A transformation through foster care

With summer fast approaching, and many existing foster families heading away on holiday, SPCA needs more foster homes than ever to take on an influx of vulnerable animals.

Foster homes play a critical role, not just in helping take pressure of our overwhelmed SPCA Centres – but in helping animals like Aiden with their recovery.

Aiden first came in to our Christchurch Centre after he was found by one of our Inspectors, locked in a tiny crate on a front porch, without access to water.

The poor boy was barely able to stand inside the crate, which was far too small for his size.

After being taken into our care, our vet team were heartbroken by the petrified, trembling pup that they met. Aiden was not only severely underweight, but absolutely terrified of everyone around him.

We knew the biggest hurdles that lay ahead for Aiden were not going to be physical changes, but mental.

Though his malnutrition, dermatitis and scabs on his head could be treated, getting Aiden to learn that humans aren’t so scary was going to be much more difficult. From his hard start to life, Aiden hadn’t learned any of the behaviours that a six-month-old puppy should already know.

It was challenging, and changes didn’t happen overnight – but very slowly, and with a lot of patience from our team, Aiden began to make progress.

Our team worked hard on improving his confidence, teaching him how to walk on a lead, and slowly introducing him to other dogs in the Centre.

Having had no previous exposure to other animals, Aiden was initially very reactive to the other dogs. As time went on, he became calmer in the presence of the animals around him.

Ensuring that animals can spend time outside of a shelter environment is an important part of their growth and development.

So that Aiden could spend some time in a loving home, one of our team members decided to bring Aiden back to her farm on weekends.

Aiden absolutely thrived.

Getting to run and play, and joining her while she rode her horses, Aiden shook off a lot of the nervousness we first saw when he came into our care.

“This time outside the Centre was so needed,” said Emma, our Senior Vet Nurse. “His behaviour improved and confidence grew substantially in a short space of time, which wouldn’t have happened if he’d been stuck in the Centre.”

After a couple of weeks with these weekend farm visits, Aiden was able to move out of the Centre, and into a full-time foster home.

“His foster carers spent a solid month working on his behaviour,” said Emma. “They took great care of him, and helped him continue to improve with his reactivity to other dogs.”

After showing incredible improvements, Aiden was made available for adoption – and he found his ideal forever home not long after!

“We really can’t emphasise enough how important this time in foster was. It absolutely made him adoptable, and he wouldn’t have been able to find a forever home without that special care.”

Aiden is now living the life he deserves, and we couldn’t be happier for him.

While still progressing with his reactivity, his wonderful forever family have continued his training, and say he’s improving in leaps and bounds. His new mum Roxanne shared more about his progress, and how well Aiden gets along with his doggy-sibling Bowser.

“It has been a month now and he has settled in and is starting to come out of his shell. He and Bowser get on really well – now they’re inseparable,” Roxanne says.

“Aiden’s reactivity was a lot to get used to, but his progress is amazing. Sometimes we will go to the park, and he won't even flinch when there is a dog which is incredible. We have taken him to the beach, a football game, and a walk around the bays – he gets so happy seeing new places.

“Thank you so much to everyone who helped Aiden. He's got a wonderful home now that adores him.”

If you’ve ever considered signing up to foster for SPCA, now is the time. We need more foster homes than ever – and not just for dogs and puppies! Kitten season is in full swing, and there are even farm animals that need space to recover and heal while they wait for forever homes.

When you foster, everything you need is provided by SPCA. Sign up today to take a chance on a deserving animal, and help them move on to the next stage of their journey.