Pet charity thanks Southampton volunteers
This Volunteers’ Week Blue Cross pet charity in Southampton is thanking its team of volunteer pet foster carers who go the extra mile to care for homeless pets. From small pets like degus and chinchillas to dogs, cats and even horses. The charity is also calling on local animal lovers to find out more about becoming a volunteer foster carer and sign up.
Anna Willitt, Centre Manager at Blue Cross Southampton said: “We are so grateful to all of our volunteers who foster pets for us. We know they find the experience incredibly rewarding and some even say it has been life changing, for both themselves and the pets they have cared for. Being in a home environment is so much better for pets and it also means more space in our rehoming centres to help animals in desperate need. For puppies and kittens it is essential for them to be around the usual household sights and sounds to enable them to grow into happy and confident adult pets.”
Blue Cross aims to rehome 10,000 pets per year by 2026 and is calling out to local animal lovers to sign up as volunteer foster carers to help the charity to reach this ambitious aim.
Tracey Lofting has been volunteering and fostering for Blue Cross in Southampton for over 10 years, and has tried her hand and just about everything from fostering pets and dog walking and training to fundraising and being an animal taxi driver. She has even gone on to encourage her parents to foster pets too.
Tracey said: “Dogs are my happy place! I work full time so me having a dog was completely out of the question. I walked into the Blue Cross reception one day and saw the receptionists working with a litter of puppies running round their feet, and I knew that this was where I wanted to spend my spare time. I love being part of a pets’ journey through their training, exercise and socialisation, seeing the progress they make, all through to when they get successfully rehomed with their perfect humans. I don’t feel too sad when I see them go as I know that they’ll be as happy as they can be, and I also know that there will be another amazing canine or two that I can meet the next week. The Blue Cross team are an amazing group of people to know, an eclectic bunch but with a huge love of animals within their hearts. I couldn’t think of a better thing to do or place to be on my days off. I’m never happier than when I’m wandering round the fields, slightly damp and muddy, with a content canine at the end of a lead”.
Foster carers receive full training and all costs, including travel, are covered by Blue Cross and there is full support and guidance throughout.
To find out more about becoming a volunteer foster carer and joining the Blue Cross team visit www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-fostering or contact the centre in Southampton on 0300 777 1847 or email [email protected].
With the increasing demand for Blue Cross pet welfare services, the charity needs the support of animal lovers to continue its work helping pets and their people, in any way they can. Whether that’s by donating to keep rehoming and veterinary services going through these tough times, fundraising for Blue Cross, providing foster care for pets while loving new homes are found, volunteering at pet food banks, or signing up to support Blue Cross campaigns for better pet welfare. www.bluecross.org.uk