News
Have You Considered Becoming a Foster Parent?
January 21, 2009, 5:14PM MT
By Carol Baum
You can make a difference by providing a temporary home to a furry friend!
You can make a difference by providing a temporary home to a furry friend!
by Carol Baum, Volunteer Coordinator
Foster parents provide temporary homes for animals prior to adoption. Providing foster care is a wonderful and personal way to contribute to saving homeless pets!
Why foster?
Fostering is a great way to enjoy having a pet in your home without making a lifetime commitment! And you will have the satisfaction of knowing you've made a difference in the life of an animal. Fostering is also more flexible than other volunteer jobs that require you to show up at a specific time for a certain number of hours.
What skills are needed?
If you have some basic knowledge about companion animal behavior and health, fostering can be a flexible, fun and rewarding volunteer job.
Some animals in need of foster care require a little extra help or training. Shy cats often need time to learn to trust people. Dogs can benefit from a little obedience training, so you may want to familiarize yourself with basic training techniques.
Just by getting to know the animal, you can help by learning more about her personality prior to adoption.
How you can help
If you think you’d like to be a Foster Care Provider, you may find foster opportunities with Best Friends and other animal welfare organizations by doing the following...
1. Login to your account at http://network.bestfriends.org. (If not already a member, click Join Network Now and follow instructions to sign up.)
2. Click on My Membership Tools in the Welcome box.
3. Click on the Volunteer tab.
4. Click on Search All Opportunities.
5. Click on Option #1, Show All Opportunities. Then go from there to select an opportunity.
6. When you reach the detailed volunteer description, there is a Sign Up button at the bottom. Click on this to sign up for that position.
If you have any questions about this volunteer opportunity, you may contact Volunteer Coordinator Carol Baum at bfvolcoord@bestfriends.org.