Returning Dogfather, hire A Sponsor (9)
I believe the answer is:
godparent
'sponsor' is the definition.
(I know that godparent is a type of sponsor)
'returning dogfather hire a' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'hire' could be 'rent' (synonyms) and 'rent' is found in the answer.
'a' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for godparent that I've seen before include "as one responsible for charge" , "Baptism sponsor" , "Pet dragon (anag)" , "Religious guardian" .)