Fostering

Fostering is a beautiful way to help cast-off animals begin to trust again.

Few activities in Heart of America Humne Society capture so well the underlying essence of animal support. While there are many ways to help out, fostering is one volunteer function that's very "hands on" - or very "hearts on", as its beneficial effects can be immediate, clear, and lasting - for the animal and the volunteer.

The Heart of America foster parent program addresses two main issues:

• Some animals just do not "do well" in an unfamiliar, noisy shelter, particularly those who're used to lazing around inside a relatively quiet home. By fostering away from a shelter, a lot of the animal's confusion and stress is reduced. Their true nature may be more easily revealed in a relaxed foster home environment, rather than constantly behaving defensively in response to a "threatening" shelter experience (even when it really isn't).
• Time is not on the side of a shelter animal. Shelters hang on to animals as long as they can, but due to space constraints, strict city regulations, low staffing or other mitigating factors, animals cannot stay in their cages forever - and the daily inflow of pets seldom slows. By fostering a dog or cat away from these limitations, home volunteers can "stop the clock" and give the animal extra time while the Heart of America Humane Society helps find an appropriate owner.

Benefits of fostering:

• Volunteers can help an animal immediately when they need it most, without necessarily making a lifetime commitment.
• Since the adoptee is kept in a real home, the animal can be given personalized, unconditional love and human socialization while receiving the break it needs and deserves.
• Foster parents get to see the pure joy on both the animal's face, and that of the new owner, when they discover each other at an on-site adoption.

Foster "parents" temporarily board shelter animals in their own homes until they are adopted. (Should a foster parent decide they simply cannot part with their animal, they are certainly allowed to formally adopt and become the permanent owner.)

Another situation calling for some TLC:

Outside of the normal (and hectic!) partner shelter activities, Heart Of America Humane Society is also allowed to keep cats and kittens in the cages provided within PETsMART and PETCO store space, helping them stay visible for adoption during regular store hours as well.

But sometimes these cats need a break from the glassed-in store atmosphere and could really benefit from an in-home environment - even if it's just for a few days. If you feel you can help us out by fostering one of the cats for short periods of time they would be grateful!

Stories

For stories about how a foster animal impacted a foster parent life and how a foster parent can implact and animal life. See our "Rescue Stories" page. For stories about how mush joy a rescued animal can bring. See our "Success Stories" page for a few examples of adoption accounts.)

Contact to Help

Contact the Heart of America Volunteer Coordinator for more information about fostering and learn about more volunteer opportunities: volunteer team. or call 1-800-384-3143 and leave a message.

Donate to help support adoption the activities of
The Heart of America Humane Society.