Volunteers and staff at the Animal Welfare Alliance No-Kill Shelter held a special send-off this month for two longtime residents. There were hugs, applause and a few happy tears.
Canine friends Claire and Bella both spent a year in the shelter waiting for a foster or permanent home. Claire is a hound mix who was found on the side of the highway near Doniphan. Her rescuer, former AWA employee Kristen Whittaker, suspected she was a hunting dog who was dumped. From the moment she arrived, she was friendly and affectionate, in contrast to Bella, who was surrendered to the shelter and struggled to connect with other dogs.
The two became inseparable, and Whittaker could not forget them. She decided to adopt Claire and foster Bella, since foster volunteers are badly needed by the shelter.
With Whittaker’s years of fostering experience, she knew she could give Bella the best shot at a forever home by offering more stability and socialization than are available in a shelter environment. Bella could also find new potential adopters since Whittaker and her daughter now live in the St. Louis area.
“With the amount of experience I had, it just seemed silly to separate them like that,” she said.
__Fostering helps__
Anyone with the time to care for a pet can foster. AWA Director Jessica West explained fosters are hugely helpful to both animals and shelters.
“Foster homes provide a much-needed service. By allowing a dog or cat to leave the shelter, they not only allow us to take in more animals but also give the animal a chance to experience a home, many for the first time,” she said.
In exchange, the AWA provides foster families with pet food and other supplies.
The shelter may be a safe place for dogs and cats in transition, but both West and Whittaker described it as an inherently reactive environment. There is constant noise and traffic from other animals and humans, and limited mental stimulation since volunteers attend to so many animals.
Linda Kush, an experienced dog trainer and foster, agreed.
“The shelter can be a stressful place. Even if people would just foster them for a day, take them to the park or take them in a store or something like that, it helps give them a break from the shelter environment,” she said.
Fostered animals have a better chance of being adopted, according to West.
“A home environment also increases their chance of adoption by providing potential adopters with information we might not have been able to discover while they were here,” she said, including whether they are fully housebroken or how they get along with other pets and children.
__How to foster__
Fosters provide training and socialization to their animals. People without the time to fully foster can take a dog out for the day, or even an afternoon, to visit parks and pet-friendly establishments.
“Even fostering for a day will help a dog, help their mental outlook,” Kush said.
They also get a feeling for the dog’s personality and preferences.
People welcoming foster pets into their lives should be patient and respect their boundaries, according to West.
“Many of these animals have never been inside before coming to the shelter,” she noted. “Some may have been in homes and then brought to the shelter. Either way, it is a very stressful situation for them. It can take a little while for them to relax and settle into a new environment and new schedule.”
A good guideline is the “3-3-3 rule,” which states it takes a new dog three days to fully relax, three weeks to learn new routines and three months to truly feel at home.
“Spend some time with them. Don’t force them. If you have another dog, introduce them outside, and even better yet, through a fence,” Kush advised. “But just giving them time, that’s the main thing.”
She admitted one of the hardest things about fostering is battling the urge to keep every dog she takes in.
“You just get your mind set ahead of time that ‘I am going to work with this dog, and I want to help this dog find a home,’” she said.
__Happily ever after__
Although seeing a temporary family member leave is bittersweet, Kush takes pride in helping match dogs to the perfect homes for their temperament. So far, every dog she has fostered and trained has found a forever home.
Fostering and adopting change lives, including Claire and Bella’s. A week after coming home, Whittaker reported both were settling in. Claire savors her new toys and long naps, and Bella is showing herself to be well-behaved and affectionate. She enjoys walks in the park near Whittaker’s home, which also gives her the chance to meet potential adopters.
If fostering is not an option, there are many other ways animal lovers can support the AWA.
“If you can’t adopt or foster, then volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, then donate. If you can’t donate, then share our posts on Facebook and Instagram. Everyone can make a difference,” West said.
To inquire about fostering a dog or cat, learn about upcoming events or donate, visit awasemo.org or call 573-840-0664. More information can also be found on their Facebook page.