Save a Life, Become a Foster

Fostering saves lives, period. photo: HSSV

Shelters all over California are reaching their capacity to take in and care for dogs and puppies. Now more than ever, fostering is a crucial way to make more room at shelters while giving dogs the love and attention they need before finding permanent homes.

Why Foster? 

“Shelters are overflowing with large dogs,” says Ash Sukumar, Stewardship Manager at Humane Society Silicon Valley and a foster dog parent in her spare time. “Fostering can give many of these ‘gentle giants’ the help they need to find permanent homes.”

Like so many shelters across the state, Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) has an urgent need for foster families to take in puppies, large dogs, and mother dogs with puppies. Economic challenges, staff shortages, lack of spay/neuter resources, and lower adoption demand are all contributing to under-resourced shelters without enough physical space to house all incoming animals. 

Crowding in shelters can lead to disease outbreaks and an increase in behavioral challenges when animals are unable to have their physical and emotional needs met. Overcrowded shelters throughout the region often depend on organizations like HSSV to take in dogs and puppies to help alleviate space issues and avoid heartbreaking decisions. By having foster families ready to take in dogs and puppies, shelters like HSSV can use their physical space to the fullest, providing badly needed care for more animals.

Bridget Keenan, HSSV’s Senior Director of Legacy Giving and a longtime foster mom for dogs and cats, dedicates her time to fostering because she loves helping homeless pets. “By fostering, we are able to say ‘yes’ to one more animal on the street or in a crowded shelter that we can take in, care for, and ultimately find a loving home for,” says Bridget.

Foster families provide not only physical space for a homeless animal but also ensure they have the attention and care they need to help them to the next step of finding a loving home. “Our job is to make them feel safe and loved. They come in scared and often scraggly and shut down, and they totally blossom with some love and attention,” says one foster parent. 

Ash Sukumar primarily fosters large dogs with the help of her own resident dog Jersey. She knows that large dogs often find shelter settings especially difficult, and she’s seen the transformation that a temporary foster home can bring for a large dog in need. “There are so many well-mannered big dogs out there waiting for a warm space and a healing touch,” says Ash. “I think everyone should give them a chance.”

Darci Everett and a couple of pals. photo: HSSV

Fostering Brings Love 

Foster pet parents often say they get as much love out of the experience as they give.

“When I have a dog that is shut down or arrives in really bad shape medically, and then I see them transform over time into a happy, loving, healthy dog, that is incredibly rewarding,” Bridget says. “I love knowing I was a ‘bridge’ in their journey from whatever situation they had been through in the past to their bright future in a loving home.”

For Ash Sukumar, it’s about the unconditional love she gives and receives.

“The love that these innocent animals shower on you is just beyond comprehension,” says Ash, who has fostered 32 dogs and puppies to date. “They love unconditionally and have helped me love them back the same way.” 

How Can You Help? 

Those looking to help animal shelters with the current space crises can reach out to their local shelters to ask about foster opportunities. Many shelters like HSSV make it easy to get started. Whether you have experience with dogs and puppies or want to give it a try for the first time, shelters can match foster families with the animals that best fit their experience and lifestyle.

HSSV and other shelters provide new foster volunteers with onboarding and training so they feel prepared when bringing home their first foster animal. Once a foster family takes an animal home, they are provided with everything they need along the way. HSSV supports their foster volunteers by providing training, mentors they can ask for answers and advice, and all medical care, food, and supplies.  

For more information about HSSV’s foster program, visit hssv.org/foster. I hope you’ll consider fostering a dog in need today. You’ll be glad you did.