Fostering a Needy Animal

Animal shelters and rescue organizations are filled to overflow with homeless and abandoned pets. Sometimes pets arrive at the shelter in need of extra care before they can be made available for adoption. This is where "foster parents", or foster families, can help.

Extra care may take many forms, including:

- Physical care, such as nursing an animal back from an illness or from surgery... or special care provided to very young animals;

- Helping to socialize an animal and get it accustomed to people and to being handled;

- Taking in an animal who has suffered injury to allow it time to grow back fur, heal wounds, etc - to make it more "attractive" and thus hopefully more adoptable;

- Temporarily providing a home for a pet while its owner seeks a way out of domestic violence situations;

- Simply giving emotionally-stressed animals time to "heal".

 

All of these things help to make an animal more adoptable. It gives them another chance to find a "forever home" with a loving family.

Of course, providing foster care is not suitable for everyone. Some of the things you need to think about include the personalities of the pets you already have in your own home; the time committment; and the types of animals or animal care you're comfortable with.

Foster families are usually very much needed. If you are interested in possibly becoming a pet foster parent, contact your local humane society or pet rescue organization and ask how you can help. .