Fostering

In the animal rescue business, foster homes are a critical resource, providing a loving, temporary shelter for our animals and giving us the opportunity to learn more about the animal in a home environment and therefore place it in the most appropriate permanent home.

At the SPCA of Southwest Michigan we are blessed with a dedicated and growing group of people, who are willing to welcome foster animals into their homes: whether it's to offer a comfortable bed to an older dog or dedicate a spare room to a nursing cat and her kittens. While we need our foster families to be flexible, we can usually find a good match for their lifestyle.

So what drives people to take an unknown animal into their home, having to establish a new routine and knowing they're going to get attached and then have to say goodbye? The primary reason is of course a deep love of animals and the knowledge that this is something very tangible you can do to help reduce the thousands of animals that are senselessly destroyed in Kalamazoo County each year.

We asked a few of our foster families to tell us why they do it and were happy to discover that they gain a tremendous amount from the experience too: they certainly must, because they keep coming back for more! The most commonly expressed joy was in witnessing a transformation as the animal emerges from the stress of its previous week's ordeal and its true personality begins to shine through: a real miracle to see.

Tammie Woodburn, who has fostered numerous puppies, said "You have to focus on the end result. The opportunity to live in a home before it is permanently placed is such an enormous advantage for a rescue animal. We've put a lot of time into successfully training puppies: we got 3 puppies at 5 weeks old, started commands and housebreaking immediately (my son slept on the couch the first few days in case they woke during the night) and they were housetrained by 8 weeks of age: that's a big plus for a potential adopter!"

But how do you say goodbye to this animal who has wriggled its way inevitably into your heart? Lisa Smith, who has fostered an uncountable number of cats and kittens, summed it up: "It's hard: I shed tears every time one of my fosters gets adopted. But I know they're going to a great home and I know that by letting them go, I create a space that enables us to rescue another animal."

And sometimes the personal benefits are quite as profound as the benefits to the animals. Lauri Passage has one such story. Lauri began fostering for the SPCA during the summer of 2003. She'd been feeling extremely low and decided she needed to do something that would give her a purpose, make her feel important. She fostered Lucy, a very underweight, shy German Shepherd, whom she transformed (and adopted!). But she didn't stop there. Lauri has continued to foster dogs and has watched them all move on to permanent loving homes. In her own words: "I didn't have much interest in living. I think fostering may literally have saved my life. Now I'm hooked: I can't stop!"

Thank you to all our foster families: you are extremely important - to the SPCA and the animals!

Read another testimonial from one of our foster homes.

If you think you may be able to offer a temporary refuge for a rescued animal, please give us a call today at 269-629-0567 or email us:

for dogs, contact Gwen at dogfosters@spcaswmich.org
for cats, contact Alexandra at catfosters@spcaswmich.org.