July 09, 2024
Countless dogs in shelters across the United States are in need of homes, yet it's impossible for any one person to adopt them all - unfortunately. Even if you have a partner who shares your sentiment "there's always space for one more," the reality is that adopting unlimited dogs isn't feasible. We know, it's frustrating to sound so practical. Fortunately there is a meaningful way for people in communities across the nation to help: taking dogs out of rescue and shelter environments temporarily, on a short term basis.
By “short” we mean a few hours up to a day, maybe two, because that’s all the time it takes to radically increase a dog’s chances of joining a permanent family. A study of 2,000 dogs in 51 shelters found that short-term fostering increases a dog's chances of being adopted by 14 times.
Outings away from the shelter or boarding facility that take dogs out of their kennels and into the lives of attentive, loving people is very powerful. These "vacations" offer dogs a break from the loud, and often times stressful environment of the shelter to spend some quality one-on-one time with people giving them love, affection, and attention. Those experiences add joy to their lives, and studies have shown their stress, measured by the levels of cortisol in their bodies, is lowered considerably by this small act of kindness.
Another great way to help is to become a volunteer dog walker. The change of scenery is beneficial for dogs, and passersby seeing the dogs out and about can also increase their chances of being adopted!