How our adoption/ fostering process works at Westie Lifeline Rescue UK

Shortly Skye will be joining us. She is an 11 year old girl (not spayed) with up to date vaccinations. There are some medical issues being assessed currently which can be discussed, however keen to get her settled in and support her. She is ok with other dogs. Please make enquiries if you are interested in adopting Skye.

Update: She's arrived! Although Skye was known to be ok with other dogs, she is currently very timid and stressed, so a dog free foster has been found for her whilst she undergoes medical assessments to get a clearer picture on her health. Welcome Skye x

Update: Having now spent more time with her as she is with her foster home in Kent, we can see that Skye is a very sweet dog, however she needs to be in an only dog household. She enjoys her walks. There are some health issues that are being addressed currently: she will be spayed at the end of December, she has cataracts in both her eyes and sadly she has what we think is the start of westie lung, however currently that is not affecting her. However with the right care and love, Skye has the opportunity to bring great love into her future home. Skye would be available for adoption in January and anyone wanting to find out more about her, please don't hesitate to get in touch for a chat or fill in an adoption form.

Bobby is 14 and has just come into foster after a change in the owner's circumstances. He is being assessed for behaviour and medical needs currently as is always the case when we first take in new dogs, however if you might be interested in adopting Bobby please make enquiries.

Ozzy is 5 years old and came into rescue due to a change in circumstances for his owners. He is settling well into his foster family - he is well trained and obeys simple commands. He travels well in the car and likes his walks and LOVES his food, but burns off all his energy by running round the garden! When chilling, Ozzy is gentle and loves having his belly rubbed and snuggling in. He is a loving, trusting dog who is looking for his furever home. Welcome Ozzy!

On his way to WLRUK, Brodie's owner sadly passed away and is looking for a new home. He needs a dog free foster home.

Update: New photo (what a cutie!) - A foster home has been identified for Brodie so fingers crossed that all works out well. He is up in North Yorkshire, so any potential adopters would need to travel there to meet him.

August '24: Charlie has joined WLRUK after sadly her elderly owners passed away. Unfortunately the care for Charlie (12 years old) deteriorated in the last few years and she became poorly and depressed. She has a large tumour on her paw, and as a result of this will need to have at least one toe amputated and a sample sent off for tests.  She also will have some tests on her lymph glands as her nodes are inflamed. We hope that this is down to skin problems and recent stress as opposed to anything else more serious. Fingers cross for Charlie but she is in the best place for love and care. She is the sweetest little lady and enjoys company, be it human or dog form! She loves a cuddle and being outside trotting around the garden. Clearly more assessments need to be done but if you are interested in fostering or adopting Charlie please get in touch and we will update once we have test results back.

UPDATE: Charlie continues to have the sweetest nature and has fitted in well with all her friends at WLRHQ. On 13th August she underwent surgery and had a toe amputated. Samples of the tumour, along with lymph glands and bone were sent to the Pathologist for analysis. So far we have had two of the results back. The lymph gland samples were clear but the skin samples from the tumour showed cancer. The surgeon was confident that he had got it all. We are now just waiting on the bone sample results. Charlie is recovering well, going back to the vets every other day for the wound to be checked and redressed. Her stitches should hopefully come out on tuesday 27th August.

UPDATE: september - the bone samples came back ok! 

UPDATE: September - great news, Charlie Girl has been adopted. She went to stay with a couple whilst WLRUK HQ took a well deserved break and surprise, surprise, she melted the hearts of the couple. Charlie still has some medical issues to sort, but now can do that with her newly adopted family - great news!

July '24: Meet Marley who is a Westie x Bichon who is looking for a dog free home for fostering. Marley was due to be PTS due to his owners not being able to keep him and concerns about him nipping. Despite not being able to find a dog-free foster home, Janie couldn't let Marley go that way so has brought him back to WLRUK HQ, despite having a house full herself(!) so we are really keen to find somewhere for Marley to settle and be assessed as currently he is a bit anxious and confused understandably. Please contact Janie directly if you think you can help or support.

Update: He is such an affectionate lad who loves his walks and is extremely well behaved on them. As yet we haven’t seen any nipping. He is very obedient. He needs a dog free foster, or at the most one other dog, so long as he’s introduced correctly to him/her.

August Update: Marley just gets better and better with his personality. He's an extremely bright dog and a lot of fun. He has proven that he can be good with other dogs as he has settled well with all ours here at HQ. On Bank holiday Monday he will go to his new foster in Manchester. He's a super dog and will make a great addition to someone's family once he settles and trusts.

September Update: Unfortunately the foster relationship didn't work out which is a shame for both Marley and the foster family, but highlights why it is important to make sure that the match is right for everyone. So Marley is back with WLRUK and we are looking for a dog free foster home for him. Please get in touch if you think you are able to help.

June '24: Nancy is an ex breeding girl who we believe to be about 5 or 6 years old. She is very sweet. Her first night at WLRUK went well with her eating well and resting and she is on a way to a foster home with another westie who we hope will build her confidence and show her the ropes. Welcome Nancy! 

Update: Nancy (now renamed Molly) has been adopted after another successful foster). So pleased for her!

May '24: Brodi is 3 years old, castrated and much loved, however unfortunately his owner is unable to walk him and meet his needs. We believe that we have a new home identified, for him, but as always, if you are interested in adopting a Westie now or in the future, please register your interest as we aim to match the dog to the adopters. Thank you

Update: Delighted that Brodi has now been adopted and loving (& being loved by) his new family. He has a new favourite place on the sofa in charge of cat watching! Well done Brodi!

