In its new cover story, "21 Ways to Serve America," TIME magazine has one suggestion we're all for: fostering a pet! The magazine notes that, with 1.2 million homes in foreclosure, pets, just like people, are being displaced in record numbers. What you can do:
Sign up to house and care for a pet until its owner finds a residence or the animal is adopted. Use Petfinder.com to find local groups like PetConnect Rescue, which places dogs and cats in foster care.Many thanks to TIME for driving home an important message: Even if you can't adopt, fostering is one of the best things you can do to help homeless pets.
(Read the article.)
By fostering, you'll help keep pets out of shelters and, if the pet can't go back to her original owner, you'll make her more adoptable by sparing her the stress of living in a shelter and serving as her personal advocate to adopters.
You can sign up to foster through our volunteer database, or find a shelter or rescue group near you using Petfinder. Give them a call -- responsible fosters are always in demand!
Spending time with and finding homes for the dogs and cats I've fostered (Penny, Lady, Prince, Josh, Molly -- okay, Molly stayed with me -- Laverne and Shirley, Mishi and Poopoo, Pepper, Nanai, Pomegranate ...) has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Many people worry that if they foster, they won't be able to give the pet up, but believe me, seeing a dog or cat off to a new loving home -- and knowing you can save another one -- is a feeling like no other. Got any good foster stories? Share them here!
Previous entries:
Pet victims of foreclosure spotlighted in NY Times
TIME names Petfinder one of its 50 best Web sites!
