 |
| Brita, who has been with ALIVE Rescue a long time, is still waiting for a foster or forever home. |
By Ranise Coppens
Fostering an
animal can be looked at from a rescue organization standpoint as the single
most important part to saving a life. Rescues all across the United States have
the financial resources to pull an animal from a shelter, but no place
to temporarily house it.
That is
where fostering comes in.
The most
common reason for animals being euthanized in a shelter is, simply, space issues.
Most people
don't realize how easy a responsible rescue organization will make fostering
for you and your family.
All the supplies you need will be given
to you, transportation can be supplied for your foster pet to go to and from
vet visits and adoption events, and the animal will be getting exposure to
attract the right adopters.
It’s
beneficial to the animal because he/she gets to transition from the shelter
into a place that will be a lot like their adopted home.
Basic
training and socialization, which a foster home can provide, also makes the
animal more adoptable. It's also a huge advantage for the rescue organization
to have a foster family, so they can pass along information about the animal's
characteristics to potential adopters.
Some people think it will be to hard to give up the animal
they have bonded with when the time comes for the animal to be adopted. But it
truly is one of the most unselfish ways to directly save an animal’s life. Not
to mention that once your foster pet finds a home, there are so many other animals
out there who need you.
Ranise Coppens is president of ALIVE Rescue Memphis and a former foster coordinator for ALIVE Rescue in Chicago.
