Fostering is something we talk about a lot in shelters and in animal welfare. It’s a simple concept that enables many organizations to extend their reach and rescue, save, and care for more animals in need within their communities.
The reason fostering is needed is a simple one: space. No matter how much funding, square footage, or campuses an organization has, there will always be more animals that need care than there is space to keep them within a shelter. It’s an unfortunate reality even with all the information available on the importance of spaying and neutering pets and using TNR (trap/neuter/return services). In essence fosters provide an exponential amount of additional space for care of animals as it’s only limited by the number of community members willing to open their homes (which, depending on the area, can be quite large).
If a shelter doesn’t have a foster program it limits their ability to care for animals a great deal. Even the largest of shelters can only house tens or maybe hundreds of animals and there are millions of strays turned into these organizations annually. If fosters can’t help then that means the shelter either has to turn them away which leads to life on the streets for these animals where the average life expectancy is half of what it would be in a home. Additionally, many municipal shelters (which receive some government funding) are required to take certain animals but not all animals (usually required to take animals that are a nuisance or possible danger which is more commonly dogs, than cats) which means they have to make tough decisions on which animals to take to ensure they have the space to take in animals they are required to house. The end result is predictable even if it is sad or unacceptable to most. No space means either living on the street or euthanasia when space runs out but more animals are required to be housed. Despite their unpopularity, it goes without saying that shelters that have to euthanize certainly take no pleasure in doing so. There’s a reason burnout in this field is so prevalent – it’s an impossible situation that those who work in are doing everything they can to create positive outcomes and change.
That’s where the community and, hopefully, people who would be reading an article like this can be of great assistance. If foster homes are available, then that opens up shelter organizations to be able to bring in more animals for care. Additionally, if animals that require less medical care or just socialization are in foster care, that means that staff at the shelter can spend more time taking care of severe illnesses and injuries that come to their door. Most organizations are so thrilled that people want to help with foster care that they are happy to provide almost everything you need. Most will provide food, toys, puppy pads and/or litter, medications, etc. The biggest contribution fosters have to commit to is time, space, and loving care. To that end, most organizations are also very flexible with the amount of time fosters need to have animals in their care. It is commonplace for them to ask your preference of animals, preference of timeframe, and preference of difficulty (from newborn kittens to animals needing
frequent medication to simply needing to have a home while an animal heals or can get comfortable being around people). You could have fosters in your home 365 days a year or for a couple of weeks two or three times a year. If people are willing to help then these organizations are willing to be flexible with them.
It’s true that we can’t save them all but that doesn’t stop people in this field from trying every day to try. I, personally, fostered a kitten named Pine Cone a few years ago. I answered a message submitted to Purrfect Day Cafe from someone who had found a kitten in a car engine (it was January) that was trying to keep warm. They had an avulsion on their bottom lip and apparent nerve damage to one of their legs likely from the heat of the engine. I directed them to our shelter partners at the Kentucky Humane Society. As we often hear from people who may not be familiar with shelter processes, she was very hesitant to bring the kitten to them as she was afraid she’d be euthanized. Of course we explained above why euthanasia ends up being an option above so I thoroughly explained the process KHS goes through to bring in animals. I explained Pine Cone would likely go into foster care and I could personally vouch for that program as I participated in it. She still seemed a little hesitant to me so I told her to let KHS know that she had spoken to me and that I would personally foster this kitten if she came to KHS and that gave her the peace of mind to do it. After a couple of weeks to heal with me she came to the cafe to be adopted. As fate would have it, the family that found her had come to visit the cafe the day Pine Cone found her home and got to see her one last time before she got to go to a lovely home.
If Pine Cone certainly won’t change the world – but I’m sure this family, the team at KHS, the foster team, and PDC changed the world for Pine Cone.
