hey guys. i have to rant for a few minutes. i’ve had a lot of people say they can’t foster or volunteer. trust me, i understand. either you don’t have a fence (like me) or you don’t have the time but you really want to help your local shelters or rescues. honestly if you have money you can donate (not all the time) even a mere 5 dollars can go a long way in a rescue or shelter! that money will go towards food, bowls, toys, spaying/neutering, save that one puppy that they found out that has parvo, an older dog with arthritis that is suffering without pills or that one dog they found that been hit on the road and he needs to have his leg removed. there are soo many things you can do even just sharing a post on facebook will do wonders.
you don’t know how many times i’ve shared dogs and i go back a week later to find out they were adopted just because a friend of mine shared the dog. don’t ever think ‘oh there’s nothing i can do’ because there’s always something you can do. do you want to foster? more than likely most rescues will take care of all medical needs including broken legs, etc. they will do all shots they need, spaying/neutering and i know some are now including microchipping. they’re more than likely get their first rabies along with they’re spaying/neutering. so all this means you gotta buy food but if you have animals on your own? that’s perfect you’re just paying a little more for a bigger bag depending on the dog size.
there’s no limit for what you can foster. hell if you want to foster cats? do it! there are not a lot of cat fosters sadly. cats can be a lot easier to foster to be honest. i did 5 (4 kittens and their momma). they were soooo easy but anyways. if you can’t foster a big dog then get a small dog. do you have a size limit? work with the size limit and get a dog under it. you want to work with who owns your place like if you rent an apartment. i know some apartments have banned breeds so you definitely need to learn what those banned breeds are. most dogs/cats you’ll get will more than likely be “mutts”.
if you do foster, there are a couple things you need to know. your personal dogs must be fixed. no ands ifs or buts about it. are they on heartworm preventive? flea stuff? they’ll want to know that too because if you get a dog from a shelter they’ll more than likely have fleas just so you know. they might also have mange or some kind of skin condition. but remember you don’t always have to foster, it’s a great feeling to know you saved a life and they got a second chance at life. (:
volunteering. no rescue, shelter or humane society is never going to turn you away. they will do volunteer orientations and talk to you. do you have the time on the weekends? do you have time during the day to lend a hand? off day and you don’t feel like staying at home? weekends are best for rescues and i know some shelters here will do adoption events to get their animals out there. you will do a lot from giving them water, taking them out of their crate or if you’re holding the dog to let them go to the bathroom if you know who the foster is always ask if you can take them out because if they don’t know you. they will more than likely freak out.
trust me i know. if i know a fosters dog and i see the dog with a random person i will be as close to the person as possible to watch the dog just for safety measures. if you’re good at remembering things and you know every dog there along with their info. you’ll be a big help to not just the foster or potential adopter but the dog/cat you’re helping. even if you can’t help every weekend, if there’s is a weekend you can go do it! keep in touch with the group. most will say on their facebook pages or on their website where they will be.
i just don’t want you guys ever to think there’s nothing you can’t do to save an animals life because there are so many things you can do. (: do you own a camera? go photograph them and post them on facebook with their information! are you good at designing posters? there you go! help them with posters! are you good at making websites? more than likely if you talk to the director of the group and offer your services i doubt they’ll ever turn you away. (: do what you can and feel good about it. ok rant over.