Fostering Dogs with Shelley Munro

This year my husband and I have started to foster dogs for the SPCA. We thought long and hard about fostering and went into it knowing it wouldn’t be easy. We both love animals and knew we’d find it difficult to return them once the foster period ended. One of the benefits of fostering for us is that we can work it around our traveling and holidays. Sometimes we’re away for longer than a month at a time and that’s not fair to a dog. With fostering, we can look after a dog for one to four weeks, depending on the SPCA’s needs. We can also have a rest when we need it.

We’ve had our first puppy for four weeks. His name is Patch Adams. He’s a Staffishire cross and is quite big, even though he’s only seven months old. There’s no doubt about it – he’s a real cutie. He’s very affectionate and just loves a cuddle. When he first arrived at our house he was very timid and hid in the garden for most of the day. Gradually his confidence has grown and he’s become naughty, behaving just as a puppy should. In fact, Mr. Munro’s irrigation system will never be the same! He loves going for a walk and is very good at sitting. His favorite game is pulling all his blankets out of his kennel and tearing around the lawn with them. He doesn’t rip them, but by the time he’s finished the lawn looks like it’s blooming with blankets.

Today I rang up to find out about returning him. The foster lady wasn’t there so I left a message. I hung up feeling quite teary. It’s going to be rough returning him, but on the plus side, I know someone will snap him up because he’ll make a wonderful pet.