Fostering Saves Lives

 

 

Foster homes are an integral part of any animal welfare organization and we are no exception. They increase our capacity and give the CAHS the ability to help more animals than our building can actually hold. Fostering can be a meaningful way to make a difference in the life of a shelter animal and if you don't have time to commit to a shift at the shelter this is may be a perfect way to help out. Types of foster requests include those needing time to grow, time to heal or time to sort things out.
A shelter environment is not the best place to raise a family and orphans often need extra attention and TLC. Our foster homes work diligently on providing wee ones the care they need, including socialization, to ensure  they are well adjusted little beings when they are big enough to find their homes.

 

Some animals arrive with injuries that require surgery and rehabilitation before they are able to move on. Foster homes closely monitor their progress, providing physiotherapy and consistent exercise in a less stressful setting. Then there are the animals that require a calm place to stay; fearful dogs and cats that are under socialized and need patient, knowledgeable homes that will give them the time they need to build confidence and trust that the world isn't such a scary place.
Animals may be surrendered for behavioural reasons like poor litter habits or separation anxiety. Foster care allows us to see if the cat  does have poor litter habits or was it just situational; too noisy, too many other animals or litter box not cleaned frequently. Maybe that dog that was destructive needed more physical and mental exercise, or anti-anxiety medication, will crate training help?
Fostering can be hard. If you've fostered for a while you will almost certainly have a bittersweet story and I'm sure some comical ones as well. We ask our volunteers to open their homes and their hearts to these animals on a temporary basis but the love doesn't stop just because you bring them back. Tears are not uncommon when an animal is returned and that's okay. It is hard to let go of someone you love. I have more than a few reminders of previous foster animals in my life; a car seat that Wally took a bite out of, blinds he broke and memories of scouring the neighbourhood after he cleared my 6 foot fence. Wait, maybe it was just Wally?

Wally

Foster care provides the luxury of time without the pressure of space restrictions. Time to get bigger and stronger, time to recover, time to get to know our animals better. Foster volunteers and their families give our residents the time they need to find the homes they deserve. One wise foster volunteer told me that it doesn't matter what their past was because we know what their future is. Thanks to our foster homes it is a bright future indeed!