May is National Foster Care Month, which means that now is a better time than ever to sign up to foster a pet at Roice-Hurst Humane Society! Foster care is a temporary arrangement in which a shelter animal is cared for in a volunteer’s home prior to adoption. All veterinary care, food, and supplies are provided by Roice-Hurst. All you need to be a foster volunteer is space, time, and lots of love for your foster pet!
1. Weaned kittens & puppies! Each year, we take in about 400 kittens and 50 puppies into our foster program, many of whom are too young to stay in the shelter. We rely on foster volunteers to take in these babies until they are old enough to be adopted. Weaned kittens and puppies are at least 6 weeks old. It’s all the fun of having kittens and puppies at home, but without the commitment of adoption!
2. Bottle-fed kittens & puppies! One of our biggest foster needs is for bottle babies. These little ones are orphaned between the ages of newborn to 5 weeks old. They need bottle-fed as frequently as every 2 hours. Bottle babies can be a lot of work, but the rewarding feeling on adoption day knowing that you saved that baby’s life is more than worth it! Want to learn the lifesaving skill of bottle-feeding? Check out this informative video by Kitten Lady.
3. Pregnant or nursing cats or dogs with babies! When pregnant or nursing animals come into our care, we send them straight into foster care so they can raise their little ones in a quiet, comfortable environment. The best part is that mama does all of the hard work of growing the babies, so all you have to do is monitor, feed, and clean!
4. Behavior cases! Many of the kittens we bring into our shelter are a little too spicy to be adopted right away. Kittens born on the streets aren’t socialized to humans yet, so we use foster care to teach kitties that humans aren’t so scary! We also use fosters to take in our dogs on behavior modification plans so that they can learn manners and trust in a home environment with the help of our Dog Behavior Counselor.
5. Medical cases! Sometimes we take in pets who are sick or injured and need some extra love to get back on their feet. A foster home allows them to comfortably heal in a loving home environment. As a medical foster, you would do things such as administer medication, change bandages, and transport to vet appointments.
6. Adoptable adult dogs! Want a dog at home but aren’t ready for the commitment of adoption? All of our adoptable dogs are also eligible to move into foster care while they wait for their forever home! They would much rather hang out on your couch than in a kennel.
Ready to take home your first foster pet? Sign up at rhhumanesociety.org/foster! For more information, please contact our Foster & Volunteer Coordinator Jenna Kretschman at jenna@rhhumanesociety.org.
Can’t foster but still want to support the foster pets at Roice-Hurst? Donate from our wish list to provide supplies to the shelter and our fosters.