Before you decide to foster a dog, it is important to understand what that means. Fostering dogs (or cats) allow you to take in an abandoned animal or one from an overcrowded shelter for a period. Often during natural disasters, fostering needs increase.

What are reasons animals need to be fostered? Sometimes rescue groups do not have a physical shelter, so foster homes are a perfect fit. In addition, some puppies need a safe home to stay in before they can be adopted into a forever home. If a dog is recovering from a surgery, it might need more attention than a shelter can provide. Often if a dog is showing signs of stress in a shelter, a foster home is a good alternative to make them feel safe.

So why should you consider becoming a foster parent to a pooch? By fostering an animal, you are freeing up space in a shelter for more animals to potentially be adopted. You will be able to socialize the dog so that they feel more comfortable around people and become a great fit for adoption. This might even help them become friendly toward children and other animals.  Lastly, you will relieve a lot of stress on the animal.

This is a short-term commitment but will bring both you and the dog so much joy. Increasing rescuing resources and providing socialization to the dog to build its trust are just a few of the many reasons to consider fostering. This experience will not only benefit the animal but be fulfilling for you as well.