Why foster a rescue animal?

There are so many reasons to consider welcoming a rescue animal into your home. Perhaps you can’t commit long-term to an animal but want the companionship that only a pet can bring, maybe you want to help free up some space at the already at-capacity shelters in your area and give a rescue animal an environment they can decompress and relax in.

For Monica, there are many rewarding sides to being a foster carer. Monica and her husband have been fostering for close to 3 years at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home as well as volunteering her time around the shelter. While animal shelters aren’t always a great environment for an animal to be in, Monica notes that without them, many animals could end up on the street or on death row. “We took rescue animals on because the shelter environment can sometimes be a detriment to them, but you don’t give up.”

For Monica, being a foster carer has its rewarding sides such as seeing pets who are often frightened, stressed and nervous or lacking training, bloom into wonderful family pets. She says, giving pets the opportunity to learn, who may have come from less-than-ideal circumstances is a challenge she is willing to take on.

Monica has been fostering Alice the cattle dog, the Home’s current longest resident. Alice has come leaps and bounds from the young dog who came into this world during a global pandemic and didn’t receive the training, socialisation and enrichment she needed to become the best dog she could be. But Monica and her husband opened their home to Alice and have committed to guiding her and standing by her until she finds her forever home.

Monica says, “The reward is witnessing their transformation while they are with you. Then you get a call saying someone wants to adopt them. It’s time to say goodbye but knowing that you have prepared them for their new home is rewarding.”

It is because of our wonderful foster carers like Monica that many of our pets go on to find their forever homes and go on to live their best lives! We couldn’t do what we do without them!

Jayne first became involved in volunteering at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home when she developed a special bond with her neighbour’s rescue dog named Bomba. Through her special connection with Bomba, Jayne learnt about animal rescue organisations and felt compelled to be involved in helping animals in need.

Jayne recently celebrated 10 years of volunteering at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home and it’s hard to imagine the Home without Jayne and her husband Michael’s involvement each and every week. From cleaning kennels, washing dishes, general cleaning, walking dogs, sitting quietly in the kennels keeping dogs company, helping out at events and fostering, Jayne’s impact has been felt deeply within the organisation.

Jayne says volunteering at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home is a part of who she is. Her dedication for the past 10 years has not only positively impacted the well-being of the animals, but her unwavering commitment and dedication are felt enormously by the staff and other volunteers at the Home. By building a community through volunteering, Jayne has made long-term friendships with the staff, volunteers and some of the Sydney Dogs & Cats Home adopters.

Jayne’s favourite part of volunteering is the feeling she receives. “Volunteering provides a meaningful purpose and also provides me with a sense of contentment and happiness from helping animals in need, assisting the staff and supporting the organisation and most importantly, supporting the community. Because of the level of purpose and meaningfulness, this continues my drive and passion to continue to volunteer, knowing I have contributed towards a positive difference.”

Jayne and Michael have given many animals the much-needed break from shelter life with a furcation, where volunteers can give animals a short-term break from the stresses of shelter life and decompress. With so many years of volunteering under her belt, it is no surprise Jayne has had ‘foster fails’, with 6 foster animals becoming lifelong family members, including 5 kittens and 1 dog.

One of Jayne’s proudest initiatives is developing a community program through her work in the Army. The Army Program provided soldiers who had been injured the opportunity as part of their rehabilitation to visit the shelter, spend time with the animals and complete tasks around the shelter grounds. The program provided positive psychosocial attributes and provided the soldiers with a sense of purpose by giving back to the community while completing their physical rehabilitation.

Jayne encourages anyone who is thinking of volunteering at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home to go ahead and do it. “It provides a true sense of giving and purpose, especially with a not-for-profit organisation, where you know every little bit contributes to the bigger picture.”

Thank you, Jayne, for all your hard work, dedication and commitment to the animals at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home!

Jimmy (previously Dobby) found himself at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home in the thick of the pandemic in 2020. Jimmy, a small Chihuahua, wasn’t coping with the stress of a shelter environment and the staff wanted to get him out into a foster home as quickly as possible.

Kerry had just received confirmation that she would be working from home for at least the next few months and took the opportunity to give a rescue dog a break and a chance to flourish away from the shelter until they were adopted. Kerry picked Jimmy up from the Home on her lunch break and he was in her lap making himself at home as soon as Kerry sat down. Kerry was smitten and had texted her partner “we might have a problem here!”

It was clear Jimmy had quite a rough first part of his life and needed training, rehabilitation, time to develop trust and a stable and loving home. But despite the challenges presented, Kerry and her partner Paul decided to adopt him. Kerry says, “not all adoptees are suddenly cured of their trauma once adopted” and they have worked closely with a trainer to acknowledge his behaviour, respect his boundaries and ensure he feels comfortable and safe.

Jimmy is the perfect example that some rescue dogs won’t fit into their families’ new lives seamlessly and require training, learning to respect boundaries and finding what works for everyone, including the dog. “We’ve accepted he’ll never love the dog park, joining us for coffee or beer or going on holidays; he is happier at home in a predictable environment.”

While Jimmy has come a long way from the nervous, frightened and stressed little dog that Kerry first picked up from the Home, he is still learning that the rough life he once experienced is well and truly in the past. Kerry and Paul have committed to providing the loving home he should’ve received from the beginning and are ensuring that he feels safe and protected. “The best thing we can do for him is to be his advocate, never force him when he clearly feels unsafe, quickly remove him when he feels threatened and continue to develop his trust that we’ll protect him and his boundaries.”

Giving a rescue animal a second chance can be a very rewarding experience once they’ve learnt to trust again, know they can relax and that they are safe and loved. Our foster carers go above and beyond to ensure that the pets that come to Sydney Dogs & Cats Home have an environment to unwind, relax, and play and for their little personalities to truly shine and most importantly for some, to trust again.

Kerry and Paul are happy they can provide Jimmy with a safe and loving home he can trust for the last part of his life and hope to foster or adopt another dog sometime in the future.

Published 6th January 2023