When six-year-old Kevin was retired as a racing greyhound, he came to Battersea to find a new home to call his own. Sadly, greyhounds can take a little longer to find a new home – Kevin waited for his for just under 5 months. While he waited for that special family, Battersea decided to get him into a foster home so he could start to learn how to live in a home environment.
Meeting his foster family
Housemates Hashem, Ellie, and Rebecca were eager to welcome Kevin intro their house to give him the time and love he needed as he waited for a new home. “Living in London with housemates, we decided it’s not the right time to adopt a dog. Fostering was the perfect solution for us as it gave us the chance to give back and have a dog around the home, but in a less permanent capacity.”
Overcoming challenges
As Kevin didn’t have much experience in a home, he needed a patient and understanding foster home who would help him to get the hang of family life. Kevin's transition to home life wasn't always smooth.
“Kevin was quite shy and a little unsettled at first. Unlike the previous dogs we had fostered, Kevin took a little longer to learn he could trust us, and we needed to be very gentle and patient to make sure he felt safe and comfortable in our home.”
While some dogs come to Battersea fully house trained and used to life in a home, others like Kevin need a little bit of training and understanding to help them on their way.
“Kevin would occasionally have accidents inside and left us a couple of presents here and there, particularly at the beginning of his stay. We knew this was likely to happen as he was in a totally new environment, surrounded by new people and smells. Battersea recommended giving Kevin a good routine to help him adjust. We would take him out and feed him at the same time every day which really helped reduce the number of times he had accidents inside.”
...Every dog is totally different and to form a connection with them and enable them to feel loved and safe, you need to have a level of patience and understanding, adjusting your behaviours accordingly to make sure they feel comfortable....
Unveiling Kevin's true self
While on foster, Kevin came on leaps and bounds and started to show his loving and goofy personality. Shy dogs sometimes need a bit more time to show their true colours, and its thanks to fosterers like Hashem, Ellie and Rebecca that dogs like Kevin gain much needed confidence.
“Kevin became incredibly loving and affectionate during his stay with us and would wake us up every morning with kisses and a wagging tail. It was wonderful to see him grow so much in confidence, and we did find it very hard saying goodbye - although knowing he was going to a loving new home made us all really happy. "
