Helping people with their pets
Pet Foster Network
Blessed Bonds offers temporary assistance to persons who want to keep
their animal companions but are having difficulties that interfere with
their ability to meet their pets' daily needs.
Here are some tips that I got from Dr. Linda Harper, founder of Blessed
Bonds.
http://www.blessedbonds.com/index.html
Barbara Lapointe
Pet Foster Network
www.petfoster.org
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Spread the word! Help the Pet Foster Network promote the joys and needs
of pet fostering.
http://www.petfoster.org/Flyers/Boxer.pdf
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From: LHar...@aol.com [mailto:LHar...@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 09:52
To: bar...@arabrab.com
Subject: Re: Helping people with their pets
Hi Barbara
...Here is an interesting thing I have learned: My particular fosters
really do not want an "adoption case" if at all possible. They like
the security of knowing the pet is going back home --it helps them
somewhat stay reserved and they like not feeling guilty that they are
not keeping the pet. So there are people out there who are NOT
fostering through the shelter/adoption programs but WOULD foster for
temporary --is there anyway to get at these people --that would NOT
take away from the other foster programs. NONE of the foster homes I
have right now were foster homes for adoption cases before signing up
with Blessed Bonds --they were only attracted to the
temporary/owner-return nature of this program for fostering. So we just
need to find these ADDITIONAL people and let them do this kind of
fostering --WIN -WIN - It's always a PLUS to get people who were NOT
helping animals before, involved in helping in some way that fits for
them. I know there are more animals in need than fosters --but I
have talked with some people who are starting their own "Blessed
Bonds" type program. A couple of ladies in Indianapolis are doing it
with a partnership they have created between a nursing
home/rehabilitation center and the Humane Society there --also, New
Your City has a program through one of the hospitals and the Animal
Care and Control in NYC --and it is trying to be established with
workers in the hospital through some money that a wealthy patient in
this situation left for this kind of program. I do think this service
will become a more obtainable one in the future --why not try to keep
people and pets together rather than adding another heartbroken one to
the shelter system? So I have a feeling there is more funding available
out there for this type of thing through social services for humans
--not just animal welfare --since it helps people in need and
especially seniors --I need to investigate that further (in my spare
time!) but that is what some of these people are exploring who are
trying to start up their own type of program like this.
Basically, other "tips" would be to encourage the people to
problem-solve. WHO is everybody they possibly know or have known who
may have met their pet or loves animals might be able to take their pet
--or even share --someone for a couple weeks, someone else for a couple
weeks ...Ask all friends and relatives,neighbors, pet walkers,
veterinarians, and get the word out that you need help everywhere
--the internet rescue groups --that's where we get some of our cases
from -- Can they possibly afford boarding (usually not). And most of
the people we get at Blessed Bonds, do not have friends or family to
help --its sad --their pets are their family!
If they have notice (which people don't in many of these urgent
situations --all of a sudden they fall and break a hip for example...)
but if they do have some notice, can they post something at their
church for help, a nearby senior center, or place of work, or people in
the apartment complex... sometimes a vet or grooming place will try to
help for a little while --or they can at least post an urgent
request. If they can, they need to make sure their pets are up to date
on shots and health-check up --people are more likely to foster.
If it is a military situation, then of course there is a national
organization military pet net, they can help in that situation:
https://www.netpets.org/netp/foster.php
If it is a cat or cats --can they have someone come in a few times a
week and feed them and change the litter and check on them for awhile.
These are all obvious suggestions I am sure you already know about
--but there really aren't many more "magic suggestions."
Let me know if I can share any more info with you. Thanks for asking!
Dr. Linda Harper