Humane Animal Treatment Society

Fostering’s impact on shelters

When an animal goes to a foster home, for any amount of time, a space opens up for another animal in need to come in and receive help from the shelter. Fostering also helps relieve the shelter of work when the space left behind by the animal stays empty, this provides a bit of relief for the shelter employees and allows them to care for the other animals with more attention.

At the Human Animal Treatment Society (HATS) in Isabella County, there is a feline and a canine department. Care for cats and dogs is very different and that remains true in a shelter environment.

The feline department begins their day at 7 a.m., providing medication and bandage changes or cleanings that the cats may require. They refill the water and free feeding bowls across the shelters 150 cat bays, 50 dog kennels, and five catteries (number of active kennels and bays vary) and provide new bedding for them all. The number of cats in each cattery varies based on many factors, but typically there is between two and seven cats in each. This typically takes from 7 to 11 a.m.

In the canine department, care is an ongoing task throughout the entire day. Dogs at HATS are fed at three set mealtimes, this is to increase the enrichment activity of the dogs each day. The kennels are cleaned or rinsed out constantly throughout the day since many of the dogs leave the shelter for brief time frames to participate in Park Pals, the shelter's dog walking volunteer program, which makes time for their kennel to be cleaned but also brings some extra dirt when they return.

During the second half of the day, 1 to 5 p.m., HATS is open to the public for potential adopters to meet with staff and animals. During this time the feline and canine specific employees are often unable to care for animals because they are interacting with the public and working to get animals adopted and fostered. This means that the cleaning, feeding and overall care is now turned over to the general staff of the shelter.

Kitten Season

The feline department begins to struggle during “kitten season,” a time of year typically spanning from April to October or November. When the weather starts to get warmer, stray and feral cats get more active and begin mating. Indoor unfixed cats will also start finding their way outside in search of other cats during this time.

This rise in breeding results in many litters being brought to shelters for care. These newborn kittens are unweaned and require consistent bottle feeding which puts a strain on the shelter.

Oftentimes, a staff member will bring the kittens home during the night and back to the shelter during the day to facilitate this constant care. This can be difficult to accommodate however since most of the staff at HATS have pets of their own and would not be able to care for the kittens fully.

When the kittens are receiving their care at the shelter it essentially takes away a staff member from their normal duties caring for the other animals. This can result in the non-department specific employees taking over some form of animal care instead of their normal duties as well.

Expectations for foster home/family

While some people may have concerns about whether they are a good fit to foster an animal or if they will be able to handle the task, HATS requires an application be filled out that allows for potential fosterers to specify what they want or can provide.

The application offers options to foster unweaned puppies or kittens that require consistent care, dogs or cats with health issues or behavioral issues and kittens or puppies that do not require consistent care.

Prospective fosters are also able to choose the time commitment they are willing to commit to on this application.

HATS Community Involvement Coordinator, Ashleigh Steelman, said the shelter is always available to the fosters for advice or opinions on things during the animals stay with them.

Steelman shared that recently a first-time foster took in five German Shepherd puppies and was overwhelmed by the task she took on. “So, she brought them back and we’re always accommodating too, we will figure it out,” said Steelman.

Steelman also said the shelter will provide any supplies that the foster needs, from bowls and leashes to beds and litter boxes. “You just have to provide the care for them,” said Steelman.

Fostering as trial for adoption

The reasons for fostering an animal vary from person to person, but many who take on the task do so with the goal of adopting an animal from HATS. Steelman says that fostering an animal is a great way to find out if the animal is a good fit for the person or family looking to add a pet to their life.

“It also is beneficial for the animal regardless because it gets them out of the shelter environment which can be stressful,” said Steelman. “We also get a run down of what their behavior is like in a home, sometimes we have no idea, they come in as a stray and we have no history on them. They could be shut down here and not show their personality and energy level, so getting them to even just a temporary foster is helpful.”

This was exactly the case with a cattle dog named Nina that came into the shelter and was adopted by an “older woman” as Steelman described. Nina was extremely quiet, relaxed and laid back at the shelter but completely changed once going home with the woman.

“She was probably one of our most high energy dogs, barked at everything, spring loaded, so the woman ended up bringing her back,” Steelman said.

When animals come into the shelter without a history of behavior there are often trials for compatibility with other animals and children. Steelman says this is done at the shelter through controlled interactions for the safety of everyone involved.

Cats and dogs will be walked past dog kennels or cat bays, and their reactions will tell staff if the animal could live with another animal. Steelman also said that there are some children who volunteer at the shelter, and they will often interact with the animals to see how they react to children.

Even with knowledge of an animal's compatibility with children and animals, a foster situation can still provide more detailed knowledge that will help with finding the right home for shelter animals.

Recently, a daily with a 1-year-old child was fostering a dog with the plan to adopt her. The foster called the shelter to inform them of an incident where the dog growled at the child after they “fell on the dog.” Steelman informed that the dog's reaction was normal given the situation but understood concerns and, for the safety of the family, requested that they return the dog to the shelter.

“It’s good that she didn’t snap, and we think she could still live with children, maybe just not children as young as that child was,” said Steelman.

The shelter does keep record of animal personality traits and compatibility in various ways to ensure the animal is understood and can be appropriately assigned to fosters or prospective adopters.

Elija Jaspers Slumber Buddies Experience

Elija Jaspers found out about the Slumber Buddies program through the H.A.T.S website. He began volunteering for the Park Pals dog walking program and eventually started short term fostering with Slumber Buddies. Jaspers said he likes spending time with animals because they “don't have an ego” and it’s easy to get along with them.

Jaspers often takes the dogs he walks for Park Pals and those he fosters to trails around Mount Pleasant. He says these walks feel good for him because he is able to get out into nature and experience “ecotherapy,” this is a type of psychological healing based on the idea that humans are deeply connected to nature and the environment around them, causing internal healing when in nature and connecting directly.

“It’s beneficial just to get out there sometimes,” Jaspers said. “Get surrounded by trees.” These nature walks aren’t just beneficial to him. Jaspers says the dogs he brings onto the trails often get excited to see and walk around in the woods.

“[The shelter] has a lot of dogs and they go for walks everyday but it’s also good to get them in the real world, in parks where they can meet strangers,” said Jaspers. Taking the dogs to parks and nature areas for walks allows him to prepare them for future interactions with people and things outdoors. Jaspers also said that for some dogs it seems like their first time being in the woods.

Similarly, fostering an animal helps to teach them how to behave in a home environment. In Jaspers’ experience, the dogs he brought home haven’t had any behavioral issues but giving the dogs a chance to experience a home and be introduced to the environment and general rules is helpful to their adoption process.

His situation

Many people do not have the ability to bring an animal into their home and life long-term, but fostering is accessible for nearly all situations.

Jaspers lives in an apartment with a roommate and is unable to own an animal because of the cost it would add to his rent. However, short-term fostering is doable and gives him the chance to have an animal in his life once in a while. He has learned that communication is key when it comes to getting involved with a program like Slumber Buddies while having a roommate, but specific situations can be accommodated for.

“They pretty much give you everything,” said Jaspers. “Don't forget to ask the shelter for a toy, some dogs really appreciate that.”