With pet shelters and rescues frequently overcrowded, newly developed pet fostering programs for cats, dogs, and other animals are becoming commonplace nationwide. Most are designed to free up space for more animals, but these programs also benefit pets with special needs and circumstances.
“Many of our fosters are puppies and kittens that aren’t ready to be adopted or have special medical needs,” explains Lori Heeren, executive director of the Nevada SPCA. “And some pets that struggle with socialization. They don’t do well in a shelter but adjust very well if given a chance to live in a home.”
While cats and dogs make up about 90 percent of the 2,500 to 3,000 pets served by the Nevada SPCA every year, the association also assists with fostering guinea pigs, rats, and rabbits. There is even a need for pet fosters willing to bottle feed bunnies.
“Our primary objective is to find the right home for all of these pets as fast as possible,” says Heeren. “We’re very fortunate that some of our fosters assist with finding families to adopt them. Many of our staff members are foster caregivers, too.”
Ideal candidates for any fostering program tend to be caregivers with experience caring for pets. According to Amy Joshua, dog coordinator for the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society, foster parents tend to be compassionate, kind, and patient.
“We love pet foster caregivers who are open to positive reinforcement training methods,” Joshua says. New fosters are usually surprised that they don’t have to do it alone. We cover all costs for food, necessary items—potty pads, kennels, leashes, to name a few—and medical expenses for their rescue at our partner vet clinics.”
Unlike the Nevada SPCA, the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society does not own a shelter. As a result, it can only accept cats and dogs into the program if it has a foster caregiver available.
“We currently have a little more than 30 cats or dogs in our foster program,” she said. “This includes pets ready for adoption and waiting to be medically cleared. It takes a special person who wants to give back to their community by helping animals. They must be willing to deal with uncertainties, including a decompression stage typically exhibited by animals before their true personalities shine through.”
When someone fosters a pet in need, it’s an opportunity for the pet to live in a home and recover from any trauma or recuperate from medical procedures. In some cases, it helps shelters and rescues better understand the animals and find them the right home. In other instances, fostering pets might be a temporary solution for pet owners who cannot care for their pets while undergoing medical procedures or are otherwise indisposed.
One innovative fostering program, PACT for Animals, specifically serves veterans, hospital patients, and military personnel by placing their pets into temporary foster homes until owners can be reunited with the devoted companions they love. It’s a national program operating in 50 states, and it has successfully placed more than 3,000 animals since its inception.
“Our pet matching program carefully assesses the needs and preferences of both the pet foster parent and the pet,” explains Julie Zantopoulos, outreach manager for PACT for Animals. “We consider factors such as the pet’s temperament, activity level, and compatibility with other pets and family members.”
PACT for Animals maintains a database of existing and prospective foster caregivers interested in helping pet owners while they are stationed abroad or temporarily unable to care for their pets. Once a potential match is made to someone within a suitable radius, the pet owners and foster candidates meet to ensure compatibility.
“Throughout the pet’s time away from its owner, foster caregivers stay in contact with the owner through emails, photos, videos, and video chats,” says Zantopoulos. Communication is important because while fosters can expect to bond with the pet in their care, the end goal is always reuniting the pet with its owner.”
Like other pet fostering programs, foster parents should expect a few challenges that are a natural part of adjusting to a new routine, managing behavioral issues, and temporary separation anxiety. PACT provides support and guidance to help alleviate these challenges by being available to foster caregivers seven days a week. The service currently maintains a website with pets in need of temporary care on its website.
Conversely, the Nevada SPCA and Las Vegas Valley Humane Society allow foster caregivers the first opportunity to adopt a pet if they establish a strong bond. But even as an adoption candidate, a foster caregiver must demonstrate they are financially prepared and have room for a permanent addition.
“For the Nevada SPCA, we always want to make sure adoption decisions are made logically and not emotionally,” said Heeren. “I’ve been through it too. I fostered a kitten rescue for months while it recovered from ringworm, but ultimately found it a new home with a friend of a friend. Our family loved the kitten, so it was reassuring to know the adopting family.”
Heeren’s story and hundreds more demonstrate why fostering is a labor of love. It takes a special kind of person willing to deal with the uncertainties of being a foster and potentially face bonding with an animal that will ultimately be reunited with their original owner or a new owner.
Still, the rewards are worth it. Almost all fostering programs include financial and emotional support. All fosters generally need is an open heart and a home. Like all rescues, All About Spot is proud to offer free online records for sheltered pets, rescues, and foster programs. For more information, visit our page, which is dedicated to helping rescues.
