Happy Foster A Pet Month!

It is almost officially summertime, which means it's the pawfect time to do Dog for the Day from our shelters and venture on the Beltline or a local park to gather information on how our pups are in the world and hopefully find them an interested adopter! Check out our new-and-improve Dog Friendly Spots in Atlanta list to help plan your next dog for the day or foster dog excursion!

We're excited to announce our new, monthly marketing Zoom calls! At 6PM the last Wednesday of every month, join the LifeLine marketing team on tips and tricks to help advertise your foster pet as their most adoptable self :)

Click here to add this recurring Marketing Zoom Call event to your Google calendar.

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Last month, LifeLine foster parents met up on Finca to Filter BoHo's dog-friendly patio. We had a wonderful turnout and attendees let us know the event was incredibly helpful to connect and learn with LifeLine staff, volunteers, and experienced fosters. Finca loved hosting us so much, they've invited us back monthly, on the last Saturday of every month from 10AM to 12PM!

Click here to add this recurring event to your Google Calendar.

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The cat's out of the bag! Our marketing team is always looking for new ways to highlight the incredible work of our fosters! We're taking a big step forward while celebrate Foster a Pet Month.

Introducing @realfosterdogsofatlanta - LifeLine's brand new dedicated Foster Instagram page! This is additional support to our main pages, not a replacement.

This page is here to:

• Shine a spotlight on our amazing fosters and the pets they care for.

• Give our foster community a space to share stories, updates, and successes.

• Help more people see the faces behind fostering and encourage others to get involved

To get featured, send your foster photos, videos, or updates to content@lifelineanimal.org and we'll share your content on this page (with your request). If you have your own foster page, you can also collaborate with us up to 4x a month to give your fosters even more visibility! By following @realfosterdogsofatlanta, you'll meet fellow fosters, help them advocate for their pet to get adopted, stay inspired to come up with new creative ways to market foster pets, help us amplify our mission to save lives, and get to see your foster babies spotlight.

Share this page with other fosters, your friends, and potential adopters! Let's keep growing this community together. We'd love to feature as many fosters as possible this summer, don't be shy, send in your photos!

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The Scoop on Poop

What Foster Parents Should Know

Digestive issues are one of the most common concerns that arise in foster pets, especially young puppies and kittens. In many cases, diarrhea is simply caused by the stress of adjusting to a new home or a change in routine. Keeping your foster on a consistent diet helps a lot, and adding a spoonful of plain pumpkin can give them some fiber to settle their stomachs. Avoid switching foods abruptly unless directed.

Other Common Causes

Other common causes for digestive upset include parasites / worms (ew!). All puppies and kittens receive dewormer every 2 weeks for the first few months of their lives, and adult dogs are protected by many types of parasites through their monthly heartworm preventatives. If you have a foster with diarrhea that continues despite a stable diet, reach out to your foster team to submit a fecal sample for testing to rule out parasites and guide treatment.

Serious Concerns to Watch For

In rare cases, diarrhea can be a symptom of more serious illness. Panleukopenia (in kittens) and parvovirus (in puppies) are contagious viruses more frequently seen in the summer that can cause vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weakness, not eating, fever, and dehydration. Your pets' annual vaccinations provide a level of protection against these viruses, but kittens and puppies are at-risk while their immune systems are still developing. If you see any of these signs, reach out to your foster coordinator right away, as this can become an emergency. Early care is critical and our team is here to help. Additionally, pets recovering from these viruses can still need foster care! If you have no other animals in your home (or are able to fully separate and decontaminate between spaces), please reach out to your foster team

Best Sanitation Practices

To keep everyone safe, we recommend keeping foster pets separate from your own animals for at least 14 days, avoid sharing supplies, and disinfect regularly with pet-friendly products. Exposure to panleukopenia or parvovirus calls for a total deep clean of your foster areas, including carpet, with a disinfectant called REScue, which kills the virus.  If foster has tested positive for the viruses in your home and you can’t properly disinfect, you need to wait for six months before fostering again.

Check out a webinar on Foster Home Sanitation here.

Thank you for keeping such a close eye on your fosters and being an important part of their care! You help give these vulnerable animals the healthy start they need.

Adoption fees are only $25 for the month, and we're hoping for a busy month of May Flower Adoptions! Before we talk too much about this upcoming month, we wanted to give some recognition to April. 

