Author: Ciara LaVelle

Have you considered fostering a pet during the coronavirus pandemic? Shelter workers say now’s the perfect time—and lots of volunteers are listening. Across the country, shelter organizations have seen a spike in new fosters. Requests to foster pets have risen an average of about 90 percent across the U.S., and some shelters have seen their fostering rates increase tenfold since the pandemic began. Shelters in places like Chicago and Southern California have been emptied, thanks to a rising wave of fosters and adoptions. The result is life-changing—both for shelter pets and for the foster parents who take them in. “COVID-19 has been horrible, but one of the huge silver linings is that it’s getting pets into foster homes,” says Michelle Sathe, public relations manager for Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles, California. According to PetPoint, an animal adoption software used by roughly 1,200 shelters across the United States, fosters went up 94 percent between March 14 and April 15. So what exactly is fostering? It’s taking a pet into your home on a temporary basis, caring for them and providing information about how they behave to the shelter as they seek the right forever home. Right now, shelters like Best Friends have reduced staff to comply with new safety guidelines. When volunteers step up, shelter staff have fewer animals to care for, “which means the animals in our care are getting a lot of attention and enrichment, and our staff isn’t overly stressed,” Sathe says. There are plenty of benefits for foster families, too. Studies have proven spending time with animals can ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. And in these uncertain times, taking care of a new pet can be a welcome distraction from the bigger problems of the planet.

Got troubles? Dozens of studies (including this and this) have proven what you probably already know from first-hand experience—pets are just great listeners. It’s likely you chat them up from “good boy” to “good night” on a regular basis throughout the day, but have you taken advantage of their capacity for listening by sharing what’s really on your mind? “Loneliness is a huge thing right now in America,” Conlon says. “Yes, we have social media, but that actually lends to the problem; now you’re looking at Instagram and seeing people’s perfect lives and thinking, that’s how their life is and that’s how mine should be.” Replacing those scrolling sessions with some quality chats with your pet can make a huge difference. Sit, stay, lie down and just talk to them. Whether or not they understand exactly what you’re saying is up for debate, but when you think about it, does it really matter? Both you and your pet are making a connection that’s satisfying to both species.,There’s no doubt that we love our pets. Most of us can hardly remember what our lives looked like before they moved in and took over. But we’re also so busy, bustling and on-the-go that we can miss opportunities to have more meaningful moments with them. Perhaps now’s the ideal time to make that change. If circumstances are leaving you stressed and anxious, a bit of furry (or feathery depending on your pet pal) therapy can go along way to help you get centered and find some calm. “The thing with pets is that they’re consistent,” says Prairie Conlon, LMHP (Licensed Mental Health Professional) and Clinical Director of Therapetic, an online tele-health platform. “Whether you’re moving, changing jobs, get a new boyfriend or girlfriend, they’re always there. The consistency can be really grounding for people.” That’s especially true in these times of social distancing, she adds. “One of the things I’ve been telling clients is to reframe things. How about you look at this from your animal’s perspective? How is your dog feeling about the quarantine?” Chances are, she says, that your pet loves spending extra time with you. “So, let’s look at it from that perspective: This is amazing!” When it comes to your mental health, pets really can be some of the best medicine. Here are five science-based ways to connect with your pets AND slow your roll.

Liz Burrage, a Baltimore-area nonprofit worker who helps her mother raise therapy dogs in her spare time, loves to give back. But when the pandemic cut her off from her usual work, she found another way to be of service: fostering pets. Her first foster, a 1-year-old Sharpei-Labrador mix named Snickerdoodle, came home with her March 19. “He has the softest wrinkles and fur on his head ever,” Burrage says. “And he had a huge play drive.” At the shelter, Burrage says, Snickerdoodle was only able to go outside for short periods three times a day. At home with Burrage and her family, Snickerdoodle had more opportunities to play and exercise—and it showed. “In a few days, he started to really come out of his shell,” Burrage says. Snickerdoodle proved he was good with children and other dogs—which helped his shelter find a home for him in just six days. Having Snickerdoodle by her side helped ease Burrage’s anxiety about the pandemic, she says. And through his interactions with kids and other pets in Burrage’s family, Snickerdoodle proved he was good with children and other dogs—and that information helped his shelter find a home for him in just six days. “When [the shelter] called and said, ‘Snickerdoodle was with us for two months and we didn’t have one application, and now after six days, he’s adopted’—I just sat there and cried. Like, wow, I didn’t even put that into perspective.” Now, Burrage is a foster convert. After Snickerdoodle, she fostered and found a home for a Jack Russell Terrier named Arby, and is currently fostering a three-legged mixed-breed rescue named Boston.,You’ve probably seen a lot of foster pets lately, posing on your social media feed or out for walk with a neighbor. That’s because more and more people are fostering homeless pets during the coronavirus pandemic. This trend is a win-win for everyone: It gives pets a better chance of finding a forever home, relieves the burden on shelters and rescues, and makes life more livable for foster parents while they’re sheltering in place. Just ask these foster parents, all of whom took in a temporary pet for the first time in March. From adoption successes to foster “fails,” their stories are unique—but they all share the rewarding feeling of helping a pet in need.