Foster an endless supply of puppy love
MEET the woman who has an almost endless supply of puppy love… and patience. Caroline Poole has fostered 38 dogs since 2015, making her one of Ireland’s most prolific doggy foster ‘mums’.
And while the mother of three admits that there are definite challenges to providing a home to a giddy young dog (the leather armchairs were ripped apart by one young collie), she wouldn’t change a thing. The Dublin woman joined Dogs Trust’s panel of carers four years ago. Since then, Caroline, who has a seven-year-old Labrador named Rex, has stuck to her rule of giving the puppy up when it’s time to move on to their forever home.
Parting, though, ‘can be heartbreaking’. ‘But when they’re gone, we usually get another one in a day or two,’ she said. ‘The kids would be saying, “Did you get your call yet?”’
That’s not to say that fostering is smooth sailing. ‘Some of the dogs have done some damage to the house,’ she said. ‘Every time I came home the mastiff puppy would have my bins torn apart. They’ve chewed wires, blinds… but I keep doing it.’
Caroline said Rex deserved praise for his patience with the rescue dogs that come in and out of his life.
Members of the public can get a first-hand glimpse into the lives of Dogs Trust’s puppies through its new PuppyCam, which streams live footage every Friday from 3pm via the dogstrust.ie website.