Who to Foster?

Deciding whether to foster and what type of animal to foster can seem tricky. When it comes to deciding whether to foster I'd say give it a shot if you're considering it. Worst case you'll have to work with the foster coordinator to return the animal early. But you never know how it'll go-- it could be an amazing experience like it was for me. 

Some basic questions to ask yourself when deciding if to foster and what type of animal to foster are: 
What type of space do I have? 
Does my schedule allow it? 
How would my other pets handle it, would there be room for them to be separated? 
And if you don't own your home-- does my landlord allow it? 

So when it comes to deciding what type of animal to foster you need to know what animals are in need of fostering. Basically any animal in the shelter can benefit from being in a foster home. But there are some that can use it more than others. This includes: 
Mom and nursing babies 
Orphaned babies 
Feral kittens 
Animals recovery from surgery
Sick animals on medications 
Behavior cases-- animals that need more attention working on their behavior 

If you have no idea what type of animal would be best for you talk to your shelter/foster care coordinator. Tell them your lifestyle and what you are looking for in a foster pet and they can help find the right fit. Be honest about what you are comfortable with-- if you prefer dogs over cats or vise versa, let them know. Don't take on something you are not comfortable with! The shelter understands they can't expect everything for everyone. They want to make this a positive experience for both you and the animal. 

Every foster program is a little different. So go visit your shelter and ask about their foster program. Find out what they require and what they offer. 

If you're interested I foster for the Humane Society of Indianapolis and they the bomb. The foster care coordinator is fantastic (and so is the whole staff). I absolutely recommend them to anyone looking to foster, volunteer, or adopt. I will do another blog post in a couple weeks talking more about how awesome they are. In the meantime if you want more information you can check out their website. 
(Foster Program Section) http://indyhumane.org/index.php/get_involved/foster_program

This picture has nothing to do with the post-- but aren't they so cute?!