Fostering saves lives. When the Aiken County Animal Shelter is full and being flooded with stray pups and kittens, we need people to foster these babies in their homes. FOTAS will supply any needed pet food, crates and toys. Every homeless pet that we can temporarily get out of the shelter makes space for other animals that need rescuing and medical care.
We get litters that are too young to be adopted right away. The young animals need time to develop and receive proper medical care to ensure they are healthy enough to go to their forever homes. They also need socializing and love to prepare them for adoption.
Two of our best puppy fosters are Paula Neuroth and Sarah Berkowitz. Paula has been taking puppies into her home for well over a decade and Sarah is on her third year of fostering
Paula and her husband, Rod, modified a shed on their property to make it comfortable – complete with heat/air, a doggy door and a fence around it. Paula’s lost count of how many pups they’ve fostered over the years, but early on, they took in a mama dog and her puppies. The puppies went back to the shelter to be adopted. But the couple adopted the mama dog, Annie. Now 11 years old, she and their other dog, Toby, are used to seeing new litters of pups staying in the shed every two or three weeks.
“The best part of fostering puppies is seeing their personalities develop and their confidence grow,” Paula said. “It’s wonderful to watch them get healthier and happier.” While Paula pointed out that fostering is not always a bed of roses, she and Rod have experienced great moments during their fostering adventures.
“There’s been many times we’ve laughed together, watching the puppies play and chase each other in our yard,” Paula said.
Sarah and her boyfriend, John, have a 20-acre horse farm and own seven dogs who are well socialized with other animals and kind to their fosters. When they foster puppies, they put them in a horse stall that’s been “puppy-fied.”
“We have fostered more than 100 dogs,” Sarah said. “It is an extremely rewarding experience. You often pick the pups up at the shelter, and they are shaking, timid, and sad. But the positive transformation once you get them into a quieter environment is almost instantaneous.”
The shelter is a safe space where animals receive all of the necessities, but by nature, it can feel like a scary environment to homeless pups. To get out of the shelter environment is hugely beneficial for them. Most of these animals are not used to many comforts. Many have been left on their own and some have been without food or even a clean water source.
“I strongly urge anyone who is considering fostering to give it a try,” Sarah said. “It might not work for everyone, but I think the majority of people who might be on the fence will be pleasantly surprised about the ease of fostering and how rewarding it is. We cannot save all the animals, but it is everyone’s duty to reinvest in their community, however that may be. For us, it is fostering; and while it may not seem that beneficial to some, I feel like we are doing our small part in saving one life at a time. And to that one life, it means all the difference in the world.”
Their lives are in our hands.
By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director
