Dog Fostering

Immanuel Kant once said "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." Here in America, people kill healthy cats and dogs every day, purely for lack of space in shelters. These animals are kept in tiny cages under inhumane conditions, but there is a way to help them. If someone volunteers to foster a dog they are saving that animal form a terrible situation. Yet also, freeing up space in a shelter for another dog, which otherwise, may not have had a chance at life.

What is Fostering all About?

Foster organizations are primarily run by volunteers, and operate anywhere an animal shelter is located. These groups main goal is to find caring people who are willing to take an animal into their home while a permanent living arrangement is found for it. Foster organizations help dogs every day, by saving these animals from the trauma of being in a shelter. According to the website Battersea, an animal shelter in the UK’s website, explains that certain breeds of dogs, such as many types of Bulldogs and guarding breeds, are incapable of living happily in shelters. If these types of dogs are brought into a foster care system, they have a better chance of being adopted. This is because in a home environment they are able to let their true personalities show.

The Dogs Benefit
Dogs that have been fostered also tend to adapt better to living in a home. Karen Harris, a devoted foster dog owner for five months, stated, "Foster dogs can be better than shelter dogs, because shelter dogs live in cages and are not acclimated to a home environment." Many foster dogs are more likely to find a permanent home. They are already used to this type of environment, and will not have any trouble settling in.

Taking an animal into your home may seem like an arduous task, but it’s not as hard as many people may think. Battersea also assures potential fosterer’s that all expenses, including food and medical care, will be provided by them. With no expenses to worry, about all fosterers have to give is some time and love to the animal they are given. If everyone was able to put aside a little time to help a dog in need, imagine the number of dogs who would finally find a permanent home

Your Benefit

Not only can fostering a dog help that animal, but it can also help the fosterer. Fostering a dog can let potential dog owners see if they can handle the responsibility of taking care of an animal. Animal resources, a pet fostering website, states, "Pet fostering is good for families who would like to have a trial run with a pet, before deciding to adopt one." This is a valuable experience for such families, because it reduces the risk of that family, having a bad experience with the dog they chose to adopt.

All over the United States there are dogs without homes. The primary goal of pet foster groups is to find these animals a place to call their own. Everyday stray dogs die of starvation, and shelter dogs die from lack of space. By volunteering time to a foster dog organization a person could be saving dogs form terrible fates. Foster organizations help animals every day, providing these animals with food and shelter, something they may have never been given otherwise.

By Sarah Ortiz