Battersea is giving three cheers, this Volunteers’ Week, to two special volunteers who have fostered a staggering 59 dogs over seven years for the leading animal welfare charity.
Over the years, Chris and Corinne Bell have cared for one of the highest numbers of dogs fostered by one family ever seen by Battersea. Since 2016 the canine-loving couple have helped the charity’s rescue dogs of all shapes and sizes from Yorkshire Terriers to Cane Corso’s.
As foster carers, the dedicated London-based duo provide invaluable support for dogs who need a temporary place to rest their paws where they can be in a home environment before finding a permanent place to call their own.
Speaking about the joys of fostering, Chris said: “One of the best things about having a Battersea foster dog is the happiness they bring to our family life. We have fostered 59 dogs so far and it's one of those jobs that is its own reward. There is nothing better than watching an animal grow and learn and I thank Battersea for the pleasure and surprises our four-legged friends have given us over the last seven years.”
When Peaches, a two-year-old Lurcher, arrived at Battersea’s London Rehoming Centre as a pregnant stray she was very nervous and shy. After she gave birth to a litter of 4 puppies Papaya, Cherry, Blueberry and Grape, poor Peaches was finding kennel life overwhelming.
To help with her stress and make sure she was in a calm and peaceful environment, Chris and Corinne stepped forward to give Peaches a temporary home where she could peacefully tend to her ‘fruit bowl pups’.
Under Chris and Corinne’s care, the pups soon started showing their own cheeky personalities with Grape proving to be the most energetic of her sibling's, enjoying lots of tug games. After receiving an abundance of love and TLC the pups were soon off to their new homes and slowly but surely, Peaches soon overcame her worried ways and came on leaps and bounds with Chris and Corinne helping her to become a bouncy friendly girl and it wasn’t long before the loveable Lurcher found a permanent home of her own.
Whilst Chris and Corinne see their fair share of young pups come through their door, they have also dedicated their time to helping older dogs that need help coming out of their shells. 10-year-old Labrador Retriever, Lennie, had been given over to Battersea when his owners were no longer able to care for him. As a senior canine who was a little set in his ways, Lennie was struggling with meeting new people and settling down at night. But after plenty of walks, Lennie soon got used to a new environment and even found a favourite chair in their house where he would watch the world go by. Before long, Lennie too found his forever home thanks to the help of the dedicated pair.
Rosy Price, Interim Head of Volunteering Fostering and Communities, said: “For many rescue animals, finding themselves suddenly in kennels or a cattery can be quite a worrying experience, so the work that our dedicated foster carers do, like Chris and Corinne, means they can be looked after in a more familiar setting and have round-the-clock care where needed. We’re always on the lookout for caring animal lovers who may not be able to commit to permanently rehoming one of our rescue animals, but can provide a temporary home for one of our dogs and cats so we can help identify the quirky personality traits that help match them with a forever family. It might be 59 and counting for Chris and Corinne but if you think you could help by fostering your first rescue animal with us, we’d love to hear from you”.
Battersea foster carers will need to live near one of the charities three centres in London, Windsor and Brands Hatch or be able to join one of its Community locations in Basingstoke, Ashford and Guildford to help the charity be there for every dog and cat. All foster carers should be compassionate, empathetic and adaptable to the needs of individual animals, and willing to provide the basics of care. Foster carers would also need access to a car in case the animal they are looking after needs veterinary attention and have no other pets at home.
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer for Battersea or would like more information, please visit: https://www.battersea.org.uk/support-us/fostering
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Notes to editors
- At Battersea we offer our love and expert care to dogs and cats who need us by rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals at our centres, and by sharing our knowledge and resources with rescue organisations around the world. We do this because we want to help every dog and cat, everywhere.
- For Battersea Foster Carer recruitment information, please visit: www.battersea.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/fostering/
- Battersea’s Fostering and Communities work has been made possible through the generous support of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
- Battersea is fortunate to have an existing network of over 700 volunteers and foster carers.
- In 2022 Battersea directly cared for 2,278 dogs and 2,253 cats at our three centres. We also helped thousands more through our Communities programme, campaigning work, supporting other rescue centres and animal welfare advocates, and sharing knowledge and advice with pet owners.
- We’re reliant on the generosity of the public to continue to fund our vital work helping dogs and cats and the people who care for them. To donate to Battersea, visit: https://donate.battersea.org.uk
- In addition to the site in South West London, Battersea also has two other centres based at Old Windsor, Berkshire and Brands Hatch, Kent.
- To find out more visit our website or follow Battersea on Twitter @battersea_ , Instagram @battersea or facebook.com/Battersea