Paw-sitive Impact

Are you debating if pet ownership is a good choice for your family?

Fostering an animal from a shelter or rescue organization can help you make an informed decision. Fostering can also be a great option for military families dealing with deployments or relocations who might not want the added stress of fulltime pet ownership now but love pets and still want to feel as if they are doing something to help save the lives of some.

The number of shelter animals in need of homes is staggering. According to the latest statistics from the ASPCA, 6.5 million animals entered shelters, of which 3.2 million were dogs and only 2.2 million of those ended up getting adopted. Because fostering takes an animal out of the shelter environment, it frees up space for other ones and can cut down on the rate of euthanization.

Are you wondering if you are more of a cat or dog person? Fostering is a great way to acclimate yourself with the differing needs of owning a cat or dog. You can get a feel for the responsibilities and personalities to find your best fit.

Fostering is volunteering, so it helps connect you with your community and provides a meaningful experience for children to learn about compassion, empathy, and responsibility. You can observe your child’s interactions with the animal and gauge if your child is ready to handle the responsibilities of adding a pet to your home.

Above all, fostering provides an opportunity to help animals in need. Many do not adjust well to life in a shelter. They don’t thrive and can be stressed by the noises, other animals, smells, and more. Living in a supportive foster home can help them acclimate to a loving situation, socialize, and better prepare them for future adoption.

Some shelters and rescue agencies do provide stipends to cover fostering costs, but it’s not the norm and might only be available with harder to place animals with behavioral issues. If you want to focus on helping fellow military members, one option to consider is seeking out a rescue organization dedicated to finding foster homes/boarding for military personnel who are deployed or dealing with medical treatments.

Fostering is not without downsides. It is a huge commitment of time and money during the process. In some cases, the animal’s background is unknown, and it could have significant behavioral or health issues that need to be addressed.

Additionally, it might be difficult for children – and parents – who have grown attached to a foster friend to say goodbye if the pet finds a forever home. Being transparent throughout the experience will help as will focusing on the reward of achieving the goal of finding a loving home for the animal. Get the whole family involved by cataloguing the animal’s journey with you in pictures and stories to present to the new owner.

Don’t be surprised if you do fall in love and open your home up to a foster pet. It’s very common and many homes are filled with aptly dubbed “foster fails.”