A WOMAN has fostered practically 100 dogs in simply seven years from the Salisbury department of Dogs Trust.
Jo Heather, a mother-of-two from Salisbury, has taken care of dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds as a part of Dogs Trust’s Home from Home foster scheme.
Jo is one among over 500 foster carers throughout the nation who briefly take care of a canine in their very own home, whereas Dogs Trust seems to be to search out them a endlessly home.
The 56-year-old fostered her first pup in 2017, after turning into concerned with the charity due to her daughter’s love of dogs, and he or she hasn’t seemed again since.
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Jo stated: “When my daughters Emeline and Chloe had been younger, they had been all the time speaking about dogs.
“Our native Dogs Trust rehoming centre is a few 15-minute drive from us, so we used to pop in with little donations, blankets, canine biscuits – issues like that.
“And then in the future we had been in, I seen a poster searching for fosterers and that’s the place it began. I by no means imagined we’d find yourself fostering as many as we have now.”
Jo has rediscovered her love of portray (Image: Dogs Trust Salisbury)
Aside from liberating up much-needed kennel area at Dogs Trust centres, and offering a loving short-term home for dogs, turning into a fosterer had one other constructive consequence for Jo, because it it reignited her love of portray.
Jo added: “I began pondering ‘I’ve received a bit of little bit of time right here, the dogs are fortunately sleeping so I can sketch them and paint away’ and that’s the way it occurred actually.
“I don’t know what number of [dogs] I’ve now painted. Dozens anyway. I’ve gifted lots of them to the brand new house owners as a superb luck current.”
This yr, the necessity for foster carers like Jo has by no means been larger, with Dogs Trust receiving over 45,000 handover calls final yr from house owners.
Home from Home is one among two foster schemes run by the charity, with volunteers caring for a canine for as little as just a few days, to a number of weeks.
The charity additionally runs a really distinctive fostering scheme for canine house owners escaping home abuse. As many refuges don’t settle for dogs, Freedom will foster dogs so their proprietor can discover freedom from abuse, earlier than being reunited with their pet.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, stated: “The unbelievable dedication of foster carers like Jo and the work of the Dogs Trust staff in such troublesome instances is so inspiring.
“Without them, many dogs would have nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, the present challenges of rehoming dogs are unlikely to ease any time quickly – and that’s why our gamers’ funding has by no means been extra very important.”
Abbi Moon, Dogs Trust Head of Rehoming Central Operations, stated: “This yr, foster carers have been extra vital than ever earlier than. We had over 45,000 handover calls final yr as a result of canine house owners are going through so many struggles, together with the cost of residing.
“We have 21 rehoming centres, however our kennel area is stretched, and we don’t see that easing any time quickly.
“Thanks to volunteers like Jo, and the gamers of People’s Postcode Lottery, we are able to have kennels prepared for the following canine who has nowhere else to go. We couldn’t be extra grateful.”
For extra info on Dogs Trust, or info on the best way to grow to be a foster carer, go to dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/fostering
Readers can discover out extra about how People’s Postcode Lottery helps charities and good causes at postcodelottery.co.uk/good-causes
