When I joined Volunteer Dundee back in 2007, one of the first tasks I had to do was familiarise myself with the many volunteer opportunities available. The section that caught my attention instantly was the “Animals” one. I could see that Pet Fostering Service Scotland (PFSS) were looking for Volunteer Pet Fosterers. This could be done in my own home and my family would be looking after pets whose owners were going through difficult times. We went through the application process, had a home visit and were accepted as fosterers. We could choose the type of pets we’d prefer (dogs preferably but no cats or birds).

We have fostered several dogs – a Papillon; Japanese Akita; Border Collie; Pomeranian; Greyhounds; Terriers and a chocolate Lab puppy as well as numerous fish and four hamsters (definitely the smelliest out of them all)! While we are having a break from fostering at the moment, this type of volunteering is fantastic.  It’s a confidential service so we don’t meet the owners but we know that they are relieved that their pets are being looked after and for us, we feel that we are making a real difference. We are often asked how it feels to give the pets back at the end of a fostering session (the longest was 12 weeks and the shortest was 2 nights) but that’s the very thing we have signed up for. And what better result than the pets being reunited with their owners? (Website: www.pfss.org.uk)