Pets and Their People Blog

Fostering animals gives them a break from the stressful environment that they encounter while in the shelter.  

BENEFITS FOR THE ANIMALS AND SHELTERS

If you foster an animal, they will have the ability to get away from the continuous noise caused by the other animals there. Even one or two nights in a home has been shown to reduce the stress hormone known as cortisol.

The pets will also get the much needed and important human interaction that they wouldn’t receive as often when staying in the shelter.

Some animals in shelters may have special needs and require more attention, such as:

• Pets recovering from surgery,
• Bottle feeding for neonates/ newborns,
• Help with behavior issues.

Fostering an animal will also help gather information, giving the shelter a better idea of what type of environment would be best suitable for that pet’s forever home.

When you’re fostering an animal, you’re also saving a life because you’re freeing up space so that another animal can come into the shelter – which will help lower the euthanasia rate.

BENEFITS FOR THE HUMANS

• If you’re pondering the idea of adding an animal to your home but not quite sure, fostering is a great way to test the waters and see if indeed this would be an appropriate decision.
• Foster can be used to model and teach empathy, compassion, and patience to children in the home.
• Also, if you’re an avid traveler but want a pet, foster will still allow you this opportunity without long-term commitments.

Lastly, who wouldn’t enjoy the never-ending love and kisses received from foster pets as a thank you?

Aaron Jones is a graduate of Animal Behavior College, where he earned certification as a Certified Dog Trainer. His certification, education, and experience provide the skills required to train your dog effectively and humanely, while keeping alive the spark that makes your dog so special to you. His mission is to help you and your dog enjoy many happy years together. He is the owner and trainer at AJ’s Waggin’ Train.

The Pet Rescue Resource is an online toolkit for shelters and rescues designed to improve adoption and retention rates of homeless pets. The resource includes articles, step-by-step training plans and videos designed to support staff and volunteers in addressing common behavior and welfare issues.