Hours earlier, she had responded to an advertisement to rescue a puppy, she was simply told to “come now” or the dog would be “put to sleep”.
“I met a super scared and timid pup who had been living in a teensy laundry with a concrete slab for a backyard,” Phillips told 9news.com.au.
After picking up the Dalmatian puppy named Ellie, Phillips took her back home, where she was introduced to the outdoors and people.
“She was petrified of grass, people, shadows, just everything,” she said.
“Over time she became more confident and developed into a gorgeous-natured dog.”
Years later, Phillips found herself scrolling on social media, when she clicked into a group needing foster carers.
“I had toyed with the idea but figured I would want to keep them all and wouldn't be much help,” she said.
“In the end, I thought, ‘Why not try it, if I save a single life and that's it, it would be worth it for that single soul.'”
Within days, she had her first foster dogs arrive at her home, Siraxel and Sirari, a bonded pair.
After they were adopted out to a family in Victoria's south-west, another quickly pair arrived.
“Soon after I got my second fosters, another bonded pair, Miskye and Scooper. They found their family and were happy,” she said.
“My third foster had severe separation anxiety, as a full-time worker, I wasn't a good option for her long-term.
“She was adopted by a wonderful older lady who became her best friend and companion.
“My next two fosters were also bonded pairs.
“By now, I was in the swing of things and matching these dogs with their forever families, seeing how much joy and love they brought each other, it was priceless and addictive.”
“I haven't adopted any myself,” she said proudly.
“I have been sorely tempted so many times, but always ask myself ‘is there a better home out there for them?'”
“The answer so far has always been yes. I may not always get it right the first time despite my best efforts, but they always end up exactly where they need to be. It's an amazing feeling.”
Dire need for foster carers
Thousands of foster carers are needed each year to rehome animals off all shapes and sizes.
In the past four years, Starting Over Dog Rescue has seen a 28 per cent jump in pets needing assistance.
Phillips said some breeds and sizes of dogs were easier to re-home than others.
“We currently have 63 dogs up for adoption, with more going up almost every day. We hit 80 listings not long ago, which is our highest yet,” she said.
“Some dogs, like the smalls, the poodle mixes and the giant breeds seem to generate a lot of interest, but the ‘inbetweeners' such as the bull arabs, kelpies, staffy mixes, which are about 90 per cent of dogs requiring rescue can sit there without any love for weeks, even months.”
Some dogs wait up to seven months to find their forever home.
“We keep our dogs as long as they need us, it only takes one application to find that happily,” she said.
Chief executive and founder Marisa Debattista told 9news.com.au there has been a “huge influx” of dogs needing care.
The organisation, which runs off volunteers, said people were surrendering their pets for a host of reasons, including the cost-of-living crisis.
Debattista said foster carers have never been more needed than now.
“The more foster carers we have, the more lives we can save. It's as simple as that,” she said.
“Organisations with foster care programs rely heavily on foster carers to be able to take in more animals in need.”
“There are more animals in need due to people struggling more than normal,” Debattista said.
“The more carers that we have that can open up their hearts and homes to a dog in need, the more we can literally take in.
“We physically can't keep up with the amount of people and animals in need.”
While the need will continue to surge over the Christmas period, both organisations are calling for people who might be interested to step up.
“Becoming a foster carer is the best choice I have made,” Phillips said.
“I was blissfully ignorant before joining up but now I couldn't imagine not having a foster dog and being an advocate for those in need.”
You can find out more information on how to become a pet foster carer on both organisations' social media and websites.
