[kpickell]

Does anyone here foster any animals? I started volunteering at my local animal shelter about 9 months ago and started fostering animals this summer. I generally only have one foster dog and one foster cat at a time. I'm on my second of each. It's been a wonderful experience, though it's very difficult at times because you become so attached to them that you don't want to give them up! But I know that the more I adopt, the less I can foster, and the less I can foster, the less the shelter can take in, and the more that will eventually be euthanized. Or that's my logic anyways. But it's fun being a foster guardian. The website for the shelter I volunteer at is <a href="http://www.petrefuge.com/" target="_blank">http://www.petrefuge.com/</a>

 

[GhostUser]

I think what you're doing is awesome!<br><br><br><br>
I've only fostered cats a few times and I agree that it was so hard to part with them. I wish I could foster more now, but we have five cats and our home is full. Any more and there'd be chaos and everybody would be miserable. I hope to resume fostering once we move into our own house. One of our local shelters is trying to move towards becoming no-kill. They're trying to expand their facilities and have sunk a lot of money into a spay / neuter subsidy program. They're putting emphasis on their foster program to keep as many animals alive as they can until they've expanded. My two youngest cats, Zeus and Sophie, wouldn't be alive right now were it not for a couple who fostered them along with their mum.

 

[LadyFaile]

i was just reading that people should try to help kill shelters as well as no-kill, because no-kill shelters often have to refuse to take in more animals if they run out of room and foster homes, and so they go to the kill shelters, where they're put down if the shelter has no room or funds to take care of them.<br><br><br><br>
i would love to foster, but since i live with other people i have to respect that they don't want any more animals in the house, even for a short time. as much as i'd like to say to heck with them and run out and bring home some critters, it just wouldn't be fair to them, so i won't <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br>
for now <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wink3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[GhostUser]

The other shelter in the city has a foster program as well. The shelter that's expanding is a bit more dear to my heart since it's where I got Zeus and Sophie and because they're usually overlooked for donations and volunteering. I certainly wouldn't suggest to anybody that they quit supporting shelters with "kill" policies in place for no reason, but I <i>would</i> suggest getting behind a shelter that manages to scrape together whatever money it has to educate the public the way this small shelter manages to do. They've really impressed me over the past year since they've done a lot of good in my area by putting information out about spaying / neutering and letting animals roam.

 

[LadyFaile]

that's cool, i hope to find a shelter like that to support. as far as i know so far, this city only has a humane society shelter, but it could be that any other shelters are too small to afford advertising. i have to look around.

 

[kpickell]

awww... <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""> My foster dog got adopted and I have to give him up in a day or two. I'm so happy/sad.

 

[LadyFaile]

aww that's the hard part, and the great part, all at the same time. but if you didn't let them go you'd soon be overrun with furballs in your house <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[kpickell]

Yeah... he seems to really like his new home, so that's good.<br><br><br><br>
This time I'm going to get a "trouble" animal. One that needs some work to make him adoptable. But I'm gonna wait till I move into my new house (2 weeks from today!) before I take another animal.

 

[LadyFaile]

cool, good luck <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">