Derry girl Grace and her foster dogs are a truly happy 'tail'

Grace Turner is a dog fosterer, who adores the animals she cares for and loves ensuring they’re happy, healthy and ready for new homes.

The nine-year-old recently spoke to https://www.petadoptionwebsite.com/ about her love of fostering and why she gets so much from it.

With pounds and shelters bursting at the seams, there’s never been more of a need for foster families.

Grace told how right now, she has two foster dogs, Shinji and Hope.

"And of course my two other dogs Mollie and Luna. Mollie was adopted from the Dogs Trust in Ballymena as a puppy. We then adopted Luna from a family in Belfast at 10months old. Mollie is now three years old and Luna is now two years old.”

When asked if she and her family normally multiple fosters, she replied: “To be honest no, normally we foster one dog at a time, but right now there are so many dogs looking for homes that all the rescues are struggling so we’ve decided to take a few more than we usually do to help. A few months ago we had five puppies and Alfie a wee Jug.”

The one year anniversary of when Grace and her family started fostering is on March 18 and Grace told how she started fostering as she was aware of just how many dogs need help.

She told the site: “ We always would do wee fundraisers for Friends of Rescue. Mummy saw their appeal requiring for a foster for Baxter and sent it to Daddy, he then contacted Friends of Rescue to see if Baxter would be suitable with me and our two dogs. We started fostering because we know too well how many dogs are needing help, and the amount who are left into pounds who are at risk of being put to sleep.”

And her number one job as a fosterer?

“My number one job is to give the dogs as much love and affection as possible,’ said Grace.

She added: “Some of the dogs are confused as their families had to give them up. Some are frightened because they were lost on the street. My job is to make sure they feel safe and happy so we play with lots of toys and have lots of belly rubs. The second most important job is to work out the personality of the dogs to find out what their perfect forever home would be. I also help feed them, let them out to the toilet and toilet train them if they need it.”

Grace said that the belief that families with children weren’t allowed to foster is ‘just a myth’.

“No that’s just a myth, same as the myth that rescues won’t let families with children adopt. An important part of fostering is seeing how the animals react to children, other dogs and even cats. This helps us know what their new home should look like, what the dogs needs are. I’ve been around dogs since I was a baby so I know how to play with them properly. My first dog was called Sam, he shaped my love for dogs and animals, we lost him two years ago, he got very sick. He was coming nearly 14 years old. He was the best boy. I still miss and talk about him. Mummy and Daddy had him before I was born, he accepted me in the house, absolutely adored me. Even when people had said to mummy and daddy that they would need to get rid of the dog because of the new baby coming.

She continued: “Also I’m 9 now so I understand some animals have different needs. Younger children may not understand that yet so most foster families have children over 8. It’s important to understand when the dogs just need some space and time to themselves.”

Grace said she does get sad when the dogs go to a new home, but she’s happy that they’re loved and she played a part in helping them.

“Yes I get sad, (we all shed a tear when we say bye to the dogs), but I know they are going to a loving home, and we have gave them the best start we can. Not to mention there is always another foster dog on the way as it’s never ending at the moment. We also have a scrap book with photos to remember every single one.”

While Grace doesn’t have a particular favourite dog that she has fostered so far, she ‘loved the experience of having five puppies all at once to look after.”

The best thing about fostering, said Grace, ‘is all the cuddles you get from different foster dogs and knowing the difference you are making to that dog's life.’

To follow Grace on Facebook, see Grace’s Foster Dogs at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090291038524

The Pet Adoption Website is intended for use by animal rescues to highlight their dogs who need new homes. It includes charity information and highlights all available pets in each area – including in Derry. It helps support the shelters and reduces admin, while also making it easier for the public to find and support charities and shelters. To read their FAQs on Fostering, see https://www.petadoptionwebsite.com/blog/faqs-on-fostering-dogs-or-cats

To see the animals looking for Foster homes in Derry, see https://www.petadoptionwebsite.com/