~An April in Review~ 

(by Daisy, your foster program manager)

Hey Fosters, it was a hard month. Fulton had 846 stray, surrendered, and hurt animals enter the shelter and DeKalb 757, making it the highest April intakes on record (since 2017) for both county shelters. Fulton saw the 3rd highest dog intake in any month since 2017. And still, we had 286 dogs and 40 cats adopted directly from foster homes and many more enter foster homes and be adopted from the shelter. Every time we had an urgent week, you showed up. We’re endlessly grateful for the way you continue to be there for Atlanta’s animals, and we hope you remember to show that same compassion to yourselves, too.

One way we took care of ourselves was finding community. Our Foster Appreciation Party was a smashing success! It was so special to have so many foster families (and dogs!) in one place to celebrate the lifesaving work you do. We look forward to having more events to build community across our volunteer foster teams.*

We also had a major fundraising milestone... LifeLine's Good Human Gala raised over $640,000 for Atlanta's animals, including a generous sponsor who matched all donations given towards the foster program! We'll be working closely with our development team to make sure these funds help foster pets thrive in meaningful and lasting ways. 

Speaking of growth and lasting impacts, thank you to the 445 people who filled out our 2024 Foster Experience Survey. Your insights, honesty, and care are helping us build a better, more supportive foster program for everyone by showing us what’s working, where we can improve, and how we can better support both you and the animals in your home. This information is LIFESAVING! THANK YOU! 

*For a quick snapshot of my brain... I'd love to have a 'mixer' offsite or events in our Fulton or CAC onsite event spaces. For May, I will be inviting Fulton Dog fosters to come hang. Location and more details will be sent out soon to this group.

"WHAT'S IN YOUR MOUTH? DROP IT! DROP IT! SPIT IT OUT! GIVE IT TO ME!"

Dogs (and cats!) are naturally curious critters. Without thumbs, they often use their mouth to explore and give items the good ol' fashioned taste test. Especially animals who may have been out on the streets and used to scavenging for food. Dogs are notorious for swallowing clothing (especially socks), corn cobs, low quality and small toys, sticks, rocks, wing bones on the side of the road, and other objects. If your foster pet swallows something they're not supposed to, make sure to call the foster emergency line.

 While some foreign bodies pass uneventfully through the intestinal tract, not all of them do. If a blockage (or obstruction) occurs, surgical removal is the only treatment. Foreign body obstruction is one of the more common and potentially life-threatening conditions seen in vet clinics. Signs of an obstruction include vomiting, diarrhea, painful abdomen, straining to defecate, and lethargy. The best way to prevent your pets from swallowing inappropriate items is to puppy/kitty-proof the areas your foster will be in your home. Many dogs get into things when left out alone, so crating can keep them safe while you are not able to monitor them. Toys should be appropriate sizes (larger than their mouth) and cats should not have access to string. Once toys are ripped apart or chewed into small pieces, they should be removed and disposed of. Using basket muzzles for repeat offenders and rock enjoyers is a very effective prevention tool. 

Please do not reach into your foster's mouth to try to take out anything that could become an obstruction. Either try to swap this item with a high-value treat or a toy or ignore them to encourage them to drop it. If they do swallow it, reach out to the emergency line. While obstructions are bad, being bitten by an animal isn't great either. You can read more about intestinal obstructions in dogs and foreign body ingestion in cats by clicking the highlighted links.

Not sure who to contact? We've got you covered.

Behavior Support Zoom Meeting on Thursday, May 8th

Bring your behavior questions! This is a great chance to learn from an expert and connect with fellow fosters. We have the incredible opportunity to have a Behavior Support Zoom Call for LifeLine foster families next Thursday, May 8th at 7pm with certified dog trainer and behavior extraordinaire Kris Hale.

Here is information to join the call:

Time: May 8, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time

Meeting ID: 882 4323 7496

Passcode: Yvh11h

Click to join the call here!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Unable to bring a dog to an adoption event? Consider supporting us through PUPPY YOGA at Fulton County on 5/17, 6/14, and 7/19. 

Yoga Sign Ups Here. 

Take advantage of the warm weather! Bring your foster dog, a weekend warrior, or a dog for the day to an adoption event! Upcoming events and sign-up links can always be found through the Upcoming Events list maintained by our Manager of Outreach Events.

Happy Spring, foster families! Flowers are blooming, our cars are yellow from pollen, and your local shelters are full of animals eager to get a break. With weather heating up, now is the perfect time to take a shelter dog on a beltline break with our Dog for the Day program, offered at all 3 shelters. Dogs who go on these outings are 5x more likely to be adopted, as proven by Virginia Tech and Arizona State. 

March continued to see large numbers of foster adoptions - with 324 dogs and 36 cats adopted from foster homes! Expect that cat number to skyrocket in the coming months, as kitten season commences.

