Pet fostering: How to foster cats, dogs and other pets

When Mary Anne Marcuz became a foster mom to a seven-month-old collie-golden retriever last summer, the puppy was afraid of everything. Her previous owners had kept her in a crate most of the time, and she’d never been out for a walk, a drive or even to play. "Betsy was like a blank slate," says Mary Anne, who lives in Etobicoke, Ont. "She walked through our backyard with her tail right down between her legs, taking everything in – the butterflies, flowers, grass. It was all new to her. But by the end of the day, she was more relaxed, and by the end of the second day she was prancing around with her tail up in the air. To see that transformation was just so rewarding."

What is pet fostering?
Mary Anne is one of an army of committed volunteers who provide temporary homes (usually for anywhere from a week to a few months) to animals in need. Pet foster parents help raise kittens and puppies until the animals are old enough to be adopted. They look after sick, injured or mistreated animals and teach problem animals how to behave, so they will be ready for adoption.

"They give the animals the time they need to find 'forever homes,'" says Tara Jackson, communications manager at the Ottawa Humane Society. Her organization has 260 foster families on its roster – including Prime Minister Stephen Harper's family, who foster abandoned kittens. "Mrs. Harper has helped raise awareness of the need for pet fostering across the country," says Jackson. "A lot of people think an animal comes to us and is immediately placed for adoption, but that’s not always the case."

You don't need Sussex Drive digs to foster a pet; a love for animals is what really counts. Darcie McGruther of Spruce Grove, Alta., has that in spades. McGruther, who works at the Edmonton Humane Society, is currently fostering a litter of orphaned kittens as well as caring for her own large menagerie of pets: eight cats, one dog, two chinchillas and a hamster.

No matter how good an animal shelter may be, it's not the ideal place for a mother to raise her litter, or for an injured or ill animal to recover, says McGruther. The littlest animals may lack a strong enough immune system to fight off many of the diseases and illnesses that are so common in shelters, so something as basic as a cat cold can endanger their health. "It's so sad to see them in the shelter when I know they'd do so much better in a home environment."

Although foster homes are sometimes in short supply, shelter staff still do their best to find the right fit. "We try to look at each case on an individual basis," says Jackson. "Some people want only kittens, some dogs, some guinea pigs or other small animals." If a family has young children, the shelter will try to match them up with an animal that is good with children, and they'll take into account other animals in the house.

Page 1 of 3 -- Read page 2 to find out about some unexpected challenges of pet fostering