👩🏽‍💻12 years ago I decided to foster a dog through Homeward Trails and it was such a great experience I decided to keep him. Teddy has been such an important part of my life I am so thankful for the universe for bringing us together. In light of the coronavirus emergency, fostering a pet might be a great way to have some company while we shelter at home (and you should be doing just that). You can foster a pet for a few days or until your little buddy finds a forever home. See below for details. - The Advoc8te

HRA takes in an average of 30 animals per day. The team works around the clock to provide for all of the animals in our care, but our shelter space and resources are limited. Thanks to the work of foster families, we are able to create a virtual shelter in the community for our most vulnerable animals. On any given day our fosters double the number of animals we can rescue and they give an animal the best possible place to wait to find a loving home.

Foster parents fulfill a critical component of our life-saving work. Any individual, family, or business with the compassion and willingness to help animals-in-need can serve as a foster parent. Foster terms can range from a few days or weeks to a month or more, depending on the preferences of the foster parent and the needs of the animal. Foster homes are most needed for:

• Dogs over 40 lbs who are stressed in the shelter environment

• Animals who are sick

• Animals who need behavior training or socialization

• Animals too shy or timid in the adoption center environment

• Moms with nursing kittens or puppies

• Orphaned bottle fed kittens and puppies

• Animals too young for spay/neuter

HRA's foster department also offers several specialized programs designed to support our most vulnerable animal populations.

• In Real Life — focuses on learning about our population of dogs over 40 pounds through a short 2-3 day stay in a foster home.

• Safe Haven — working with our Humane Law Enforcement department, foster parents assist survivors of domestic violence by caring for their pet while they make arrangements for a new living situation.

• Humane Heroes  — supporting our Humane Law Enforcement department, foster parents welcome abused and neglected animals for 30 days.

• Happy Hour —  take a dog home for a few hours to  give them a break from shelter life to lower their stress levels and improve their overall well-being.

If you are interested in becoming a foster for HRA, please sign-up online. After you have completed the sign-up form, a volunteer foster case manager or staff member will be in touch with next steps.

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