Before deciding on having a Border Collie, you need to ask one question, "How much of myself am I prepared to give?" Border Collies are very intelligent and sensitive and providing time for a game with a ball, a half hour walk or a weekly training session is not enough, they need to be part of your life. Taking a dog into your home is a big responsibility and the more information about the breed and its requirements you have, the easier it will be to understand your dog.

Few dogs are in rescue that haven’t had some kind of a problem and when we re-home one we want to make sure as much as possible that both owner and dog are right for each other. If you are considering applying to give one of our Trust dogs a home you will need to be prepared to spend at least one day, and possibly two, with the dog you have chosen to make sure you are certain he or she is right for you. This will also give us the opportunity to assess you both together and to help you to understand each other. Before we re-home any dog we do home checks, you will need to have pet insurance, be registered with a vet and we may ask you for a reference.

We do not insist you become involved in any dog activity or go to training classes (before you take your dog home you will be given guidance on how best to handle him or her by a trainer at the Trust). But we do need to know that you are dedicated to the welfare of your dog, can provide a calm and secure home and are prepared to put in the time needed initially to get know each other.

When taking a foster child into a new home we recognize it can take weeks and sometimes months before that child begins to relax and feel secure. Sometimes we forget that dogs are very similar and need time to settle down and to learn to trust. This is something that will be discussed when you come to choose a dog.

Our dogs go out on adoption for a donation, which can vary according to the dog's age and any expenditure on it e.g. neutering, vaccination etc. After you take your dog home, we will be in touch during the first three months to make sure everything is well and to give any help or advice if you need it. After that you will receive an annual ‘all’s well’ call from one our trainers.

Our older dogs are not for adoption but we do try to encourage people to give them a foster home. Most of them are peaceful old ladies and gentlemen and although sometimes they are better staying in the Trust’s care there are some dogs that would really benefit from being in a home where they can get more personal attention. We have different terms for our older dogs as all age related vet bills well be attended to by the Trust.

For more information about fostering and rehoming or about the dogs in our care contact us at adopt@fostbc.org.uk