over 6ft I kept him on a slip lead in the garden as these scared dogs can try to escape. He also kept his lead on in the house so I could grab it if needed. I knew not to leave windows open that he could get out of and always closed an inner door on him when opening my front door. In those first few days all that matters is keeping your dog safe.

I pretty much ignored Hal, and let him watch me and the other dogs. It did cross my mind fleetingly that he would always hate being here but I’d had other nervous dogs so I knew he would improve and after a few days he started wandering around the house, having a look round. After a week or so he joined the others on the sofa, the following week he stayed there when I sat on it. This week he jumped on the bed when I was in it, he let’s me stroke him now… I’m not sure if he enjoys it but I think he does. Every step is such a gift from a scared dog, and to watch them improve is so rewarding. It’s a slow process and Hal will need a kind and patient home but they’ll be very lucky people.