|
|
|
Turner, who lives in Eastpoint, Fla. (pop. 2,158), has fostered nearly 40 dogs and cats during the last 15 years. Some stay for just one night, others for weeks or months.
“You’re not just bettering the life of an animal. You’re creating a more adoptable animal,” she says. “That’s an incredible reward.”
Foster homes free up space in animal shelters overwhelmed by thousands of unwanted, abandoned and lost pets. In a foster home, pets learn basics such as how to walk on a leash, or how to use a litter box.
Small-town shelters don’t have the manpower to provide such training, Turner explains. With a foster family, “You’re in a normal household environment so pets can be exposed to other people and other situations.”
Some shelters, like Happy Tales Humane in Franklin, Tenn. (pop. 41,842), rely exclusively on foster homes. The shelter turns a lot of dogs away because it doesn’t have enough people to foster them, says Mary Mader, who helps run the shelter’s dog adoption program. The people who provide temporary care to Happy Tales’ animals bring their charges in each Saturday for adoption day; animals that don’t find permanent homes return to their foster homes for another week.
If you want to foster a pet, log on to the Internet and search for the word rescue and the kind of animal you want to temporarily adopt. Local animal shelters also can provide information on foster opportunities.
No special skills are required, Mader says, just love “and a tolerant spouse.” Letting charges go can sometimes be hard, she admits, but usually, “you feel good. You’ve saved a life.”
related categories
related articles
additional links
 articles by category |
 |
articles by keyword |
|
 search for articles |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
acts of kindness, americana, christian music, country music, democracy, farming, nascar, nostalgia, patriotism, rodeo | Enter a search term Please type text in the box above to search our online article database | |||||||||
| free recipes |
|
recipes by category |
|---|---|---|
|
Search our free recipes by entering your search words in the form below.
|
| american profile store |
|
featured product |
|
current deals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Find unique music cds, cookbooks and collectibles to add to your collection. | 
American Profile Hometown Cookbooks$6.95 and up |
 our picks |
|
books reviews |
|
music reviews |
|
dvd reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Picks provides reviews of new DVDs, CDs and books that our readers will enjoy. |
 message boards |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Stories are always better when shared with others. Why not share your own? Our message boards are a place for people to share stories, swap recipes and discuss articles from American Profile. |
 about us |
|---|
| American Profile celebrates the people, places and things that make America great. We tell the not-so-known stories of well-known people as well as those of ordinary people that do extraordinary things. Within our pages, you'll also find articles and helpful tips on a wide range of diverse topics such as patriotism, family health, farming, gardening, finances, music, and food. And, you will have access to hundreds of free recipes and cookbooks full of family-favorite recipes from our readers. It's a magazine that celebrates the hometown spirit in all of us! |
 Contact Us
Writer's Guidelines
Photo Queries
Company News
American Profile in your paper
Ask American Profile
|
