Fostering offers alternative paths to forever homes
Spring bounds on scene, announcing its arrival with budding flowers and trees. Spring also brings an abundance of puppies and kittens that, for one reason or other, find their way to animal shelters. Most shelters have neither the space nor the resources to provide a safe haven for the seasonal influx, already at capacity caring for injured, abused and neglected animals. That is why Linda Larrabee, the volunteer manager and foster coordinator at the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County (HSMSC), says foster families are so important to the organization.
“HSMSC has the capacity to house approximately 250 dogs and cats,” said Larrabee. “With the ability to place animals in foster homes, it is unlimited.”
Currently the Humane Society has about 35 cats and dogs in foster homes, but that number is expected to triple as the upcoming kitten and puppy season arrives. HSMSC places great importance on getting the puppies and kittens into foster homes prior to the second vaccine and spay/neuter which usually happens around 8 to 10 weeks. A shelter environment does not provide the training, socialization or human contact that the young animals require.
“Although we do what we can when animals are here, it does not take the place of the attention and TLC that they can receive in a foster home,” said Larrabee.
Berclair resident Rusty Leach already had two dogs of his own when he fostered two puppies, Aster and Bosco. “I’m what the HSMSC call a foster failure,” said Leach. “But only halfway.”
A foster failure is someone who keeps the animal they are fostering. The term “failure” is an interpretation since the animal ultimately finds a forever home. Leach could not talk his wife into keeping both the puppies, but he did successfully add Bosco to his brood.
“Our other two dogs, Thor and Tunk, really took to Bosco,” said Leach. “They are showing him the ropes, teaching him the good and the bad. His sister, Aster, is ready to be adopted too.”
Anna Naquin, the daughter of Richard and Lisa Naquin of Lakeland, initially got the whole family involved with the Hu- mane Society.
“Anna wanted to be a volunteer dog walker and I thought that sounded like fun, so we joined the volunteer walking team,” said Lisa. “At one of our training meetings, Linda Larrabee came out and announced that they had puppies in need of foster homes. We took some time to think it over and the next time we came to the shelter we inquired about what we would need to know to foster and Linda cheated and handed me a puppy. Once that puppy was in our arms, we knew we wanted to help.”
From pregnant mother dogs to babies that must be fed by hand every three hours, the family has embraced the experience. Anna says the best part of fostering puppies is having puppy breath in the house. She also likes knowing that the puppy is learning love, keeping a photo diary of each dog as a keepsake of each experience.
A campaign for recruiting new fosters through the spring and summer months will soon be kicked off. A mandatory volunteer orientation teaches those interested in fostering about HSMSC, the mission and services as well as all volunteer opportunities available. A volunteer application and waiver of liability are filled out and volunteers are asked to commit a minimum of 4 hours of service per month. There will be an emphasis on recruiting bottle baby fosters, though any foster family can choose to foster an adult animal. Typically fostered animals are animals not ready for adoption — either too young or recovering from injuries with special needs. Healthy adoptable animals are better served at the shelter where a forever home can find them. For more information on volunteering and fostering, contact Linda Larrabee at llarrabee@memphishumane.org or call the HSMSC, 901-937-3900.