How to Foster a Dog in Tulsa

Owning a pet can have many benefits for seniors. Experiencing companionship, unconditional love, and purpose has a positive effect on wellbeing, both emotional and physical. But owning a pet comes with a long commitment. Pets cost money. Vet care, food, grooming, and boarding can run thousands of dollars a year. If you can’t afford a pet, there is a way to experience the joys of a furry friend without the commitment: fostering.

It’s no secret that there is a serious pet overpopulation problem in Oklahoma. News reports of hoarding cases and puppy mills appear almost daily. Local shelters and rescue organizations plead for help as they burst at the seams with abandoned pets. Fostering can give a shelter dog a second chance at a forever home and lighten the load at shelters.

Grant McCarty, CEO of the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Animals, said fostering can be the difference between a dog being adopted or languishing at a shelter.

“It’s beneficial to the pet because it gets them out of the shelter and puts them in a home environment,” he said. “But it’s also beneficial for the person. And you get to have the joys of pet ownership without the 15-year commitment.”

Most area rescues and shelters have foster programs. At the TSPCA, McCarty said their fosters are never financially responsible for their foster pet. The SPCA supplies all food, crates, toys, and medical care. They work to make a good match for fosters with the right dog or cat and take into consideration things like lifestyle and yard size. “We really pride ourselves on trying to put the right dog and cat in the right home.”

Some of the fosters may need medical care, including changing bandages or administering medications, dogs or cats with newborns need a quiet place to raise their young, and senior pets don’t fare well in shelters due to the noise and other disruptions.

Overall, McCarty said the TSPCA has a pretty fast adoption rate, saying dogs on average spend 16 days at the rescue and cats 15 days before being adopted. He said the animals who are at the facility longer are the ones who need a foster. And there is a constant flow of animals at the rescue.

After someone left seven puppies in their parking lot in March, McCarty wants to emphasize that there is help for those who are struggling to care for their pets. The TSPCA operates a food pantry for pets, they offer a low-cost spay and neuter clinic and other programs designed to help people keep their pets.

“I look at this guy who dumped this family of dogs, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was in a place where he couldn’t financially afford them. The puppies were taken care of and socialized. They weren’t abused,” he said. “I wondered if he knew about our low-cost clinic or our food pantry. Could they have gotten help before they got to the point of desperation where they threw animals out of the car in our parking lot? Come talk to us. We can help you take care of your animals. I don’t want finances to be a barrier to knowing the love of a pet.”

Another great organization that needs volunteer fosters is Pause 4 Paws. P4P offers free, short-term, emergency foster care for pets of individuals impacted by homelessness, mental illness, or addiction who are seeking treatment for urgent needs. Volunteers foster the dog temporarily and then the pet is returned to the owner when they are out of care. Executive director Diana Denny said most of the pets are fostered between 5 and 30 days.

“We serve people who are struggling with homelessness, substance abuse, or mental illness,” she said. “When they need to go into treatment, they have nowhere for their pets to go. They will avoid getting help because of their pet. There was actually a gentleman who died. He wouldn’t get help because he didn’t want to abandon his dog.”

Denny said that while they are fostering, the organization makes sure the pet gets veterinary care, including spay and neutering and vaccinations. And all other supplies are provided for the foster pet so there is no expense to the volunteer.

After Linda (P4P does not share the names of their fosters) and her husband lost their last dog a few years ago, they decided not to get another one.

“We travel a lot. But after six or eight months we missed not having a dog. We are dog people,” she said. She read about P4P and applied to be a volunteer.

“It’s been quite an adventure. We’ve had some interesting dogs,” she laughed.

She said the animals can be stressed out when they arrive but they eventually settle down. She has taken in every kind of dog from chihuahuas to German shepherds and she’s frequently asked if she gets attached to them. “The pet has an owner they will be returned to. It’s just rewarding to help someone out. And we get to enjoy the dogs while we have them.” For information about Pause 4 Paws, visit their website.

For those who would like to help but don’t want to foster, there are plenty of other volunteer opportunities at area rescues and shelters. Dog walking, socializing, packaging animal food and supplies for distribution. Some rescues like the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals transport adoptable pets to other states to find homes and depend on volunteers to drive.

McCarty said TSPCA is always looking for volunteers. Candidates undergo a background check and training is provided. Volunteers take dogs on pack walks to assess their temperament, assist in the vaccine clinic, help at adoption events, and much more. To learn more about volunteering at TSPCA, visit tulsaspca.org.