Stuck at home? Foster a pet.

March 23, 2020

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Stuck at home? Foster a pet.

Central Arkansas shelters and rescues have your short-term companion for the quarantine.

There’s nothing quite like puppy cuddles.

As more and more folks are staying home in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, local rescues and shelters like CARE for Animals, Little Rock Animal Village, and Maumelle Friends of the Animals are asking for fosters and adopters.

Betsy Robb, president of Friends of the Animal Village, the nonprofit that supports the Little Rock Animal Village, explained that anyone who pet sits can foster. “It’s like dog sitting,” she said. “That’s really all it is. Sometimes you have to give them medication every day, but with peanut butter, it’s really easy. If you can dog sit for your friend or relative, you can foster.”

While adopting is a long-term choice, fostering an animal, whether for a cat or a dog, simply offers a short-term home for an animal until a permanent situation has been found.

Fostering:

Opens a kennel to save another animal.
Helps an animal decompress from the shelter environment.
Reinforces potty training that may have regressed during a shelter stay.
Allows the benefits of having a pet without the financial responsibility.

Betsy also wanted to clarify the difference between trial adoptions and fostering. “There are a lot of misconceptions out there about fostering, and it being a way to ‘try out’ a potential pet for yourself is one of them,” Betsy said. “We badly need more actual fosters in the rescue world so it’s helpful to make the distinction between the two clear so that people understand what is being asked of them when they see a plea for fosters. Most of the time, at least here in Arkansas, a shelter or rescue isn’t asking people to take in a pet in the hope that it sticks and they’ll adopt them. We want them to care for them for a few weeks or maybe months if they’re heartworm positive, then send them on and (hopefully) take in and save another.”

There’s no cost to foster. “We cover any preventatives, we provide food, we pay for all the vet stuff,” said Casey Severns, the executive director of CARE for Animals. “If they have the space and are willing to take the animal in, that’s exactly who we are looking for.”

Anyone spending time at home would make a good foster at the moment. And when kitten season arrives, those who are retired or work from home would be a good bottle foster. “We don’t have any requirements like you have to have a fenced-in yard or anything like that,” Betsy said. “Having a fenced-in yard is not any indication of quality of life that a dog will have.”

And if there are any concerns, staff is always willing to answer questions. “Some of the questions include, is this animal good with other animals, do I need to pay for anything, do I need to take care of anything?” Casey shared. “We try to explain no, we have everything covered.”

Fosters should be in the central Arkansas area, and there may be an assessment, depending on the rescue or shelter, which can include a veterinarian check. “We make sure that everybody is on the same page and it will be a good fit,” Casey said. “We don’t want them to go into the foster home and then in two to three days, it doesn’t work out. We really try to do our due diligence as a whole to make sure it is a good fit with the foster.”

Commonly asked questions include:

How long? It can vary from a few days to a few months, depending on the rescue or shelter. Ask in advance about specific deadlines for transports and other needs.
What’s the financial investment? There are no financial requirements for fosters. Rescues and shelters take care of food, medications, and other medical needs, like heartworm treatment and preventatives.
What if I’m sad when the animal leaves? That’s a good thing. It means you care.

The Little Rock Animal Village is one of several organizations that sends dogs up north, which means that fosters can be needed for a short time. “It varies,” Betsy said. “Sometimes, it’s just a few days until they’re leaving on a big transport. Sometimes it’s a few weeks in terms of kittens who aren’t quite big enough to be sterilized yet. With adult dogs, it can be either two weeks because they’re heartworm negative and they have to be quarantined before going on a transport or three months because they have to go through treatment before going on a transport. If you foster for the Village, it’s always a hard end date on fostering. It’s never an open-ended commitment.”

As shelters self-quarantine or eliminate hours, there are still opportunities to help. Kitten and puppy season is about to hit central Arkansas, and homes will be needed for litters. To help CARE, find their application here. If interested in helping the Animal Village, reach out through the volunteer application, and Betsy will add volunteers to a list that will be notified as opportunities are available. Be sure to include location, as certain animals need to stay within the city limits, due to breed restrictions and sterilization needs. And it’s okay to be a little sad when it’s time to say good-bye. “What I always tell people is that if they’re not sad when their foster leaves, we don’t want them to be a foster,” Betsy said. “We want the type of people who will be a little bit sad. But the joy of seeing those dogs in their forever home up north and being able to go to the shelter to pick out the next one they’re going to save is insurmountable. It’s a joy that is difficult to describe and overcomes any sadness.”

Sometimes dogs fit right in like they’ve always belonged, but sometimes there’s an adjustment period. To help dogs transition, it is helpful to have some rules in place. I’ll be doing a Facebook Live with Casey on Wednesday, March 25 at 10 am to discuss fostering. Come find us at the Telltail Dog Training Facebook page. I’ll answer some common behavior questions, go over body language, and offer suggestions on introducing dogs to existing pets in the home. “We really, really need fosters to step up,” Casey explained. “Logically, it makes sense for lots of people who are working at home right now. With so much uncertainty, I think for the majority of people, it’s just an afterthought to even consider something like that.”