SAVE THE DATE: Volunteer / Foster Appreciation week is 4/20-4/26. We will be inviting active fosters and volunteers to come pawty with us on the evening of Thursday, April 24th. Stay tuned for more details on how to RSVP for this fun event. 

MEET OUR NEW FOSTER STAFF

March brought some exciting new additions to our DeKalb team! In our efforts to facilitate veterinary visits for DeKalb fosters, we are excited to announce the brand new Foster Medical Liaison position, and the amazing new staff member behind it! If you have a DeKalb foster, expect chatting with Victoria about everything from getting your foster pet vaccinations to any medical concerns you may have. 

VICTORIA OGDEN - FOSTER MEDICAL LIAISON

"After being in the veterinary field as a receptionist for over ten years, I realized that there is so much more that I can do to be involved in saving pets lives. I am honored and so excited to be a part of the LifeLine team as the Medical Foster Liaison. I am so eager to learn more of the medical side of sheltering and grateful to be of assistance to our fosters. My favorite type of animal has always been dogs but it's definitely a tie between dogs and cats now that I'm a proud cat Mom of two beautiful female cats named Puma (pictured) and Poppi. I do have a handsome son who is a Chorkie as well named Princeton. In my free time I enjoy watching reality tv and spending time and making memories with my high school sweetheart, whom I married, Andi!"

UPCOMING EVENTS

Warm weather means lots of upcoming adoption events! Attending events in our community is a valuable way to expose your foster pet to adopters and connect with fellow LifeLine fosters and volunteers.

Upcoming events and sign-up links can always be found through the Upcoming Events list maintained by our Manager of Outreach Events.

ADOPTION EVENTS SIGN UPS

DOGS IN NEED OF FOSTER

Our locations are always in need of more foster homes! Make sure to reach out to your foster team if none of these pups are a match to find a better fit. We also have foster dogs in homes in need of foster takeovers and short-term foster pet-sitting while their foster family is away.  Join our Foster Takeover & Sitting Facebook Group and email your foster team if you're able to help in this capacity.

March comes in like a lion and out like a... litter of kittens!? As the weather warms up, we're expecting hundreds of kittens needing foster to enter all three shelters, all while our teams also handle the ongoing overpopulation of medium-to-large sized dogs in our shelters. There's no time like to present to foster pet... for any amount of time!

Need a chill dog? We gotchu. Want to learn how to bottlefeed kittens? Our team's on it! Want a marathon training partner? Consider fostering Raven from our Community Animal Center, who recently ran a 5K with one of our volunteers!

February brought hundreds of dogs and cats into our county shelters, and our teams worked hard to get them into foster and adoptive homes and transferred to rescue partners who have a greater capacity of care. 

In February, we are proud to announce 285 dogs and 58 cats were adopted from foster homes. These adoptions wouldn't be possible without the ongoing support of foster parents marketing their pets and taking initiative in finding an adoptive match. Read more tips on how to market your foster pet here. 

FINDING BALANCE WITH FOSTER BURNOUT

Fulton & DeKalb shelters are often featured on social media as they battle overpopulation, and as a result, hard decisions. We know how overwhelming this can be and know how quickly fosters, volunteers, and staff can burnout from trying to advocate for animals at-risk of euthanasia. Everyone handles stress differently, and we need to take care of ourselves and each other to be able to keep showing up for Atlanta's homeless pets.

It is okay to need a break from fostering, leave foster and adoption Facebook groups, hide Instagram pages, and anything else you need to take a step away from time to time.  One way fosters are taking care of themselves is by choosing to foster from our "CAC" or Community Animal Center location.

If the stress of the urgent process at our county shelters is the reason you haven't been fostering - consider fostering from the CAC! The CAC helps by taking pets from our county shelters, and they do not need to euthanize for space. As animals at the CAC get homes, they will take more from Fulton and DeKalb, meaning you save two lives when you foster long-term from them. This location also has Dog for the Day, Weekend Warrior, and every foster opportunity the county shelters have. They are located right down the road from DeKalb Animal Services at 3180 Presidential Drive, Atlanta, 30340. They are open from 11-7pm weekdays, 11-6pm weekends and always accept walk-ins!

MEET OUR NEW FOSTER STAFF

Our Fulton team is growing! If you've been to our Fulton location before, you may recognize May from her various roles as a volunteer and staff member at the shelter. Make sure to say hello to her next time you are at Fulton!

