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Foster Carers |
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We need
very special people
to help care for our
very special dogs |
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If you feel
that you are able to offer a loving environment to one of our dogs and
would like to apply to become a Foster Carer for Support Dogs, please
contact us on 01142 617800 or by email at
supportdogs@btconnect.com
Please note:
Foster carers must live within the Sheffield area |
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Our foster
carers provide short term or long term care to new recruits, not usually
puppies, and on occasion to dogs in training and qualified dogs should
their owners be unable to care for them.
They work under the guidance of one of our trainers to initiate the basic
obedience and socialisation of a Support Dog in training.Without our team of committed volunteers we simply could not run our
charity.
We do not use any kennel facilities for the dogs that are in training, therefore we need dedicated volunteers to become ‘Foster Carers’ for us.
This involves looking after our dogs in training at evenings and weekends
– the dogs ‘come into school’ Monday to Friday 9.00 – 5.00.
Where possible we will pick up and drop off the dogs at the home or place
of work to fit around the foster carer. This is an ideal solution to a lot
of our foster carers that want a dog but due to work commitments cannot
take on the full responsibility of pet dog ownership. It also allows the
foster carer to take their regular holidays - we arrange alternative
temporary foster care for the dog whilst the usual foster carer goes on
holiday or has other commitments.
Our foster carers are under no obligation to take on a dog which they do
not want to foster. We have different requirements for each dog - for
example we have dogs which need short term foster care which can be as
little as the odd evening or weekend (i.e. when the regular foster carers
of a dog have gone on holiday). We have dogs that require anything from 4
week foster caring up to longer term fostering of 12months.
We train a huge variety of dogs from Jack Russell’s up to a St Bernard. We
also train many dogs that are rescued from animal shelters, dogs that are
donated from families who can no longer keep their pet, and sometimes we
train ‘career change dogs’ i.e. Guide Dogs who haven’t quite met the
grade, but would still be suitable for our needs.
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Requirements to be a Foster
Carer |
- Must live within the Sheffield area.
- Must enjoy the company of dogs and care for
their wellbeing
- Be able and willing to get the dog to a vet in
case of emergency
- Follow the basic training requirements of our
dogs – such as sitting at doorways
- Have an fully enclosed garden
- To follow the diet as advised by the trainer
- Overall offer a loving, safe and fun
environment for our dogs
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Our Commitment to our
Foster Carers |
- We will provide all equipment needed – food,
bowls, bed, toys, lead & collar
- We will do all the routine vet visits. We
vaccinate and treat the dogs for fleas and tics
- We provide training advise for problems you may
experience with the dog
- We have a 24 hour emergency phone number so
that we can be contacted in case of medical emergency
- We cover the costs of any vet treatment
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Adopting a Support Dog |
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Occasionally a dog in training does not quite reach the high standards
required to become a registered assistance dog and requires re-homing.
Dog Adopters give a life long home to dogs that don't quite make the grade
as a Support Dog and also from time to time to retired Support Dogs that
may be unable to stay in their working home.
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| If you feel
that you are able to offer a loving environment to one of our dogs and
would like to apply to become a foster carer for Support Dogs or if you
want to know more information about volunteering for Support Dogs, please
contact us on 01142 617800 or by email at
supportdogs@btconnect.com |
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