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Fostering:
Love 'em and let them go
July 5, 2007
Caring and giving to an animal in need is one of the most rewarding
experiences in life. Imagine doing all of that and then releasing that
animal from your care. When someone fosters a shelter animal, that’s
exactly what they do – they love them and then release them.
We often hear about foster care for young children who have been removed
from their biological parents, but foster care for companion animals,
especially shelter animals is practiced by shelters all across the
country to provide animals with a second chance. Beyond the basic
definition of foster – to nourish, bring up, cherish, or promote growth
and development – the comparison between the two ends there.
Animal shelters across the country have developed foster care programs
to increase the chance of the adoption of animals that have special
needs (either medical or behavioral), by temporarily placing these
animals into a foster home. The animals you’ll typically find in a
foster care program have been identified as having a good prognosis for
recovery or improvement in a foster home setting.
Some common cases of foster care animals are those that are too young
for adoption or are sick. On a temporary basis, the foster care provider
is called in to care for the animal until such time as it can eat solid
fool or heal from an injury or illness. Once the animal is suitable for
adoption, the animal is returned to the shelter to await adoption into a
new home.
However, it takes a special and strong individual to serve as a foster
parent. The success of a foster program is finding individuals who are
willing to make the short term commitment – investing time, energy and
love – and then being able to release that animal so that their home is
again available for the next foster animal in need. I, for one, failed
at it on two occasions as my cat Buddy and dog Caesar will attest. They
became permanent members of the family.
For those who have stepped into the foster role, many agree that it’s a
common misconception that being a foster parent is easy. Fostering
requires the type of person who can take home a needy animal to care
for, bond with, and then return to the shelter. Someone who fosters an
animal has to be loving, yet able to let that animal go. If that person
can provide a loving support system for animals for a week, a month or
longer, then let go and repeat the whole process by fostering other
animals, that’s one more opportunity.
The hardest challenge for fostering is being able to let go of an animal
to which you’ve become emotionally attached. But the upside is extremely
rewarding. Many foster homes derive great comfort in knowing that they
gave an animal a chance they wouldn’t have had without that foster home.
And in a foster home setting, you can continually have that impact by
being able to do it again and again. It’s equally rewarding to know that
you are temporarily providing needy animals with a loving home
environment and helping them become more suitable for adoption into a
responsible, lifelong home.
To learn more about fostering an animal or participating in the foster
care program at the Louisiana SPCA call 504-368-5191 ext. 150.
- Gloria
Dauphin
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