Increase in dog abandonments highlights need for pet foster families

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Racquel Doris made it her mission to help Lucky and Linda, two pit bulls she found on the street in July. In just a few days, she raised $1,600 and donated it to B&R Bunkhouse who took the dogs in.

“It feels really good to know they have somewhere they can be that’s safe,” Doris said. “Somewhere where they aren’t roaming around the streets, possibly getting hit by a car.”

The outreach didn’t stop there. Doris and her husband opened up their home to new furry friends.

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“We really started getting into fostering after we found Lucky and Linda because we realized how bad everything was,” said Doris. “How overrun the shelters and rescues are. We knew we had space in our home for the dogs. We wanted to have them stay with us, so they weren’t stuck in a kennel.”

Meanwhile, the need for foster families is only growing.

“It is an incredible help. Especially those animals that are medically needy. It is so much better for them to be recovering or being in a home environment, instead of the added stress being in a shelter,” said Maureen Davison, the executive director of HumaneCNY. “It also adds space for the next animal to come in as well.”

HumaneCNY has its own foster program. It’s helped abandoned dogs like Max, meet new families.

“We will match an available cat or dog to a person’s situation. It’s almost like an adoption. You want to make sure it’s a good fit for that home,” Davison said. “And that foster home’s main responsibility is loving that animal and, in some situations, getting it ready for adoption.”

And even if it’s for a little while, fostering can do a lot of good for these animals.

“If people aren’t fostering the dogs out, then there is not another space for dogs like Lucky and Linda to be able to go somewhere,” Doris said.

The money donated to B&R Bunkhouse will be used for general care of the animals, food, medication, and vet visits. Davison says every shelter and rescue in the area needs foster families.

All fosters receive food for the pets and any medical expenses are taken care of. If you’d like to sign up to become a foster for HumaneCNY, you can contact them at info@humanecny.org or call them at 315-457-8762.

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