I had considered fostering for several years before I took the plunge. My husband and I had adopted our first dog from SCARS in 2015 and from then on, now and then, I would mention to him that we should foster. Life carried on and I had doubts, do we have enough space, enough time. Will our resident animals accept a foster? Then the pandemic hit. I started volunteering for SCARS by driving. It was very eye opening to see where these dogs and cats come from. The challenges that exist for the communities and the people themselves. It’s not that the people are bad or awful. Some just don’t know any better, don’t have the resources, and are just trying to do the best they can with what they have. Education, compassion, and resources are part of SCARS mandate and they provide it to so many communities.
After a few months, we decided to foster and brought home a teenager pup. We named him Boomer – he was 6 months old, a giant lab mix who was already crate trained, potty trained, and walked perfectly on a leash. He was my dream dog, but I swore I wasn’t going to foster fail on my very first foster. He was adopted by a family in BC and he now lives on a resort in the Okanagan with three other lab mixes and he has the best life ever. I occasionally get updates from his family, and honestly, he is so incredibly happy and loved, and it makes my heart so full.
Next was three 8 week old puppies and man, my life did a complete 360. It had been 5 years since I had a puppy, let alone 3 of them! They were busy, naughty (in a good way!) and just delightful. However, puppies are a lot of work. They aren’t potty trained, so there was a lot of cleaning. They decided that my antique coffee table needed rounded corners and were determined to make it so, no matter how many times we said no and redirected them to appropriate chew toys. But, despite the work, cleaning and some frustrations, they were all adopted into loving homes and are thriving today.
So, why should you foster for SCARS? Well, beyond the obvious of saving animals, there is a whole other dynamic to it.
Support – every foster home is assigned to a supervisor who is there to guide them, answer questions and just be a general support. There are Facebook groups to post in, ask questions and just learn more from other fosters. We are a team and we support each other so the animals have the best chance at a happy and healthy tomorrow.
Friendship – some of the nicest people foster for SCARS. I have made several new friends and I love meeting new people at adoption events. The SCARS family is a diverse group of people from all walks of life.
Education – SCARS provides opportunities for foster families to learn what they need to know, particularly for dogs. Training sessions are valuable and are incredibly helpful. Many of the dogs that come into care have never seen a collar or leash. Some have never been inside a house. Between the resources from the supervisors, advice from the Facebook community and the training sessions, you will become competent in training and socializing your foster dogs.
For cat fosters, there is a group of cat people are always available to help with your cat issues when they come up. From bottle babies to old seniors, we can lend a hand, some helpful advice or tips and tricks.
Have you thought about adopting a dog or cat, but you aren’t sure that you have the right lifestyle to accommodate a new friend? This can be the perfect way to find out. By fostering an animal, you provide a warm, safe home for them to decompress, learn and heal. It doesn’t have to be a 10-20 year commitment. A few weeks in some cases, other times could be months. My longest foster was 11 months. A shy, quiet kitty. Lovely girl, but she couldn’t go to adoption events because she shut down and hid. Good with cats and dogs, she was literally the best cat ever. She was showcased on our Facebook and had frequent writeup additions and was finally adopted to a quiet home, somewhere she was able to be herself and blossom into a very happy and content lady.
I know many people say they don’t have room to foster, or time, or are afraid of becoming attached to their foster and not being able to give them away.
Space requirements – do you have a bathroom or spare bedroom? A single cat, or even a couple of kittens do not need a lot of space. Somewhere to set up a litter box, food dishes and some enrichment toys and a soft blanket. All animals are quarantined for 10-14 days, then when confirmed to be healthy can be integrated into your household. If you have other animals, this can be somewhat challenging, but it is manageable. The nice thing about the quarantine period is resident animals can smell the foster and get used to them. Then when the quarantine is done, introductions can go easier. I have a small home, one level with no basement. My yard isn’t huge either, however I have successfully fostered nearly 150 animals (dogs and cats) in my tenure with SCARS.
Time – depending on what you choose to foster, the time commitment doesn’t have to be extravagant. A single litter of kittens or an adult cat are easy. They sleep 90% of their day, they just want to play, eat and sleep. In the morning I feed them and spend a few minutes visiting, then when I come home from work, I get them their dinner, clean their space, play with them a few minutes and then prepare my dinner, do normal things with my own animals & family. Then before bed I spend some time with them playing and hang out. It’s a good way to decompress and relax before bed. If you have children, it can teach them compassion, and how to care for animals.
Dogs are definitely more work and time consuming. They need walks and play time in the morning, potty breaks in the day (depending on the dog…) and then more enrichment in the evening. Puppies are probably the most time consuming, they need a lot more one on one time, they need to learn EVERYTHING.
Attachment – if you don’t get attached to your foster, you’re doing something wrong. I fall in love with every single cat and dog that comes into my home. My mindset is “Goodbye is the goal”. I cannot keep every animal, it’s completely unrealistic. My job is to give them a good start on the rest of their life and then send them onto their next adventure. Teach them people are good, fatten up the skinny, let the wounded heal. Then when they’re ready for adoption, you get to talk to the potential adopters and see if they are a fit for the animal. Sometimes the animal they apply for isn’t a good match – but there are so many other animals that might be for that particular family.
There is heartbreak too. Some animals are too sick. Too afraid. Too young/frail. I have had my fair share of loss while fostering. It breaks me every time, but I know in my heart I did everything I could for that animal and that there is nothing else that could have been done to save them. I take solace that while they were in my care they knew they were safe and very, very loved.
Try one, just one. You are matched with an animal that should fit in with your lifestyle. You have support and guidance available at all times. If you loved the experience, keep going. If you need a break after, that’s fine. One and done, that’s ok too. But you won’t know how it feels to have that cat or dog adopted into the perfect home and see them happy and blossoming. Winning the trust of a scared or shut down animal is one of the best experiences this life has to offer. Guiding that puppy and helping him grow up to be a good canine citizen is incredibly rewarding
