People Adopt, Foster Pets as They Shelter in Place

Fifty-four pets were fostered at Animal Care Services in San Antonio in February. In March, the number climbed to 122.

"That's just a huge increase for us,” board member Kathy Davis says.

Other organizations that were looking for foster-pet parents are at capacity.

At the privately owned nonprofit Santa Fe Animal Shelter in New Mexico about an hour northeast of Albuquerque, roughly 100 animals are available — as opposed to the 250 to 300 that's more typical, according to public relations officer Murad Kirdar. The city- and county-run animal patrols that typically find strays aren't searching during the crisis, and instead are responding only to priority calls considered dangerous.

While shelters across America are closed for drop-in visits, many are arranging meet and greets outdoors by appointment. Foster-pet parents also are showcasing their animals online and through Facebook and Instagram.

Introductions less than ideal

Meeting an animal under such circumstances can provoke anxiety in its own right. Stephanie Losee and her fiancé went online and found an Aussiedoodle named Cowboy they considered adopting. The couple drove round trip from San Francisco, where they live, to Southern California to meet the dog and his owner at his ranch.

Shivering outside for two hours in a 48-degree chill, “we worried about whether he could become a family dog,” Losee says. “The consequences were great, because if we brought him home and couldn't help him feel secure, taking him back would retraumatize him and expose us to COVID."

They decided to adopt him, and Cowboy is blossoming in his new environment. Indeed, more often than not, the payoff is worth it.

Stephanie Losee, right, her fiancé Rick Hamilton, and their Aussiedoodle named Cowboy.

Ava Losee-Unger

"The energy changed immediately in my home,” says Leslie Nakajima of Kahuku, Hawaii, on the upper tip of Oahu about 30 miles north of Honolulu, after she adopted a small shih tzu-terrier mix she named Bohdi. “Having my new little friend here has made all the difference. He is young and needs lots of walks and playtime and also loves to snuggle, so I don't have those moments where you drift into feeling anxious.”

The pandemic raises new questions:

How do you socialize your new pet with other animals and people when social distancing means you can't get close to them?

"Just as (Cowboy has) learned to pee and poo at the dog park across the street from my house, San Francisco is warning that they'll close it,” Losee says.

Moreover, while a pet may get accustomed to having human companions around constantly, the animal could suffer from separation anxiety when everybody returns to work or other activities are put on hold.

Commitment outlasts epidemic

Folks reticent about making a lifelong commitment to a furry new family member can think of fostering as a trial run until an animal finds a proper home. Animal organizations typically cover food, leashes, litter, medicine, toys and other expenses.

"I would tell you that fostering a pet is kind of like going out on a date,” Davis says.

Just be forewarned: You might fall in love and become what's known as a foster failure.

That's what happened to David Glazer, 66, a volunteer at Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Los Angeles. He ended up keeping a withdrawn chihuahua-mix stray named Didi he had brought home to foster — even though he and his wife already owned two dogs and two cats.

"This little dog became so special to me that I couldn't bear the thought of having her go to a home where she might not get the experience that I have to bring her out of her shell,” he says.