The Union County Animal Protection Society is reaching out to the residents of El Dorado and Union County for foster parents and families for some of UCAPS’ animals.
“If they want to help save lives – that’s one of the perks of fostering,” said UCAPS manager Tanja Jackson. “You see it. I mean I’ve seen it … It was like a different experience in itself. That you can’t buy.”
Jackson said UCAPS has several different levels of fostering people can commit to, with some levels being more short-term than others. UCAPS is currently over their capacity of 300, she said, which could cause discomfort for the animals there.
“I’ve got makeshift pens in the fields,” Jackson said. “I mean, they’re all taken care of, but there comes a time when you’re like ‘we need fosters.’ We can do the work, it’s just the space, and to keep everything in a healthy environment.”
Short-term fostering is available for some animals and typically lasts about four weeks, Jackson said.
Typically, the animals who are available for short-term fostering will be soon headed for Paws in Prison, a program that places shelter dogs in prisons for about eight weeks for obedience training.
Jackson said some animals that are waiting for transport to another state are also available for short- to medium-term fostering. Since UCAPS is usually at or over capacity, some animals sheltered there get transported to shelters in other states UCAPS has partnered with when space at those becomes available.
“Last Friday we left with 12. This month we had a total of 18 that left for Minnesota and Chicago,” Jackson said.
There is also critical fostering, when an animal needs critical care that they can’t get at the shelter. For example, a young puppy that has been separated from its mother may need to be bottle-fed for several weeks before it can transition to solid foods and shelter-life.
“I just fostered some bottle baby puppies,” Jackson said. “Their mom passed away and the family had contacted us and it had been three or four days since they had had mother’s milk so they were very, very, very dehydrated. So I took them – it was a litter of eight and six passed — … but two survived and – we did this for about four weeks – they’re eating on their own now. You become like mom. That’s a critical foster.”
Long-term fostering is also always appreciated, Jackson said. For families that would like to have a pet but have a conflict, indefinite fostering is also a possibility.
“Some people want to help us, but they don’t want the commitment, [they’re] going on vacation or whatever – they may want to foster, and when they can’t they can’t, but when they come back they’ll foster again. So it’s like having an animal but not, like, committed to having an animal for its lifetime.”
Before someone can foster a pet, UCAPS makes sure they are a good fit for whichever animal they may end up fostering. First, if a person or family wants to foster a dog, UCAPS insists they have a fenced area; while the dogs do not have to be kept outside, it is important that they have a place to run free.
Sometimes, Jackson said, a UCAPS representative will do a home visit to ensure a potential foster parent or family has a secure indoor or outdoor area for the animal they foster. At that time, they will also determine whether any other pets in the potential foster home may influence what animal a person can foster, as some of the shelter animals are less well-adapted socially than others.
UCAPS will also ask potential foster families whether they have small children, as some of their animals are not always accustomed to children.
“I’ve got to know where the animal is going,” Jackson said. “Around here, we need foster [families] that have experience with those types of animals. … There’s a process we have to go through and it’s really simple but it’s to keep everybody happy.”
Jackson said she has experience finding foster families for all types of animals; just this week, she said, she helped find a foster family for a guinea pig whose owner was temporarily unable to keep it at her home.
Those who do foster can have the animal’s food and any other necessities provided for them by UCAPS. They are also encouraged to contact UCAPS any time fostering a particular animal doesn’t work out; they will gladly take the animal back any time, Jackson said.
Often times, foster families will grow to love the animal they’ve fostered, Jackson said, sometimes even going on to formally adopt them.
“That’s a foster failure … It’s happened, actually – every one of my foster families has become a foster failure (by adopting the animal they were fostering) at some point,” Jackson said. “It happens a lot.”
She also noted that for those people who are considering adoption but have never owned a pet, fostering first is a good option; it allows the foster parent to get to know their pet and whether the dynamic is suitable before making a lifetime commitment.
Tomorrow, a group of 10 puppies will come to UCAPS that need foster families, Jackson said. They are mutts, though Jackson said she thinks they might have a mix of Catahoula and some type of hound dog.
“[They’re] your typical southern special. “Southern blends” we call them around here,” she said with a laugh.
There are also many other dogs and cats available for fostering at UCAPS.
To foster an animal, contact UCAPS at 870-862-0502, ucapsshelter.org or [email protected]. One can also visit their shelter at 1000 Sunset Road in El Dorado.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].