A week before Christmas Eve, Sally Gallop was preparing to take home a 6-month-old mixed-breed medium-sized dog named Ash from the Park County Animal Shelter in Cody to foster.
Ash is deaf and visually impaired, and until she gets adopted, Gallop’s home will be her home.
That likely means Gallop will have a guest throughout the holiday season — and she’s fine with that.
“I tell everyone [fostering] is one of the most rewarding experiences of your entire life,” said Gallop, who works as development director at the shelter.
This holiday season, animal shelters across Wyoming are seeking foster families so as to not leave the homeless pets alone.
Studies show that fostering, or caring for an animal temporarily, often leads to shorter shelter stays and higher adoption rates.
At the Park County shelter, employees were busy in the days leading up to Christmas to place all their dogs for the holidays.
“It’s a great time for dogs to be around a lot of people, lights, noise,” said Kaitlyn Quick, director of operations. “It helps them get that outside socialization.”
Good For Humans, Too
While there is still a need, the response has overall been positive.
Not being so alone during the holidays is good for people as well as pets.
“There are a lot of people who stick around and are more than happy to add an animal to their festivities,” Quick said. “Sometimes people don’t want to spend the time alone, so they take in a dog.”
In the Star Valley area, 16 animals from Lucky’s Place, a no-kill shelter, are in foster homes.
As of last week, 36 pets were still in the shelter.
“We love fostering,” said Anna West, Lucky’s Place operations manager. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a very large community for it.”
One 6-month-old puppy will be with a substitute foster family while her initial foster family travels over the holidays.
“We were able to find another quiet home for her until the other family gets back,” West told Cowboy State Daily. “Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t work out.”
They Do Better In Homes
All is calm at the Dog and Cat Shelter in Sheridan just before Christmas.
Front desk coordinator Hillary Rideshorse said the shelter is seeking a few foster families for dogs over the holidays.
The facility works with shelters in Gillette and Casper, taking in pets from those cities when the need is there and the shelter has room.
Dogs who are fostered prior to being adopted typically get adopted more quickly. That’s because animals often behave differently in homes than they do in the shelters, which are high-stress environments, said West.
“[Fostering] is so appreciated, not just from us, but it can really help the animals get adopted faster when they’re in home settings,” she said.
Quick echoes that sentiment, telling Cowboy State Daily that animals’ behavior often changes when they get into a home, even if that home is temporary.
“A shelter is a stressful, chaotic life for a pet, Quick said. “If we can get them into a home where they can feel safe and not so stressed, we’ll see different things than we would if they stayed in the shelter.
“It’s amazing information for us for the shelter so we can find the animal a good home.”
Matchmaking
The Park County Animal Shelter in Cody strives to match a pet with a foster family that would be a good fit.
“We do the matchmaking that we can,” Quick said.
When the shelter finds a right home, it provides the foster family with food, bowls, treats, beds and a kennel.
“Anything they would need we provide,” Quick said.
All the family needs to provide, she said, is a warm, loving home.
“I highly encourage people to consider fostering,” Quick said. “Everybody likes to feel like they did a good thing.”
Fostering shelter animals has given Gallop a sense of purpose. The rewards, she said, are numerous.
“It’s nice to foster, because it’s like owning a dog without the commitment,” she said. “You get to take a dog who otherwise might be overlooked and encourage them to come out of their shell.
“You build community. You build connections.”
