Not old. Vintage.

Our dogs chewed their last shoe years ago. These days they would like a warm sofa, a slow walk and someone to snore beside.

Why older dogs?

House-trained, lead-trained and fluent in sit. The odd accident arrives with a very apologetic face.

Already knows the rules

No zoomies, no chewed cushions. Just a warm, heavy dog who would like to be near you, ideally touching.

Already built for sofas

Twenty gentle minutes and a long read of every lamppost. Perfect for people who also like to take things slowly.

Already at your pace

Older dogs settle quickly and love hard. Watch one fall asleep on your feet on the first night and you will see.

Already grateful

Slow by design.

How a Slow Walks home is meant to work, in three illustrative numbers. Slow Walks is a fictional rescue, so these are design figures, not results.

Minutes in the ideal walk. Reading every lamppost counts as exercise.

20

A beagle sitting on an autumn path, holding its own lead in its mouth

Hours of napping a day, give or take. We stopped counting at lunch.

16

A golden dog asleep on a black and white cushion on a dark sofa, in a patch of sun

Vet bills for foster carers. The Grey Muzzle Fund pays every one.

£0

Gloved hands gently holding the paw of an older German Shepherd lying on an examination table

Five stars. Would nap again.

Reviews from imagined adopters and foster carers. Names are fictional and photographs are illustrative.

Ruth & Peggy, 12

Adopted in March

“We asked for a quiet dog. We got Peggy, who sings along to the kettle every single morning. No notes.”

An older woman in glasses resting her cheek on her dog’s head in front of a blue wall

Alan & Snowy, 10

A foster that became forever

“I signed up to sofa foster for a fortnight. That was two years ago. Snowy has not been told she was temporary.”

A smiling grey-bearded man sitting with a fluffy white dog on his lap in front of a blue shutter

Ingrid & Saffron, 9

Sofa fostering since 2025

“She sleeps nineteen hours a day and spends the other five looking at me as if I invented toast.”

A silver-haired woman on a sofa stroking a sleepy cream-coloured Saluki

Ray & Bramble, 11

Adopted last summer

“Four stars. Lost one for snoring through the cricket. Won it back by snoring in time with it.”

An older man in a straw hat relaxing on a porch chair while a brown dog stands beside him

Sofa fostering is the gentlest way in. An older dog moves in for a few weeks while we cover the food, the vet and the blankets. You supply the lap, the chat and the occasional biscuit. Most people call it the best thing they never planned.

Got a sofa? We have a dog.

P.S. They bring their own blanket.

Someone in jeans lying on a white sofa with bare feet up, beside a small black and white dog

Meet the dogs

Meet the dogsHow fostering works