Say hi to Oscar, a foster fellow. |
If you have a little extra time or a little extra room in your heart
this summer, try being a foster parent for a shelter pet. Foster parents
are needed for a day, a weekend, a week or as long as you wish.
Shelters are filled to capacity with incoming kittens, lost and abandoned
puppies and animals that are waiting for a home.
Foster parents help two animals, the one they take home and the one
that takes his vacant place. Sometimes a home has been found for a
pet, but there is a delay in transportation. If the pet can be in
a foster home until transport can be arranged for his forever home,
another homeless animal may be saved. If the shelter is full, animals
may be euthanized upon admission or kept the minimum of five days.
Sometimes, good dogs and cats have not found a family. There simply
aren’t enough to go around and time is short. Like any captive,
each day they lose a little of their faith, their hope and their heart.
No one looks their best in a cage. It is very hard not to despair.
The loving arms of a foster parent can help. The shelter staff will
be happy to accommodate your schedule and your preferences, whether
that is small dogs, kittens, certain breeds or breed mixes. If you
are only available on weekends, that is just fine. Weekends are the
busiest time for receiving new animals. If you only have a few days,
that is just fine, too. Every day counts for these homeless creatures.
Come down to the shelter and fill out the little bit of paperwork
to be a foster parent. These lost and lonely animals deserve so much
and expect so little. Yours may be the only welcoming home they ever
have. Your time could be more precious than you know.
Send an Email About This Article