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Though dogs and cats cannot become sick from COVID-19, they still see the effects of quarantine. For pets who have families, many are benefitting from extra time with their pet parents being home. However, pet shelters and rescues are feeling a strain during this trying time.
Pet rescue organizations are facing a shortage of volunteers as people hunker down and self-quarantine. There’s a potential slowdown in adoptions which may be further impacted by government-imposed shutdowns. If these organizations don’t receive the help they need, they may be forced to make difficult decisions regarding the welfare of these homeless pets.
Fostering to save lives
With many folks able to stay home and work remotely and kids out of school, that means extra flexibility to love and care for these pets who don’t yet have families of their own. Consider using this time spent at home to help foster a pet in your home. If you have kids that are unable to go to school during the quarantine, a new pet in the house will help them practice the responsibilities of taking care of another life. Foster pets also teach compassion while providing unconditional love in return.
What you can do to help
- Foster: To help manage the number of pets at shelters, welcome a homeless pet into your home until shelter operations can return to normal. Fostering a pet guarantees that that animal will be safe and sheltered during these uncertain times.
- Donate money: Spending less money buying lattes, dining out at restaurants, and going to the movies means many of us will have some extra funds over the next several weeks. Consider making a monetary donation to help your local shelter.
- Adopt: If you were planning to expand your fur family soon, now is a great time to rescue a homeless pet from an uncertain future.
- Ask: Email, call, or contact your local shelters via their website or company Facebook pages to ask how you can help.
