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Never underestimate the power of a
little time, love and affection... |
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The SPCA Tampa Bay has many heroes.
Some have very visible roles at the
shelter while others help from home,
having an immeasurable impact on the
lives of animals through our foster
program. Volunteers in our foster
program earn our utmost appreciation and
definitely qualify for "hero" status.
We give them the skinny, the sick, the
young and the behavior-challenged and
they return well-fed, happy, healthy,
socialized animals that are ready for
adoption. |
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How do they do it? |
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A foster parent welcomes the animal into
a safe, temporary home environment, far
from the stresses of the shelter. This
provides a comfortable base so that the
animal can focus on recovering,
rehabilitating, or learning appropriate
behavior skills. The foster parents and
their families donate their time to
ensure that the animal in their care
enjoys quality socialization. They help
the foster animal learn appropriate
behaviors by using consistent and
positive reinforcement, observing and
noting any progress, medically and/or
behaviorally. Most of all, the parent
gives the foster animal love, affection
and individual attention, and by all
accounts, THIS "donation" will stick
with the foster animal for the rest of
its life. |
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Yes, foster parenting can sometimes be a
difficult job, but these difficulties
are often overshadowed by the joyous
satisfaction of knowing that you played
a significant part in saving the life of
that animal. In fact, many foster
parents say that the most difficult part
of being a foster parent is bringing
their foster back to the shelter for
adoption. |
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In 2010, we had 100 active foster
parents that provided loving care for
over 600 foster animals. Wow! That
sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Over
600... |
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Sigh...it IS a large number, and thank
goodness for the 100 active foster
parent heroes that we are proud to call
SPCA Tampa Bay volunteers. But make no
mistake; the work in an animal shelter
is NEVER done. So, are you ready to do
your part? Are you passionate about
helping animals? Do you have room in
your home? If you are and you do, then
please, contact Jo, the foster
coordinator and let her know that you
would like to join the group of heroes
we call "foster parents." |
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Required Training: |
Volunteer Orientation
(2 hours) |
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Foster Orientation
(1hour) |
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Home Inspection |
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Time Commitment: |
Varies |
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If you would like to
learn more about being a foster parent,
Click here.
(Volunteer@SPCATampabay.org) |
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Puppy kisses and saving lives, those
are the main reasons why we foster
shelter animals. We started with a
pair of puppies too young to go up
for adoption and we currently have a
blind foster dog who would not do
well in a shelter environment. So
far, we have fostered 71 puppies and
dogs.
There are many foster
opportunities and they can be
tailored to meet your circumstances
and skills. We've learned so much
about canine behavior and care. We
have nursed puppies through the
night and take pride in bringing
back fat and sassy puppies ready for
adoption. We take first and last
day photos so we can remember (and
show off) their progress.
Fostering behavior dogs is also very
rewarding because the foster parents
can help find the best candidates
for adopting these special animals.
Like everyone, animals heal faster
in a less stressful environment so
foster homes can really make a
difference. The sooner we can put
animals up for adoption, the sooner
they can find homes and the more
animals we can help.
Fostering provides a second chance
at life and love for these wonderful
animals and they deserve every
chance!
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Valerie and Jeff Brehm |
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Fostering gives me the
opportunity to almost
always have kittens
around to love while not
having to worry about
who's going to take care
of them when I go on a
vacation. It also lets
me feel that I am doing
something worthwhile and
making a difference in
the lives of some of the
sweetest little guys
around. I celebrate
every time one of my
babies finds its forever
home. Each kitten has
its own personality and
attitudes that make it
special, so no matter
how many kittens have
been here in foster the
new ones are always
unique in some way. I
love sharing my home
with whatever fosters I
am lucky enough to get.
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Marilyn Foggin |
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I've been fostering for
about 3 years and have
had (saved) over 200
kittens to date. I
foster for a bunch of
reasons, but really it's
a selfish endeavor. I
love doing it. I love
being around them, I
love caring for them,
they're hysterical,
great therapy, and just
fun to be around. I
also know I'm helping my
community, helping the
animals of course, and
offering some good karma
to the universe. But
really I do it simply
because it makes me
happy.
I have 36 photo albums
with pictures of all my
fosters. I make
calendars and cards and
spend a lot of time
looking at and editing
my photos. I recognize
every one by name and I
have them all on my
screensaver so they can
be with me - even after
they're gone.
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Lisa Bansavage |
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