By DIANA HODGETTS

A small, white, fluffy head peers over the stairs, curiously looking down at the human below. 

"Hello beautiful girl," croons Sara McGuigan as she climbs the stairs toward the tiny animal. "Hello Hannah!" 

Hannah stands at the top of the stairs, wagging her tail excitedly until her foster carer is within arm's reach. Then she shies away.

There isn't much space, but the dog darts from one end of the room to the other, anxiously trying to find somewhere to hide. Eventually she cowers under an ironing board. 

Ms McGuigan, a seasoned foster carer for the RSPCA, approaches the little dog softly, murmuring words of encouragement. She reaches out a hand and, after a moment, Hannah relaxes.

Before she was rescued, Hannah, a Chinese crested cross, spent most of her life in a crate and hadn't had much contact with people. 

Ms McGuigan's job is to help her overcome her shyness before the RSPCA puts her up for adoption.

She says when Hannah first came into her home, the little dog hid from everyone. It's difficult to earn the trust of animal who has been mistreated.

"You can't change what happened to them," Ms McGuigan says. "But hopefully I can change their opinion of people."

 It's still early days. 

Hannah is not the first animal  to benefit from Ms McGuigan's hospitality as a short-term foster carer. She has been fostering animals since 2014, after she returned from volunteering for a shelter on a Thai island. The shelter, run by a team of two, had desexed most of the local cats.

“I thought, ‘if these two people are doing something that’s having such a great impact on this whole island, why can’t I come back to Australia and do something similar?’” she says.

Since then, Ms McGuigan has cared for puppies, cats with broken legs and now Hannah. They can be as much work as caring for young children, she says.

Despite the work involved, it's always hard to say goodbye, and Sara has twice adopted animals she's cared for.

Lola, her two-year-old kelpie, was part of the first litter Sara looked after. She also adopted Wally from a litter of kittens after spending weeks feeding him from a syringe. 

Sara McGuigan has been fostering animals for the RSPCA since 2014. Her dog, Lola (behind), was part of the first litter of puppies she looked after. Hannah (front) is her newest charge.

Lola’s mum, Tina, was abandoned outside a factory when she was pregnant. She was adopted by a family who lives down the road from the McGuigans, and still has play dates with Lola (picture supplied).

Ms McGuigan admits looking after a full litter of puppies for her first foster experience was unusual, but says that she loved it (picture supplied).

Ms McGuigan also adopted Wally, the smallest kitten from his litter. She taught him how to feed using a syringe. When a foster carer adopts their own foster animals, it’s called a failed foster (picture supplied).

Hannah, a Chinese crested cross, is the latest animal to stay with the McGuigans for foster care.

The RSPCA rescued Hannah from her previous owners in June this year. She is very shy and not used to being around people. Ms McGuigan says although Hannah is improving, she sometimes still cowers from her. As a foster carer for the RSPCA, it’s her job to help Hannah get used to being around people before the RSPCA puts her up for adoption.

Hannah is less shy around other animals. MsMcGuigan thinks having Lola around makes the experience less stressful for Hannah. She uses treats to reinforce Hannah’s good behaviour, but not just with Hannah. She rewards Lola too and the other pets in front of Hannah so that she can see the kind of behaviour that will be rewarded.

As well as getting her used to people, MsMcGuigan has to introduce Hannah to walking on a leash. Together at  the local park, Lola provides Hannah with a sense of safety around other dogs.

All pictures by Diana Hodgetts, unless otherwise indicated