Animal lovers are being urged to open their hearts and homes to a pet in need by signing up to become a foster carer for the Scottish SPCA.

Fostering was initially piloted by the charity during the first Covid lockdown in March 2020, when animals were unable to be rehomed.

The scheme proved so successful that it was then trialled on a larger scale at the Scottish SPCA’s Dunbartonshire Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in December last year.

Now it has been rolled out across Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, with the charity keen to hear from any local residents who would like to take part.

David McBeth, Scottish SPCA animal fostering co-ordinator, said: “We’d be delighted if more animal lovers sign up to foster for us.

“We have roles fostering either dogs or cats and we’ll work with fosterers to find animals suited to their homes and level of experience.

“Introducing this scheme will give even more animals the chance to recuperate in a stable home environment rather than kennels, which in turn frees our kennel space up for urgent cases of animals in need.

“Fostering can be beneficial for animals for many reasons, whether that’s taking an animal out of kennels who finds the environment too stressful, allowing an animal a quiet place to recover from medical treatment or helping rehabilitate an animal with behavioural issues.”

Mr McBeth also stressed that fostering an animal is “incredibly rewarding” for those who sign up.

“You’re helping an animal recover from a difficult time in their life and get ready to find a new forever home,” he said.

“All food and any veterinary treatment for the animal will be provided by us.

“If anyone is unsure about fostering, we’d urge them to give it a go. You’ll be making a huge difference to the life of an animal and our team will be here every step of the way to support you.”

Anyone who is interested in fostering for the Scottish SPCA can find more details and apply online at https://bit.ly/3vbhoHG.