Confession: I'm in love with an older man.
His name is Sarge and he's my 14-and-a-half-year-old foster dog. The old man deserved a warm home to live out his golden years and I was happy to give that to him.
Sarge, who came home last week, is the second dog I've fostered. My first foster dog was a Cocker Spaniel named Nancy Reagan, who is now a permanent member of my family.
Have you ever considered fostering?
The Pennsylvania SPCA could not exist without its amazing network of foster parents. Some foster animals need socialization before they can be adopted. Others need a loving home to heal their wounds and improve their health. Some are in protective custody and cannot be adopted out until their former owners are prosecuted. And, of course, there are always kittens and puppies who are not old enough to be adopted yet.
Foster animals benefit from a stable home environment with a loving foster parent to care for them. The shelter benefits, too, by making room for other animals who are ready to find their forever homes.
The Pennsylvania SPCA's Foster Care Volunteer program is looking for special people to provide caring homes for animals in need.
Foster parents should have experience with animals or be available for training. Foster parents need to be at least 16 years old and be willing to bring their foster pets to the shelter for inoculations and, if necessary, medical treatment (all of which is provided, free of charge, by the Pennsylvania SPCA).
In exchange, the foster care parent has first chance to adopt the animal when it's ready or to arrange adoptions with qualified owners. Foster caregivers are also entitled to bring up to four of their own pets for free inoculations and routine medical care at the Pennsylvania SPCA's animal hospital.
Do you have room in your heart and your home to foster an animal in need? If so, please contact Ray Little (Director of Adoptions, Rescue, and Foster Care) at (215) 426-6300 or rlittle@pspca.org. For more information, visit the Volunteer section of our website.
On behalf of my foster dog, Sarge.....thank you!
PS: Have you fostered an animal in the past, or are you currently a foster parent? Email me your story at kwolf@pspca.org, I'd love to hear it!
I am so happy you took Sarge into your home. When I saw him at the Shelter the days I came in to walk dogs it always made me so sad - an old guy like that deserved so much better - and he looks so happy in the picture ! Thank you Kim.
ReplyDeleteSarge is doing really well. He's walking up/down the stairs on his own about 75% of the time. He's actually a big lap dog and jumps up on my couch to sit with me, and he loves to bury his head. Sarge is also a HUGE fan of his chicken dinners. I figure he deserves to eat like a king!
ReplyDeleteSarge couldn't ask for a better foster family!I never knew fostering was an option for shelter dogs, so this is a great example for you to share with others.
ReplyDeleteSarge on TV!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.zootoo.com/petnews/forensicvetnowonanimalcrueltyc-915