May '24: Meet Lucy who we believe to be 10 years young. Not a lot is known about her background, however we are delighted she is in foster with WLRUK. She is possibly an ex-breeding dog and her health currently needs attention as she has an ear infection, a urine infection and a lump on her tummy area (hopefully benign). Already she is thriving in foster care and enjoying walks to the beach and lots of food! She loves other dogs and is a very good girl!

April '24: Sali is 6 years old and an ex breeding girl. She has settled down well and coming out of her shell quickly - enjoying the love (& Food!) that she is getting. Pending a vet assessment and also seeing how well socialised she is with other dogs and children.

April '24: Bobby is 10 months old and has come into rescue under sad circumstances having been a much loved puppy. He is currently in foster. He loves other dogs and has a loving friendly nature. He travelled well in the car to his foster home. He already knows his manners and is happy to give you his paw when asked. He walks well on the lead and ideally it would be good to have another slightly older but playful dog to live with. Whilst there is a chance he may stay with his foster family, we are still inviting people to register their interest if they feel that a dog like Bobby would suit your circumstances.

March'24: Meet Tinkerbell (Tinks) who has just joined WLRUK HQ. She is 7 years young and fitting in well with the resident crew at WLRUK. She has some medical conditions that meant that her previous owners weren't able to cope and give her the time and attention that she needed. Next week she will get checked out at the vets and there is a foster family lined up for Tinks which is great.

April'24: UPDATE Tinks is now in her foster family seeing how she settles in - 1st impressions are good! All the best Tinks x

February '24: Another Archie into the rescue whose owner had a change in circumstances which sadly meant he could not be kept. Archie is 4 years young and is castrated. He has joined an experienced foster family who are assessing him and then will be looking for a furever home.

March '24: UPDATE - Archie shows aggression towards other dogs - this may be behavioural and/or also linked to a badly infected ear that was found when he went to the vets for a recent visit which must be causing him pain. Either way, progress is being made but after further assessment when Archie is ready to be rehomed, it will need to be in a house where he is the only dog. 

March'24: UPDATE Now that Archie has settled into foster he is showing signs that he hasn't be socialised properly and will need an experience home where the adopters can work with him on this. He is a loving dog when indoors but when out on walks, he gets fixated and barks incessantly when he comes across other people or dogs. If you are interested in adopting Archie and feel you can work with his needs and would like more information please contact Janie on 07751 025868.

January '24: These two ladies have just joined us and currently they are under assessment as not much is known about their background including whether they are a bonded pair or can be rehomed separately. Now under the loving care at WLRUK HQ they are quite overwhelmed at the moment but pleased to report that they have just had their tea!

Update:   Coco and Jini are two of the sweetest girls, but they are scared of everyone and everything. They like their “safe space”, but will occasionally come out to explore. Coco is braver than Jini and at the moment it is obvious that Jini needs to be near Coco all the time. It is going to take a lot of time and patience with them both.

Coco îs 7 1/2 yrs old, and spayed, Jini is 6 yrs old in February and not spayed yet. She will be spayed at the appropriate time. They are not house trained yet. They will need to stay together, and ideally they need a foster who is wanting to adopt them when they are ready.

If you are interested in fostering with a view to adopt, please complete an application to adopt and send to westielifeline@vfast.co.uk. You will get an acknowledgement of receipt of your email and then if we feel you may be suitable for this gorgeous pair, we will be in touch. Thank you in advance for your interest in the girls and our rescue.

Update February '24: Coco and Jini have now moved to their foster home. We are hopeful that they will settle in and eventually be adopted. Its been a journey and they still have a long way to go to build trust and confidence but by the end of their WLRUK stay they were mixing with the pack and they now have a home full of love for them.

Update: May '24 Photo now updated to show them after their first (very smart) groom! Coco and Jini are loving their new life and family and are living it up in Romford. With their new family's love and care they are flourishing and becoming confident girls.

December '23: we received a call about Archie who was at a pound and at risk of being PTS. Thankfully he has now come into WLRUK HQ but sadly, his condition was poor. The photos show a before & after shot. He is 13 years young and was full of fleas, with poor teeth and blocked ears. his nails were curled around and digging into his pads, so he was also in a lot of discomfort and initially he was very grumbly but soon started to realise that people were trying to help him and allowed them to stroke him. He was straight to the vets on day 1 where they realised he needed immediate treatment to alleviate his discomfort. Back from the vets now, Archie is finding his feet and we will be able to assess how well he interacts with other dogs and find the best furrever home for this little chap!

UPDATE: Archie at 13 years young has landed on his paws with a wonderful family in Sevenoaks. He has gone to live with other westies (all rescues, with Basil, Dolly and Dougal from WLRUK) and has become part of an amazing family and is loved very much. He is doing so well for a westie of his senior years. He is unrecognisable versus the poor little lad that came into rescue.

Basil has arrived at WLRUK HQ. He is 4 years old and is very timid and withdrawn, so will not be available for foster/ adoption until he has been fully assessed, medical checks done etc. so please don't submit any applications to foster/ adopt just yet. But welcome to the family Basil!

UPDATE: Now fully settled in to HQ and medical checks completed - it was clear that Basil needed to be part of a gang so he is off to his furever home with lots of other Westies - good luck Basil!