Foster Care: Opening You Home to a Homeless Animal

Some of the most important work performed by Eastern Niagara Animal Welfare Alliance volunteers takes place in the foster homes. Dedicated volunteers participate in our foster care program, which provides temporary homes for animals in need.

Foster program volunteers help care for animals who need medical and emotional care to thrive and eventually be adopted.

These pets include kittens, puppies, and pets recuperating from injury or illness such as broken bones or heart worm disease. In most cases, foster animals are either not old enough or not healthy enough to be put up for adoption.

The Comforts of Home

The foster care program is essential to ENAWA operations. "The program makes a dramatic difference in the lives of animals that are temporarily un adoptable," says Bobbie director or ENAWA. "Additionally, it allows them to grow up or rehabilitate in an environment that is quite and serene, as opposed to a noisy shelter environment. It also relieves space issues in the shelter.

In addition, volunteers can discover animals' true personalities. Because an animal shelter presents a new and unfamiliar environment for pets, getting a complete picture of an animal's personality can be a challenge. A foster parent observing a pet at home, may see, for example, that her foster kitty is a total lap cat or that her foster dog loves his daily jobs around the neighborhood with her. This detailed information can be provided to potential adopters to help create the best match.

The most common foster care situation involves litters of young kittens, who must be at least eight weeks old and weigh at least two pounds before they can be spayed or neutered in preparation for adoption. Puppies, also common in the foster program, must be eight weeks old if males and twelve weeks if females.