Let homeless dog pay visit for holidays
Shelter offers a few weeks of no-cost, no-obligation fostering
Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays. Especially if you’re a shelter dog.
In a first-ever joint project between the Lehigh County Humane Society in Allentown and Peaceable Kingdom in Whitehall, holiday foster homes are being sought around the Lehigh Valley for more than 100 dogs, of all shapes and sizes.
The idea is to give the dogs a break from their cages for a few weeks, while providing local families with the gift of a furry companion.
“Spending time in a home gives the dogs a chance to decompress and show their true personalities,” said Jarrett Schaeffer, dog manager at Peaceable Kingdom. “They have so much love to give.”
There’s no cost to take part in the three-week “Home for the
Holidays” program, which begins on Monday. The shelters provide the dogs’ food and medical care, and staff will be available to answer questions and offer advice during the dogs’ stay. Potential foster parents must fill out an application on the Humane Society’s web
site and be approved before picking up a pup.
In addition to the food provided by the shelter, each foster parent will receive a voucher for a free 15-pound bag of dog food and a bag of treats from Chaar pet supply on Airport Road in Allentown. Chaar President Tony ElChaar contacted the Humane Society after reading a story about the holiday program on The Morning Call website.
“We wanted to do something for the holidays, so your story came out just in time,” ElChaar said. “It’s a little treat for the people and the dogs.”
Families that can’t foster a dog for the full three weeks due to travel or other holiday obligations can request a shorter stay.
Though shelter staff admit that they’re hoping the program will lead to many people falling in love and deciding to adopt the dogs they’ve fostered over the holidays, even a short stay in a home is beneficial for shelter dogs.
“You’re not just giving them a lap or a couch to lie on for a few weeks. You’re helping them socialize, so that when they are adopted they’re better pets,” said Deirdre Snyder, the Humane Society’s director of development.
One of the dogs hoping to hang out with a local family is 10-year-old Ciara, a pit bull mix who was found roaming the streets of Allentown a few months ago. Humane Society staff were able to track down her owners, but they refused to take her back.
As a senior dog and a pit bull, Ciara will likely wait longer for an adopter than the puppies and more popular breeds at the shelter. Despite her age, Ciara wagged her tail energetically as she posed beside a Christmas tree at the shelter on a recent afternoon, offering slobbery kisses to any human within reach.
“She’s such an affectionate dog, and just wants a person of her own,” Snyder said. “Getting to spend time in a home would mean so much to her.”
A holiday dog visitor can also provide health benefits for people, especially seniors who are lonely this time of year. A majority of older adults surveyed by the nonprofit Human Animal Bond Research Institute, in preparation for a summit on social isolation and companion animals in May, reported that having a pet reduced their loneliness and related health problems.
Humane Society CEO Hal Warner said Peaceable Kingdom was a natural fit for his organization’s first partnership.
Both shelters serve the same communities and accept all dog breeds, including hard-to-place pit bulls.
“I have always believed that when nonprofits work together, they can achieve so much more,” Warner said. “In working together, Lehigh County Humane Society and Peaceable
Kingdom can help bring awareness to the homeless animals of the Lehigh Valley and the need for both fosters and adopters.”