LOCAL RESCUES AND SHELTERS are inundated, especially with cats and bigger dogs. They rely on a network of foster families to help animals who need training, socialization, or daily medical care to be adoptable or who just need a break from shelter life. Fostering is rewarding, but signing on without thinking it through may do more harm than good. Answer these questions—be honest with yourself—to see if you’re prepared for both the joy and the responsibility of fostering.
CONCLUSION 1:
Congrats! You’re a solid dog foster parent candidate.
With realistic expectations plus time, energy, and space to spare, you can make all the difference to a canine. A fenced-in yard is ideal for the bigger dogs typically in need of fosters, but some, like seniors, do fine without. Find out more at indyhumane.org/foster.
CONCLUSION 2:
A feline may be in your future.
An endless stream of feral and stray cats strains our local animal welfare organizations. Having only lived outside, foster cats need to be quarantined so that you can monitor their health and make it easier for them to adjust to being indoors. When kitten season starts in early spring, Biscuit Factory Animal Rescue (bfrescue.com/how-to-help) particularly needs foster parents willing to bottle feed.
CONCLUSION 3:
Fostering probably isn’t a great idea right now.
Even the kindest of animal lovers can’t necessarily foster successfully. Taking on an animal with toileting, aggression, or destruction issues is a big commitment that many of us can’t make, as much as we’d like to. And saying goodbye to an animal you’ve fallen in love with—and you will have to say goodbye—can be too hard. That’s OK, though: You can still help by donating supplies through wish list shopping at indyhumane.org/foster and bfrescue.com/how-to-help.
