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The animals in the care of shelters like the Pembina Valley Humane Society (PVHS) are, of course, fortunate. They benefit from a place to live, food, and volunteers who prioritize their health and well-being. A harsh truth, however, is that it’s no replacement for the comfort of home.
This holiday season, PVHS is spreading the word about a temporary commitment that helps take animals out of the shelter life to prepare for and enjoy home life — fostering.
“Obviously throughout the year, we’re always looking for fosters to help us understand our animals better,” says Holly Thorne, public relations chair at PVHS. “A lot of times they come to us as strays, and we don’t really know anything about their background, so whenever we have the ability to put them in a foster home, that’s where animals really show their true personalities.”
Thorne says that the shelter environment does not provide the same information about the animals’ true nature and personalities.
“Shelters are very stressful environments. They’re loud . . . [and it’s beneficial] to be able to give them a break from the shelter,” she says, adding that the holidays are an especially nice time of year for a reprieve. “Who doesn’t want to be in a warm, comfortable, cozy home over the holidays with the smells of turkey and Christmas trees and all these things? It’s a nice little gift for the dogs and the cats at the shelter.”
Thorne says that being away for the holidays provides the animals with a taste of home life. It can also help them find adopters.
“It gives them a break and again it helps us understand more about what they’re like in a home situation so that potential adopters know a little bit more about them and what they can expect when this animal comes into their home,” she says.
Taylor Rankin and her husband are one couple that has answered the fostering call. They currently have a small furry charge named Mama Beans (Beans or Beanie to her friends). She’s been in their home for about a month now.
“We’ve been fostering . . . for almost four years,” she says. “It’s so rewarding, honestly — just having extra little paws [on the floor] in the house. It’s great to have a little companion for our dog as well.”
Rankin adds that another benefit of fostering animals is freeing up space for new intakes in the shelter. She also confirms what Thorne says about how dogs transform when they are in a home — Mama Beans has changed within the month she has been with the Rankins.
“Originally, they told me that she was not a fan of cats, [and] we actually have two cats right now,” she says. “Initially, it was a little bit of a learning period, but she’s best friends with both of our cats right now, so that’s kind of something we learned about her.”
Thorne adds that this is extremely useful knowledge.
“Being able to have a foster tell us [that] she’s great with cats means that we have this ability to tell potential adopters, ‘Hey, you know what, if you want a dog to snuggle with your cats, this is an option.’ We wouldn’t have known [without foster care].”
Thorne encourages anyone interested in fostering animals to contact PVHS at 204-822-9413.
“You can tell us a little bit about your lifestyle and what your home situation is like,” she says. “We don’t just give you an animal, we help match the animal to your home and your lifestyle.”
There is also more information on the organization’s fostering page.
Fostering an animal from PVHS is a short-term commitment that makes a big difference to both the organization and the animals therein. There is no financial cost.
“We supply all the food and the treats and all those types of things — you just provide the love,” says Thorne.
And if the foster family should fail to return the animal because it wants to continue to provide that love long-term? No one at the shelter would object.
“This is a temporary thing over the holidays, but I’m not going to say we don’t love foster fails,” says Thorne. “We absolutely do.”
See Pembina Valley Humane Society’s website for information about Mama Beans, Baxter, Dior, and the other animals at the shelter awaiting their forever homes.
With files from Ty Hildebrand
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