National Pet Foster Care Month – The Importance of Fostering Pets

Each pet fostered is a pet whose life is potentially saved.

May is celebrated as the National Pet Foster Care Month, meant to highlight the importance of fostering pets for their safety and well-being. It is estimated that around 7.6 million pets enter America’s shelters each year, causing issues with space and overcrowding.

Pet foster care helps resolve this problem by providing some of the animals with a temporary refuge in a loving home until they find a new owner. It also helps prepare them for their adoption by allowing them to better adapt to home life, recover from past trauma, and fully express their personality. Continue reading to learn more about the importance of pet foster care.

Helps Adopters See Pets at Their Best

Not every pet handles the shelter environment well. Despite their best efforts, the environment in shelters can still feel stressful and overwhelming for certain pets, leading them to shut down emotionally or display destructive behavior. Most shelters themselves simply cannot afford the facilities needed to allow a pet’s personality to truly shine.

Foster homes, on the other hand, are a more relaxed and nurturing environment for pets and grant potential adopters a better sense of how the animal will behave at their home. Pets previously abused by their neglectful past owners can recover from that trauma and learn to trust and be less fearful of humans again.

Improves Chances of Adoption

As already mentioned, animals are their best when in foster care. But there are plenty of other reasons why it helps increase their chances of adoption. While in foster care, pets can get to adopt behavior and habits essential for indoor living. Because a new owner wouldn’t have to teach them that, it makes it easier for them to make the choice for adoption.

Helps Keep Them Healthy

Just like us, pets need a proper diet and plenty of exercises to keep healthy. Compared to a shelter, a foster offers far more room for pets to stretch their paws and keep themselves active. Pets are also likely to offer far more diversity in food items, helping ensure they get proper nutrition.

Helps Save Lives

Each pet you foster is a pet whose life is potentially saved. Imagine the alternatives, either that of a homeless existence at the mercy of the elements and hunger or the risk of being euthanized at a shelter if it is becoming overcrowded. Even in areas with a no-kill policy, fostering a pet means a space left in the shelter for another deserving animal as well as greatly reducing the risk of overcrowding.

Richmond Road Veterinary Clinic is a premier clinic in Lexington, KY. We provide a full range of services covering every health need of your furry companion, including critical and specialty pet care. To schedule an appointment or for any queries, please contact us at 859.263.5037.