We’re Four Days Into This Lovefest. And They’re Not OURS.
Meet Addi. She’s a Lab/Heinz 57 mix. Barely 2 months old and from the local Humane Society. You probably ought to meet her brother, Gabe, but, he’s sleeping.
In our household, we have a dog “limit”. That means our “permanent” dog count is two: a 15-year-old Fox Terrier, and a 7-year-old Pom Poo.
But, for good reason, we’ve decided to stretch that limit temporarily by becoming Foster Parents at the Humane Society.
The Humane Society is a no-kill shelter, so that means they need help to place pets in a good home. The fact is that many of the pets aren’t quite ready to be adopted when they come to the shelter. That’s where good foster parenting is needed.
Our current guests, Addi and Gabe, are with us for ten days while we help them get over their kennel cough. The best thing we can do for them is to get them ready for adoption. In the meantime, a little good lovin’, some time outside their crate….anything to make them more “marketable”.
The folks at the Humane Society are no Dummies….this is really just marketing with the cutest product available. Sooner or later, one of the foster kids will end up never going back to the shelter! (I know they’ll get us, and it will be a pleasure to be “gotten”).
How does it work? From the Greenville, SC, website
http://www.greenvillehumane.com/foster-program:
Animals are placed in foster care for a set period of time and later returned to the Greenville Humane Society for adoption. For the duration of foster care, the Greenville Humane Society provides food, any necessary medications, training for the volunteer, a collar (for dogs), a pet carrier (for cats) and leash (if needed). All the foster needs to provide are love, attention and proper care for the pet.
There are many reasons why the Greenville Humane Society must rely on foster care. A lack of available space in our shelter or minor health issues that the animal may have are a couple of those reasons. By opening up your home to these animals, you’re saving their life.
Addi would like to make one final comment. Oh wait..
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Here’s the national site:
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