Woody, Hen and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our seventh foster dog for Spaniel Aid UK. Fostering has been such an incredible experience for both myself and my dogs. It’s taught me so much about myself and I’ve learnt plenty about dog behaviour and training along the way. I wanted to share with you some updates from my 2019 foster dogs, my experience looking after them and what they’re up to now!
Jasper – 3 Year Old Springador
Jasper was the first of my 2019 foster dogs, a labrador cross springer spaniel. He was a nervous wreck when he arrived, having had bad experiences with car boots, sudden noises and his bed. He was very anxious inside the house and often guarded objects. However, over the two months I fostered him, he grew in confidence and it was beautiful to watch. He definitely left a shadow of the dog that arrived with me in foster.
Jasper is now a qualified narcotics detection dog. He works with a private security company in Buckinghamshire, sniffing out drugs. I’ve had a couple of updates about Jasper since he left and have even been sent some videos of him at work. He looks like he’s living his best life and has definitely landed on all four paws!
Storm – 6 Year Old Springer Spaniel
Storm arrived in the spring, after things didn’t work out with his newly adopted family. He arrived shortly after having an operation to remove a lump on the base of his tail, so was on restricted lead walks for the first week or so. Storm was the sweetest boy, who absolutely loved his walks. He’d always find the muddiest bog to roll around in and was a huge fan of the sea.
Unfortunately Storm passed away suddenly in August 2019, after a short battle with cancer. His new owners were understandably devastated but gave him the best few months with them. They absolutely loved everything about Storm and I loved seeing all the new adventures he’d been on with them. They’ve since gone on to adopt another Spaniel Aid dog but hold Storm’s memory close to their hearts. I’m still in touch with them and sent a photo book full of all the images I’d taken of Storm in foster, as well as the ones they had taken after he’d been adopted. A perfect keepsake for a wonderful boy.
Hen – 4 Year Old Working Cocker Spaniel
We all know what happened to Hen! This rascal arrived in May 2019 and never left. His fierce, sassy personality instantly struck a chord and I couldn’t help but fall in love with him. While he was in foster we discovered Hen is actually blind – completely in his right eye and only partially sighted in his left. He doesn’t let that stop him though and you’d never guess upon meeting him. He does occasionally bang into things and fall over a lot more than a fully sighted dog would, however I think it just adds to his charm.
Since being fail fostered (aka adopted by me) Hen has enjoyed all the adventures. He’s climbed Snowdon, visited the Lake District and joined me on my 125 mile hike of the Cornish coast path. Hen arrived in foster very overweight, due to a poor diet in his previous home. I’m happy to say he’s since slimmed down significantly and is a much healthier weight (though he’s still a big fan of bacon!) Woody loves his new full time friend and the two of them are always causing mischief and playing rough and tumble together!
Snoop – 4 Year Old Sprocker
Snoop came to me as an urgent foster dog. I was going through a hard time in my personal life but I couldn’t sit back and not help. Snoop definitely had the best experience out of all my 2019 foster dogs. He too climbed Snowdon, visited the Lake District and enjoyed plenty of adventures on my paddle board and rowing dinghy. He did bite me once, however it was completely my fault. There were no hard feelings, however it was a matter of days before his meet and greet. Thankfully his new owner didn’t mind at all, she still loved him and took him to his forever home the same day!
Snoop now lives in Jersey and it sounds like he’s having an incredible time. He lives with two other spaniels, as well as cats. Apparently he gets on well with everyone and has been pampered since day one. While in foster, he wasn’t keen on me grooming him and his fur was incredibly matted. However he was treated to a trip to the groomers in early summer and looked so handsome after.
Roxie – 4 Year Old Show Cocker Spaniel
I fostered Roxie in September 2019 and she was one of the reasons I postponed the rest of my Cornwall coast path hike. Spaniel Aid had run out of available fosterers and were faced with being forced to close its doors to new dogs. Roxie was an utter sweetheart in foster, she adored cuddles and wanted to be treated like a princess.
Roxie was adopted by my friends Maddie and Alex. They created a YouTube video documenting the entire adoption process from their perspective. I get to see Roxie every now and then and we enjoy bumping into her at the beach. She’s pampered like the princess she is and has definitely found her perfect forever home.
Rufus – 2 Year Old Working Cocker Spaniel
Rufus was the last of my 2019 foster dogs, he arrived in the autumn and stayed with me for the shortest time. My friends are always keen to meet my new foster dogs once they’ve settled in. Two such friends, Nyassa and Henry, fell in love with Rufus instantly, a matter of days after he arrived with me. Rufus adored them too and enjoyed plenty of group dog walks while he was in foster.
Once again, Rufus has landed on all four paws. He enjoys his new life in Cornwall immensely. I met up with him on Perranporth beach recently and he looks so settled in his forever home. He’s shed a few pounds and is in great shape, though just as bonkers as ever!
Have you fostered dogs before? Is it something you’re considering? If you have any questions about my 2019 foster dogs, or fostering in general be sure to leave them in the comments.
To keep up to date with our adventures, follow us on Instagram!