Can dogs remain in the home during foster care?

Keeping a dog at home is considered as part of foster placement planning, rather than treated as an automatic barrier to fostering. The key question is whether the household can manage contact safely and meet the individual child’s needs without placing unreasonable pressure on the dog.

Your supervising social worker will discuss how the dog lives in the home and how daily routines can be managed alongside fostering. This may include:

• where the dog eats, sleeps and rests;
• which rooms or areas can be kept separate;
• how the dog responds to unfamiliar people, noise, handling and changes in routine;
• whether there are situations that may cause the dog stress or overexcitement;
• how adults will supervise contact between the dog and a foster child; and
• what arrangements will apply when visitors, other children or professionals are in the home.

These arrangements should be practical for everyday family life. A plan that depends on constant close supervision, or on the dog being shut away for long periods, may not be suitable. Dogs also need a secure place where they can retreat undisturbed, particularly if a child is anxious, impulsive, noisy or unfamiliar with animal boundaries.

The child’s background and needs will be relevant when considering a placement. Some children may be comfortable around dogs, while others may be frightened, inexperienced, allergic or unable to recognise when an animal needs space. Information available before a placement should be used to decide whether the household is a suitable match and what safeguards are needed.

Adults should supervise interactions and should not rely on a foster child to interpret the dog’s behaviour or take responsibility for preventing incidents. Children should be given clear, age-appropriate guidance about not disturbing the dog while it is eating, sleeping, resting or using its own space. The dog should also be managed carefully around food, toys and visitors where these situations could create tension.

In some circumstances, additional steps may be appropriate. These could include using stair gates or separate rooms, keeping the dog on a lead during an initial introduction, arranging professional training, or agreeing that the dog and child remain apart during particular activities. Any agreed measures should be recorded in the household’s safer-care arrangements and reviewed if circumstances change.

A dog’s continued presence should be reconsidered if its behaviour changes, if a child’s needs are different from those originally understood, or if the agreed safety measures are proving difficult to follow. Speak to the fostering team promptly rather than waiting for a concern to become an incident. The team can help review the arrangements and consider whether further support, a different approach to contact, or alternative care for the dog is necessary.

Fostering does not mean every dog must be removed from the home, but it does require honest planning and consistent adult responsibility. The final decision should be based on the specific dog, the household and the child being considered, with safety taking priority over maintaining an unchanged routine.