The Dog House: Cambridgeshire Woodgreen Pets Charity says it's 'desperate’ for foster carers in new plea

One of the country’s best known animal rehoming charities has issued an emotional plea for help.

Woodgreen Pets Charity in Godmanchester is urging dog lovers in our region to get in touch and enquire about fostering one of their many homeless canines.

Woodgreen’s communications manager Catie Allwright told the Peterborough Telegraph the shelter is “absolutely desperate” for kindly people to come forward:

“We’re looking for local people to open their homes – and their hearts – for a pet in need,” she said, adding: “we’re at full capacity with quite long waiting lists.”

The vast 43-acre site can accommodate up to 500 pets. Sadly, the much-loved centre – which relies solely on donations for its funding – is consistently filled to the brim, both with unwanted dogs and unfortunate pups whose owners no longer have the means to care for them.

Fostering – placing animals with temporary families until a permanent home can be found for them – is integral to the centre’s operation.

“Fosterers enable us to take in more pets,” Catie says, explaining that this approach enables them to “create more space for more pets.”

The charity is famed across the country – and internationally – for its leading role in Channel 4’s hugely popular reality TV programme, The Dog House. The show regularly pulls in 1.2m viewers, and has even been nominated for a BAFTA.

While viewers are used to seeing super-cute dogs get matched with loving families and a happy (and often tearful) ending for all involved, there is less focus on the vital work foster carers do.

Catie is keen to assure anyone who may be interested in fostering a lonely pooch that Woodgreen will take care of pretty much everything.

“It’s completely free,” she says, referring to the costs typically associated with homing a dog and all training and all supplies are provided.”

Anyone interested in joining Woodgreen’s group of local volunteer fosterers needs to be aged 18 or over and live within a 40-minute drive of the Godmanchester centre.

All applicants must be able to provide two character references.