How to Foster Rescued Pets

Fostering a rescue pet is fun and you can have a huge impact on many lives. When you foster a homeless pet, you free up its kennel for another needy pet, give the foster pet a temporary, loving home, and you can have a lot of fun preparing the pet to go into a great new home!

To be a pet foster parent, you typically work with a local animal shelter or adoption group. These animal groups are always in need of more foster parents to provide warm, safe temporary homes for dogs, cats, and other animals until they are adopted.

Lots of rescued pets need foster homes for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the shelter doesn't have enough room. Sometimes a puppy needs a little training before getting adopted. Sometimes a cat needs to recover from a surgery. And other times, the rescued pet is just overwhelmed with shelter life and needs a little break in a normal home with a slower, quieter routine. Pets can be shy just like us!

Regardless of why the dog or cat needs a foster home, you can be a great foster parent by providing some basic care with food, water, and a cozy bed at night. With dogs, you'll also likely get some direction in teaching them (or maintaining) some basic commands. If you have any other pets in your home, you'll want to make sure that they all get along and all their vaccines are up-to-date. Shelters and adoption groups all have their own guidelines about how much responsibility foster parents are required to take.

To help with the foster's adoption process, you may need to bring your foster pet to adoption events or have potential adopters over to your home to meet the foster pet. It's good to remember that you can always talk to the adoption group about how long you feel comfortable fostering the pet. Plan ahead and think about any vacations coming up, out-of-town visitors, busy work times, etc.

Sound pretty simple? Well, it is. And, it's such a great experience! While there may be a couple shifts to your routine with a new pet in the house, the life you're saving is significant. And you're probably going to be walking home to a lot more snuggles and playtime, as soon as the rescued foster gets adjusted and sees just how much fun your home is! Those are just some of the rewards of becoming a foster parent...

Oona Rokyta, of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation, is based in the Seattle area and has been on the Homeward Pet Adoption Center Board as well as involved with veterinary hospitals over the years.

Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation (http://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com) is a top-rated pet health insurance company that pays 90% of actual vet bills associated with injuries, illnesses, accidents, and hereditary and congenital conditions. With one low monthly premium, pet parents get a lifetime of coverage at any licensed veterinarian. And, helping care for insured pet is just part of the Healthy Paws story. Healthy Paws directly helps animal rescue groups and shelters across the country grow and find thousands of new homes for rescue pets.