From Battersea to Midhurst: Life behind the scenes at the UK’s dog shelters

The volunteers at local animal shelters and rescue charities who are working hard to ensure that every dog has its day.

There are currently around 100,000 dogs in shelters and rescue organisations across the UK.

From playful puppies to loyal old-timers, from who-knows-what varieties to pure breeds, these dogs come in all different shapes, sizes and personalities.

What they all have in common, however, is the need to find a good home – whether that’s a loving forever home or a temporary foster residence until that forever home is found.

Hannah Gee Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.jpg

Battersea Old Windsor

Hannah Gee is the Dog Rehoming Team Leader at Battersea Old Windsor, a satellite of the iconic 165-year-old London rescue centre.

Here she has spent the past 14 years helping dogs find the happy homes they need and offering support to adopters.

“We make sure that people are getting on okay with their dogs once they’ve taken them away,” she says over Zoom.”Battersea provides lifetime support for any dog [or cat] rehomed from us. There’s never an end date – if people are having problems a few months down the line, or even a few years later, we’re always here.”

Whilst Battersea takes great care to match the right dog with the right human, looking at each applicant’s situation and circumstances, the applicants themselves have a part to play.

It’s crucial, says Hannah, that they consider the practicalities of dog ownership in advance, including the costs of food, insurance, dog sitters and vets. An open mind about which dog to adopt also helps.

“It’s important that people think about their lifestyle and home routine and look for a dog that’s really going to fit in with them. The best dog for someone might be a completely different breed to the one they were thinking about, but one whose character and temperament really matches how they live.”

Deana Luchia

What does Battersea look for in an adopter?

“Every dog is different, with distinctive needs, so there’s no sort of fixed criteria. Even if someone thinks they don’t have the right set-up, they can always speak to us and we’ll see if there’s a dog that might be a good match for them,” says Hannah.

“Also, not all the dogs we have are on the website. So if you don’t see anything, still contact us and register because new dogs come in all the time.”

At Old Windsor, there are currently about 100 dogs on site and others living with fosterers.

The latter option not only provides dogs with a respite from noisy kennels (which can be overwhelming) but also gives them the chance to learn about living in a home, which some may never have experienced.

Fostering is also a good option for people who want a dog but can’t commit to providing a home for life.

Vicky Charlwood, Many Tears fosterer

Vicky Charlwood is a dog foster mum extraordinaire

She’s been fostering for Many Tears Animal Rescue for 14 years now, caring for a staggering 550 dogs at her home in Midhurst, West Sussex during that time – including my own duo, Dottie and Pippa, whom I adopted from Many Tears 18 months apart.

Alongside seven dogs of her own Vicky is currently fostering nine others, though she is quick to point out that new fosterers would normally care for just one.

“Most people aren’t as mad as me,” she laughs down the phone as we chat. “And I didn’t start with loads.”

Apart from understanding that some dogs will take a while to settle, what makes a good fosterer?

“You have to be motivated to make a difference,” says Vicky. “Fosterers must be able to cope with whatever issues present themselves and have a desire to change these dogs’ lives for the better. We can’t do anything about their past, but we can certainly give them an opportunity to move on and heal.”

We talk about ‘failed fosterers’ – the term given to fosterers who end up keeping a dog.

Many Tears Animal Rescue

How often does that happen?

“Most ‘fail’ at some point,” says Vicky.

“So we’re primarily looking for people who want to continue fostering and have that urge to make a difference.”

Each shelter and rescue has different requirements for adopters and new fosterers. Many Tears normally wants anyone considering fostering to have a dog of their own.

“My own dogs help me to evaluate the incomers,” explains Vicky.

“If they accept them straightaway, I know there are no real issues. If they’re on edge, that tells me that this new dog is dominant or self-important – things I need to pay attention to in order to help find a new home.”

Fosterers are matched as carefully as adopters.

Many Tears Animal Rescue

“We’d never place a really damaged dog with a new fosterer, and we also match the new recruit with a foster buddy – someone who’s been fostering a long time and can help them learn the ropes. It’s not just about caring for the dog. There are updates to post and videos to upload onto social media [enabling potential adopters to follow a dog’s progress], which help us to find a really good home.”

Most dogs stay with a fosterer for about 4-6 weeks, although over the years Vicky has had dogs adopted after just one day, while others have stayed for well over a year.

Caring, patient and practical, Vicky has all 16 of her current residents sleeping in her bedroom at night – each in their own spot with their own duvet and pillow. She stresses the importance of being nearby for any dog that wakes in the night and is frightened.

It’s all part of settling in.

“You can’t soothe a terrified dog if they’re downstairs,” she says.

Many Tears Animal Rescue

Exercise is also en masse, in a large, enclosed field, where her charges get to run and play and discover that being a dog can be amazing.

“The frightened ones are on long leads. But within 10 minutes, seeing the other dogs, they realise they can just go running around, sniffing and rolling, and enjoy being a dog for maybe the first time in their lives. That’s more important than love and kisses at this stage.”

Many Tears is based in South Wales, but two or three foster runs per month along the M4 corridor ensure that fosterers don’t have far to go to pick up their dogs. And with the kennels always at capacity – 250-300 dogs at a time – new fosterers are much in demand.

“It just means that more dogs have the chance to discover that life can really be good for them,” says Vicky.