HCPL Digital Content Specialist Dylan S. contributed this guest blog
Over the last 5 years, I have fostered many pets who’ve come from many different situations, and I have received many questions about fostering, what it is like, and how I find the pets/animals that I foster. In this post, I’d like to answer some of the questions I get about fostering animals and share some of my experiences. However, I’m not an animal behavior/psychology expert, and every foster animal will have different behaviors or tendencies depending on their history.
Why foster?
Houston is currently facing a stray animal crisis, and our shelters are overcrowded with animals in need. The shelters need people willing to foster animals to provide them with proper care. It is very rare to see a shelter that is not packed with animals. Often, you will see dogs in small, confined spaces to save room, allowing the shelter to rescue as many animals from the streets as possible. This is simply not the way most of these animals live. Fostering is vital because it gives a second chance at life to an animal in need. It’s also a great chance to introduce your family/children to pet ownership and responsibility without a long-term commitment. Fostering also allows these animals to get more exposure and increases their chances of getting adopted.
How do I find a foster animal?
There are many ways to find a foster. Typically, I find the animals I foster on Facebook, and they have all been super sweet; however, there will be animals who might be a little difficult to work with. The good news is you get to pick the foster you want to work with.
You can visit your local animal shelter and speak with a representative, or you can join a social media group on platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Many shelters post about the animals that currently need fostering. In those posts, they will typically include the pet’s history, ideal fostering/adoption environment, behavioral patterns, medical conditions, and other relevant information so you have all the necessary details before taking the animal into your home. However, in some posts, the foster might not have this info because they might be in dire need or be a new foster/rescue, but they will work with you to get answers to any questions you might have. Again, you get to pick which animals you want to foster, so if you aren’t comfortable, then you can keep searching for the foster that is the right fit.
What do I need?
You don’t need much to foster an animal. All you need is a little bit of space for your foster, which can be a safe space for them. This could be a spare room, a big cage, an empty closet, etc. If it’s an area that they can retreat to whenever they feel stressed or scared, then it’s a good space for them to be. The shelter will provide everything else, like food, crates, and medical care. The most important thing you will need is patience and a forgiving heart. As I said, some rescues might be coming from families that didn’t treat them well or even abused them, so their trust in people could be broken and be very difficult to earn.
One of my former fosters, named Vera, ran away from me after the rescue dropped her off. Luckily, I lived in a gated community at the time, so she couldn’t get far. She ended up curling herself into a ball in front of a neighbor’s door for an hour or two, as she was terrified and timid. I placed her cage in front of her with some food and waited for her to enter. Even weeks later, she would run to the cage whenever I would enter the room, but after a couple of months, I gained her trust, and she started to come out to greet me. We allowed her to decompress and adjust to our schedule and lifestyle.
Another thing you will need to do is take some animal behavior classes or watch some videos. This will help you understand how your foster is doing and how they are feeling. Learning how to tell when a pet is nervous or anxious will allow you to have safer and more effective interactions with them.
Many of the organizations that work with fosters and prospective foster caregivers offer free training to help you understand your foster animals' behavior, what it may mean, and what you should do in response.
What is Decompression?
Recently, when talking to my friends and family about fostering, I learned that a lot of them don’t understand what I mean when I say I allow my fosters to decompress. Going to a new home can be very exciting for a foster, and they occasionally start displaying some behaviors that you haven’t seen before or might appear to contradict information from the posting. For example, in the post, it might say the foster is potty trained, but when you bring them home, they pee or poop multiple times in the house, a low-energy foster is suddenly bouncing off the walls or giving playful nips/bites. This is why the foster needs to go through a decompression period. This is a period where the foster is allowed to acclimate to its new environment. This is why I said you will need to have lots of patience, understanding, and an area for your foster to rest, relax, and feel safe in.
This foster doesn’t know what your rules and boundaries are, so it’s going to test you and see what you will allow and won’t allow them to do. That is why you might see them do things they don’t normally do. This decompression period is your opportunity to set boundaries and create a routine for your foster to follow. It will allow them to get out all the tension and excitement that could be building up inside them, so they can be their normal selves again. I would say a week is a good amount of time for a foster to decompress but that’s because my partner and I spend a lot of time with our foster during that first week. If you don’t have that kind of time, then I would say it could take between a week to a month.
Final Thoughts
Fostering an animal is a kind and selfless thing you could do, as you're giving an animal a second chance at a happy life. Like us, these animals didn’t choose to be born or put into these tough situations and don’t deserve to be punished or killed because of it. In the last five years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the K-9 Angels, Friends for Life, and the Montana Pittie Project animal shelters, and they all have been super cooperative with my partner and me. I’ve never regretted fostering an animal, and each of my fosters holds a special place in my heart. I can’t tell you how unbelievably happy it made me seeing them find their new families and how happy they’ve been since. If you have a little extra room in your heart and are considering buying from a breeder, please consider fostering or adopting an animal instead.
Resources
Organizations
Harris County Pets Foster Program
Harris County Pets, Volunteer or Foster
Houston Humane Society, Become a Foster
Facebook Groups
Transitional Pet Fostering-Houston And Surrounding Areas
Houston All Animal Support For Fosters,Rescues, And Shelters
This is only a small selection of organizations and groups that facilitate and support pet fostering in the Houston area. Search pet fostering to find the ones that are right for you.
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