Saturday, September 5, 2009

FOSTER HOMES AND LABOR DAY - CAN YOU HELP TO FOSTER NOW?

Written by CP's VP of Intakes

Labor Day has come to signal the end of summer, a holiday honoring every working American. Many Americans have jobs that require them to work on Labor Day, the holiday created so that working Americans would get a well deserved day of rest. This got me thinking about the holiday and what it really stands for. If you work in retail, medical field, food service, civil public service, entertainment, transportation, military and many other fields, there are no real holidays as their services are required 365 days a year.

Being a CP foster home is very similar, your services are required 365 days a year and there are no holidays ... or are there? How many of you have fostered Puppymill kids, so shy and frightened, but then all of a sudden one day, the lightbulb goes off in their heads and they do something so remarkable for them that it feels like the very best Christmas gift you've ever been given? Or the owner surrender who mopes around your home looking out the window for their family to come back for them for weeks, and then one day they are there looking out the window, but this time they are waiting for you to come home and are so happy and excited to see you home from work and you get the best greeting ever at the door matching your most memorable birthday gift. Then there's the shelter surrender that we have no background or history on. Don't know where they came from, what they've been through and one night you decide to work on basic commands with them and discover not only do they know basic commands but can perform a whole repertoire of amazing tricks providing a better show than the last 4th of July fireworks display.

Being a foster home is a 24/7, 365 days a year job, but it certainly does have its benefits and can provide some of the best "holiday" memories.

Right now our "labor force" is depleted. We are running low on available foster homes while the need for foster homes is soaring right now. It's the time of the year that the mills are getting rid of unwanted stock before winter, the shelters are full from the summer dumping of companion animals and are needing rescue assistance desperately, owner surrenders keep increasing daily and we are having to ask many to wait for space.

Many of our foster homes have a lot currently going on and have said they are not currently available to foster. Our own lives must take precedence over rescue. But, I am asking if you are a foster home that currently does not have a foster, would you take a second look at your current situation and determine if there might be some way for you to squeeze a little foster furkid into your home and your heart.

If you can't do it right away, is there a date that you would be able to? For our foster homes that currently have a foster furkid, is there any chance that you might have room for an additional foster furkid now or in the future? If you are able to help with fostering, please send me a private message or click here to apply to be a foster home.

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