May Winterz - Pathways Coordinator - Fulton County Animal Services

"With eight years of experience spanning both tech and nonprofit sectors, May Winterz made a bold career shift to pursue her true passion—animal welfare. After working across various roles in the corporate world, she joined Lifeline Animal Project over a year ago. Her journey into animal welfare began with over two years of volunteering, including remotely creating kennel flyers to brighten the old Fulton Shelter. May loves working with behavior dogs who appear a little scary, as it’s a great opportunity to gain a dog’s trust and let their true personality shine through.

May is trilingual and enjoys the opportunity to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. Outside of work, she loves playing games and exploring Japanese culture, which continues to fuel her passion for learning and personal growth. Today, May’s dedication to improving the lives of animals continues to drive her work, both professionally and personally."

UPCOMING EVENTS 

Healthy Pets is LifeLine's free vaccine clinics for community animals. If your personal dogs and cats not being fully vaccinated have been preventing you from fostering (or you know people who may be interested), we will have a DeKalb event on March 15th and a Fulton event on April 12th.  Click here for more information!

Pet adoptions are fee-waived from March 17-23 as part of our Spring Into Love initiative. This includes all foster pets!

Bottle Babies 101: Caring for Newborn Kittens classes were so successful last month! We're so excited to offer a virtual session on Friday, March 21st starting at 6pm.  Join our Zoom meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89619675508

We will also be having a Kitten Shower in anticipation of kitten season on Saturday, March 29th at the LifeLine Community Animal Center from 6:15pm to 8pm. Click here to find out more and email foster@lifelineanimal.org if you're interested in attending!

Other upcoming events and sign-up links can always be found through the Upcoming Events list maintained by our Manager of Outreach Events

THE KITTENS ARE COMING... 

The infamous Kitten Season is approaching.  Female cats go into heat seasonally, not year round like other species. Their biological clock registers the warmer weather as a safer time for offspring to be born and raised, so their bodies prepare to make kittens. Cats can have up to 3 – 4 litters a year.  With 3 – 4 kittens a litter, that’s a lot of kittens being born! Read more about Kitten Season and how you can help on our LifeLine page! 

Our staff will be working hard to find fosters for our fragile underage kittens and their moms. Can't foster? Our teams are asking for some help preparing for their care by donating to our wish lists below: 

1. https://tab.so/FCASKittenWishlist

2. https://tab.so/DCASKittenWishlist

3. https://tab.so/LLKittenWishlist

Hi fosters!

We had a busy January at the LifeLine shelters and are excited for opportunities 2025 will bring to our pets. First and foremost, the shelter teams want to thank everyone who helped foster dogs and cats when the snowstorms hit Atlanta last month. Dozens of animals spent the snowy days frolicking in yards and curled up by a warm fire instead of staying in the shelters as a result. 

We are excited to share that 308 dogs and 110 cats were adopted from foster homes in January! Congratulations to all the families who found their foster pets' an adoptive home. Many adoption connections are made through our adoption events and foster parents advertising them on social media. Prepare for your foster pet's adoption by reviewing our Foster Marketing and Events page! 

2024: A Foster Year In Review

2024 was a year of amazing growth for our foster programs! Thank you everyone for your support in sending over 10,000 animals into foster homes last year. This number doesn't even include dog for the day, weekend warrior, or pets that went on trial adoption. In total, 55% of animals in LifeLine's care were in foster homes at the end of 2024, making us one of the largest foster programs in the whole country!

Total Dogs: 6,908

(35.4% increase from 2023)

Total Cats: 3,562

(20.6% increase from 2023)

If you fostered in 2024, be on the lookout for a survey from the team to let us know more about your experiences with us. We hope you foster again soon! 

Bottle Baby 101 Classes

Been curious about fostering orphaned kittens, but not sure where to start? With kitten season right around the corner, now is the perfect time to prepare! Join us in person for Bottle Babies 101 and learn how to care for our tiniest, most vulnerable shelter residents.

Sign ups and locations below.

Locations & Dates:

Saturday, 2/8/25 at 11:00 AM at LifeLine Community Animal Center

Tuesday, 2/18/25 at 5:30 PM at Fulton County Animal Services

Saturday, 2/22/25 at 12:00 PM at Fulton County Animal Services

SIGN UP HERE: bit.ly/KittenClass101

Upcoming Training Classes

LifeLine offers FREE classes to dog foster parents at the LifeLine Community Animal Center led by Behavior Program Manager, Sharon Eikey and Behavior Caseworker Justin Sparks.  These classes help with a variety of issues and are specifically designed to help shelter dogs grow and heal from any past trauma or lack of socialization they may have experienced before being in your home. Classes are available most Saturdays from 11 AM till 11:45 AM and 12 PM till 12:45 PM and can be found on our Dog Training & Behavior Page