Volunteer to Provide Animal Foster Care

If you love animals and don't mind making a short-term commitment, consider becoming an animal foster care provider. Animal foster care requires caring for a dog, cat, or other animal as if he or she were your own pet, so think carefully before taking on a foster animal.

Although foster care covers a broad range of volunteer opportunities, your local animal shelter is the best place to start. Becoming a foster care provider usually means saving a good-natured dog,cat, or other animal from being euthanized due to lack of space at the animal shelter.

Animal Foster Care Benefits

Foster parents help socialize animals before permanent adoption. Some animals may not have experienced life as part of a family, or their experiences may not have been positive. Placement in a loving temporary home can prepare an animal for his or her future family life.

Foster pet care can be fulfilling for you as well. Rescuing a lucky animal from being put to sleep is not only rewarding; it can be a great way for first-time pet owners to find out what they're looking for in a pet.

Animal Foster Care Considerations

Qualifications vary from shelter to shelter. Some may not allow foster care in households with existing pets. Basic provisions like food and bedding are provided by some animal shelters. The amount of time you'll care for your foster pet depends on how long it takes for the animal to be adopted, but most shelters will work with your needs. Extensive screening will likely be needed to ensure that shelter animals are placed with caring, well-prepared families.

Volunteer Dog Walker: Making a Difference at the Animal Shelter

You walk your dog for his or her health and happiness. Dogs love getting out in the fresh air as much as we do, and sniffing satisfies their curiosity. So why not give the pups at the pound the opportunity to cut loose once in a while?

Even if your local shelter only has a small fenced-in area, the resident dogs will love a chance to get out of their pens, if only for five or ten minutes. Think about how stir-crazy you would get if you had to sit in a cage all day.

Volunteering as a dog walker at your local animal shelter is good for you, too. In addition to the actual walking, you'll get quite a workout from trying to restrain big, eager dogs as you take them from their pens. Visitors are likely to be around, and it can take some serious strength to keep some dogs under control as you leash them and let them out.

Not only will you get some exercise, but seeing a dog's tail wag as she soaks up the sun will make your day too. Many animal shelters are especially short on help as city and county governments look for places to slash spending. You may be just what some lonely dog needs to brighten his day.