Rescue Tails / Fosters to the Rescue
Have you ever considered becoming a foster parent? We are often asked if the FKSPCA needs foster homes for our animals, so we would like to tell you more about our foster program.
The dictionary definition of a foster parent is one who welcomes non-biological children into their home short-to-long term. While this definition is aimed at humans, this is exactly what foster families do for shelter and rescue animals. Some rescue groups are totally foster-based with all their animals living with foster families. The FKSPCA has the good fortune to have two permanent locations where our animals can be seen easily by potential adopters, and our staff can get to know more about each animal, including its personality and needs. But there are definitely times when we reach out to our community for foster help. In fact, foster families play an indispensable role in the well-being of many of our FKSPCA animals. We could not accomplish what we do without these generous and committed people.
There are several reasons why some animals may do better in a foster home than at the shelter:
The first group of likely foster animals are puppies, kittens, or other young animals. A good foster home can keep these little ones healthier, provide round-the-clock care when needed, and begin the incredibly important socialization process. While many of these youngsters are un-weaned orphans, sometimes a mom comes into the shelter along with her babies, which is a great benefit to the babies. When this happens, we look for a foster home for the whole family, since keeping animals with their mothers for that critical 8-week period is SO important for healthy physical, emotional, and behavioral development. Mable and her 11 puppies were one such family. (See her Rescue Tale “Mable 11+1=12” (11/28/20.)
The second group of animals who benefit from fostering are those with medical needs. Animals who have undergone surgery or other medical procedures and require extra care can recover more quickly in a home environment with attentive caring individuals. Animals who are undergoing the challenges of heartworm treatment and require a quiet environment are also perfect foster candidates. We’ve had many medical fosters through the years including little Ringo, the kitten. (See Rescue Tale 2/2/20.)
One more group of animals we like to foster are special needs animals. These are animals who either are having a really tough time adjusting to shelter life,and or may have some other condition, such as blindness or another limitation that makes shelter life exceptionally hard on them. While these types of fosters are not as common as the first two, the need does arise at times.
We couldn’t discuss the topic of fostering without mentioning the “H” word. Hurricane season requires a very special foster need for ALL our animals. Because our Marathon Campus is unsafe to house animals during a storm, we place all our animals into foster homes whenever a hurricane threatens the Florida Keys. We also need to foster as many other shelter animals as possible to make room for those new evacuees who enter our Key West facility after a storm.
We have foster families we’ve worked with for years. Probably some of them have lost count of how many puppies and kittens they have helped get a good start in life through their foster efforts. Often, all it takes is a phone call from us, and they arrive on our doorstep, ready to welcome the next animal in need into their home. We have some new fosters entering the program, but we always welcome more. The shelter provides the necessary information on care of the foster animal along with all the supplies needed. If you have an interest in fostering, please go to our website for more detailed information, including how to sign up to become a foster parent. We must caution you though, of one very important risk that comes with fostering: you just might fall in love and decide you want your foster to become your family. For more information, check out https://fkspca.org/
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