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Tips for First-Time Pet Foster Parents by Karen Shaw Becker
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or people that love cats and dogs but can’t adopt one—or one more—a heartwarming solution is to foster pets without homes that need a place to temporarily lay their heads and be loved until a forever home comes along. Fosters are needed when a shelter is filled to capacity or has too many large or old dogs, or orphaned puppies and kitties, for example, or when a rescue operation needs to quickly place shelter dogs that would otherwise be euthanized. As important and rewarding as the task of fostering is, it also comes with responsibilities and pitfalls worth considering in advance.
check out the possibilities. In addition to Googling local animal shelters
and rescue operations, online groups like PetFinder.com and PoorPawsRescue. com provide links to fostering options locally and nationwide. Visit local shelters to observe both how they treat their animals and how they interact with the fostering volunteers. Staff members can help with finding compatible pets and offer support when a foster situation doesn’t work for whatever reason. Also find out if the organization is involved every step of the way, including providing onsite veterinary care, or whether it relies heavily on the dedication and resources of foster parents.
think about short-term fostering. To give it a try, volunteer for a
short-term commitment—a few days or weeks. Vacation time is one big reason rescue organizations look for people willing to provide short-term fostering because they need volunteers to fill in while their “regulars” are away.
be fair to other pets at home. Don’t get caught up in the needs of a new
kitten or puppy so much that the needs of other pets go unnoticed. Forever pets may even help out with newcomers. “In my home, puppies work well, as my dogs mother
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