Health & Fitness
Consider Fostering a Dog or Cat
Fostering a dog or cat from a shelter is a great way to see is you are ready for the commitment of pet ownership. A few tips and benefits of becoming a foster.
A pet is certainly a great friend. After a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love. In fact, for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates.
If you have considered a new pet, but are concerned about vet bills or if the animal is a good fit for your family, fostering is a great alternative. You will still be screened by the rescue and expected to care for the animal as if it were your very own. The rescue will cover vet bills, any medication and some will even pay for food.
While it can be very challenging, knowing that you saved an animal from euthanasia and helped it find its forever home will give you endless joy. Fostering animals has numerous benefits for everyone involved:
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1. It saves adoptable animals from probable death at an overcrowded shelter.
2. It removes animals from a traumatic shelter environment and gives them a happy home to live in (and be trained) while they await their forever home.
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3. It gives the foster parent the benefits of having a pet without the long-term commitment (or gives their pet a playmate).
4. It allows the foster family to learn the animal’s personality so they can help the forever family determine whether it’s a good fit for them (animals don’t behave like themselves in shelters—how would you act in jail?).
5. It allows the foster family to screen applicants and ensure that the pet is going to a good home.
6. If you plan to adopt a dog or cat in the future, it gives the foster parent incredible insight into what they do or don’t want in their own pet.
If you are interested in fostering or would like more information you can contact info@ADOPTMO.com or MoShelterBuddies@gmail.com.
We also encourage you to visit Jefferson County Animal Control http://jeffcomo.animalshelternet.com/ they are always full of highly adoptable animals that are on limited time or you can visit a local shelter near you.
Lastly, there is another term we in rescue use called *Foster Failure* I am guilty of being one of those. I couldn’t part with my foster dog Nigel. I became too attached as did my other dog Bella and now he is a permanent member of our family.